Quick facts
Best subject: the Kamara, a single arched stone bridge built in the early thirteenth century, linking Andros Town to the ruins of its Venetian sea castle.
Best sunset spot: Batsi, on the island’s west coast, where the harbour and its Blue Flag beach face the sea toward the sunset.
Best season for photography: April and May, when Andros, the greenest island in the Cyclades, is at its most lush, with running water in its valleys and wildflowers out across the hillsides.
Golden hour: the standard 45 minutes or so before sunset works well on the west coast at Batsi. On the east coast at Chora and Korthi, mornings tend to give the better light.
Getting around: Andros has no airport, so most visitors arrive by ferry into Gavrio, then need a car to reach the rest of the island. See getting around Andros and how to get to Andros.
Is Andros worth visiting for photography
Andros is the greenest island in the Cyclades, with valleys, springs and even small waterfalls that set it apart from the drier, rockier islands further south, alongside the neoclassical shipping wealth architecture of its capital, a look you will not find anywhere else in the group. That combination of water, greenery and grand nineteenth century mansions gives Andros a genuinely different photographic identity to the whitewashed cube houses most people picture when they think of the Cyclades.
Best photo spots in Andros
1. The Kamara bridge and Venetian castle, Andros Town. A single arched stone bridge, built in the early thirteenth century under the Dandolo dynasty, carries you out to the ruined Venetian sea castle at the tip of the town’s peninsula, with the neoclassical mansions of the Riva promenade behind you. Read more in our Andros Town guide.
2. Batsi harbour. The island’s main resort village, built around a working harbour with a nine time Blue Flag beach right in front of it, at its best in the evening as the fishing boats and tavern lights come on. Read more in our Batsi village guide.
3. Korthi Bay. A wide, sheltered bay on the southeast coast, popular with windsurfers, with one of the island’s oldest churches close by. Read more in our Korthi village guide.
4. Agios Petros Beach and its ancient tower. At almost 1 kilometre long, this is the island’s biggest stretch of sand, and it sits close to the Tower of Agios Petros, a freestanding stone tower roughly 20 metres tall dating to the fourth or third century before Christ, originally built to protect a copper mining operation. See our guide to Agios Petros Beach.
5. Vitali Beach. A quieter pebble beach with strikingly clear turquoise water, dramatic rock formations and a small chapel right at the water’s edge, one of the more genuinely photogenic corners of the island. See our guide to Vitali Beach.
6. Pythara Waterfalls. A series of small waterfalls and natural pools inland, unusual for the Cyclades and a good reminder of how much greener Andros is than its neighbours. We do not yet have a dedicated page for this spot, so ask locally in Apoikia for directions.
Best time of day to photograph Andros
Batsi and Gavrio sit on the island’s west coast, which generally makes them the better choice for a sunset shot over the sea. Andros Town and Korthi are on the east side, and tend to work better in the morning, when the light comes in low across the water in front of them rather than behind the camera.
Best season for photography in Andros
April and May are the strongest months, when the island’s valleys are running with water, the hillsides are green and the wildflowers are out, a look Andros has that most of the drier Cyclades islands simply do not.
July and August bring the strongest sunlight and the biggest crowds at Batsi and the main beaches, along with the meltemi wind, which is worth planning around for anything shot on the coast.
Outside summer, Andros stays quieter than most of the Cyclades even in season, so a shoulder season visit does not cost you much in terms of empty scenes, while giving you softer light and a much easier run of the roads between villages.
Practical photography tips
Protect your gear at Agios Petros. The beach is known for wind blown sand through the summer months, which can find its way into camera bags and lenses if you are not careful.
Wear proper footwear inland. The paths around Pythara and the island’s other valleys can be wet and uneven underfoot, unlike the dry, dusty tracks typical of most Cycladic islands.
Mind your footing around the castle ruins. The stones around the Venetian sea castle at Andros Town are uneven and can be slippery after rain, so take care working your way around them for a shot.
Check current drone rules before you fly. Greece follows the EU’s common drone regulations, which generally require operator registration for anything over 250 grams, and there are no fly zones around ports, the airport at Rafina you will fly from to reach the island, and any archaeological remains such as the Tower of Agios Petros. Rules can change, so check the current requirements from Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority before your trip.
Allow more driving time than you expect. Andros is a large, hilly island, and getting between the green interior, the west coast resorts and Andros Town on the east coast takes longer than the map suggests.
Book a local photographer
If you would rather leave the camera work to a professional, a local Andros photographer will know the light on the Kamara bridge, the quieter side of Vitali Beach and the best time to catch Pythara’s waterfalls running well, far better than a first visit ever could.
Explore more of Andros
Getting around Andros · How to get to Andros · Andros bus timetable · Andros taxi · Andros map · Andros weather · Best wineries and wine tastings in Andros · Best cheese tasting experiences in Andros · Best villas with a private pool in Andros · Andros beaches
Back to the Andros island guide.
