Greece’s Andros Island
HIGHLIGHTS
Gateway City: Athens, Greece
Start Location: Andros Island, Greece
End Location: Andros Island, Greece
CHALLENGE LEVEL: 6*
Expect an average of 6-8 hiking miles per day over history-laden Mediterranean hills with stunning views and the promise of baklava to come.
*Parallel trips are rated on a scale of 1-10. See our FAQ on Challenge Levels for more information.
2026 DATES
Sunday, 26 April – Saturday, 2 May – BETA
Sunday, 18 October – Saturday, 24 October
Reviews
what is included
- Six-nights accommodations with breakfast
- Luggage transfer from town to town
- Two evening meals
- Nightly wine reception and informational briefing
- Parallel Picnic Kit
- Professional hiking instruction and detailed maps
- Pre-trip materials, including packing list and training schedule
We will transfer your luggage from accommodation to accommodation so that you don’t have to worry about getting that wheeled suitcase up the hill. While typical of many European hotels in offering smaller rooms than you might find in the U.S., each of the hotels we’ve chosen has clean, well-run facilities, air-conditioning, and a full Greek breakfast. There is good wifi at each evening location.
We have included two evening meals as a group so that you have the opportunity to get to know and share your experiences with your fellow travelers. The first is our welcome dinner in near the port of Gavrio where we will eat a home-cooked meal at a family-run taveerna. And we will celebrate our time together with a great meal out in Batsi. The following day, we will shuttle everyone to their ferries back to Rafina and Athens beyond.
We will also provide you with professional facilitators, detailed maps, and a daily briefing on what you can expect from the day to come. Ahead of the trip, we will provide you with pre-trip packing lists, a recommended training schedule, and as many pre-trip phone calls as you’d like!
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
- Four independent evening meals
- Lunches (although we’ll get you started with picnic supplies)
- Travel to and from Andros
- Trip insurance, if desired
- Personal memory purchases
At Parallel, we value the community that we build within a group, but we equally value your independence. As such, we’ve designed our trips to give you ample opportunity to explore on your own or with your fellow travelers as you’d like. Our hikes are not guided, meaning that, during our days of hiking, you are welcome to complete the day’s itinerary at your own pace – whether that means hiking with others in the group or not is up to you.
You will have plenty of opportunity for independence in your meals, too. Each of your accommodations includes breakfast, to be enjoyed at your convenience. When it comes to lunch on the trail, we’ve learned that everyone picnics differently – and as such, you’ll have the opportunity to provision for lunch from local shops within easy walking distance of your hotel so that you can choose when, where, and how you have lunch during the day. As noted above you’ll have the opportunity for four truly independent evening meals – in Korthi Bay, two evenings in Chora, and in the village of Menites.
You’ll need airfare to and from Athens, Greece, and ferry reservations from Rafina to Andros. We are very happy to help you with the ferry bookings and, depending on when you arrive in Athens, you’ll find several good options to and from Andros. We will meet you as you arrive on Andros in the port town of Gavrio. Regardless of where you are coming from or headed to, we’re very happy to assist you with your travel plans.
You'll feel it, too. Something visceral happens as you leave the port of Rafina and cross the Petalioi Gulf to Andros Island.
Standing on the deck of the ferry, the urban hubbub of Athens and its busy suburbs recede behind churning white wake. Turning away from the mainland, you’ll feel the morning sun on your face and see the Aegean Sea expanding before you in shades of blue you didn’t think possible – and Andros, the greenest of the Cyclades, rising out of the sea to welcome you.
With its well-marked, gorgeous trail system, Andros is a hiker’s dream. With a unique microclimate, the island receives more rainfall than any nearby islands, and as a result, its valleys are lush and green – filled with small working farms, year-round streams, and wildflowers springing up around every turn. And, after a welcome dinner and a raised glass on our first night together, we will get to see it all. We will start our walking at a hundreds-year-old monastery perched high above the sea to make our way through the steni (the ancient “roads” that connect villages on the island) to reach Korthi Bay with its crystal clear water, calm beach, and welcoming tavernas.
From Korthi, we will make our way over the ridge and through tiny hillside villages, passing ancient ruins, and vistas upon vistas, to Andros Chora, the small town that serves as the island’s cultural and commercial heart. Staying at a small hotel that will undoubtedly feel more like staying with the Greek family you didn’t know you had, we will spend two nights in Chora, leaving you with a full day to explore the town and its surroundings
Reluctantly leaving Chora, we will walk into the central hills and the village of Menites, where you can drink water flowing straight from ancient springs. Drinking local wine and maybe a plate of homemade moussaka under the olive trees this evening, you’ll sleep well tonight under stars that seem close enough to touch.
On our final day of hiking, we’ll return to the sunset side of the island, making our way to the lively harbor town of Batsi, where we will celebrate together at a waterside, family-run restaurant. The music will play, the moon will shine on the water, the ouzo will flow, and we will wonder, perhaps, if it has all been a dream, before waking and returning to Athens and our lives at home.
