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A bus service links the west coast with HORA , aka ANDHROS TOWN , 35km from Gavrio. With its setting on a rocky spur cutting across a huge bay, the capital is the most attractive place on the island. Paved in marble and schist from the still-active local quarries, the buildings around the bus station are grand nineteenth-century affairs, and the squares with their ornate wall fountains and gateways are equally elegant. The hill quarters are modern and rather exclusive, while the small port on the west side of the headland has a yacht supply station and ferry landing. There are beaches on both sides of the headland, the better of which is Paraporti, to the east, though it's somewhat exposed to the meltemi winds in summer. The few hotels in town are on the expensive side and tend to be busy with holidaying Greeks, although you could try the traditional Aigli (tel 02820/22 303; 24-33), opposite the big church on the main walkway. Most rooms are clustered behind the long Nimborio northwest of town, and range from cheap family guesthouses like Firiou (tel 02820/22 921; up to 24) and good clean rooms like those of Villa Stella (tel 02820/22 471; 34-42) to modern apartments such as the Alkioni Inn (tel 02820/24 522; 43-58). The Paradise Hotel (tel 02820/22 187, marlos@mail.otenet.gr ; 59 and upwards), with its swimming pool and tennis court, is the most upmarket choice. For eating , most cafes are up in Hora: Platanos has a generous mezedhes selection which can be enjoyed with an ouzo under the plane trees; the appropriately named O Stathmos right by the bus station is good; and there's a decent psistaria on the main drag. The nicest taverna is O Nonas , tucked away at the town end of the beach behind the ugly Xenia hotel; Nostos , a smart new pizzeria nearby on the seafront, is another popular choice. Up in Hora there's the Rock Cafe for a drink , but Nimbourio beach is the epicentre of nightlife with the two-storey Veggera , a thumping disco halfway along, and the huge Kavo right at the end, which plays Greek music till after 4am. There's a post office and bank around town, a couple of travel agents and three motorbike rentals behind the beach. From the square right at the end of town you pass through an archway and down to windswept Platia Riva , with its statue of the unknown sailor scanning the sea. (This stolid bronze, a gift from the Soviet Union, was recently toppled and broken by a high wind, but locals plan to restore it.) Beyond lies the thirteenth-century Venetian kastro , precariously joined to the mainland by a narrow-arched bridge, which was damaged by German munitions in World War II. Don't be discouraged by the stark modern architecture of the archeological museum (Tues-Sun 8.30am-2.30pm; 1.50), on the main street; it proves to be well laid out and labelled, with instructive models. Its prize item is the fourth-century "Hermes of Andros", reclaimed from a prominent position in the Athens archeological museum. Behind it, the Modern Art Museum (Wed-Mon 10am-2pm, also 6-8pm in summer; 3) has a sculpture garden and a permanent collection with works by Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Chagall and others, as well as temporary shows. Hiking is particularly inviting south and west from Andhros, where there are lush little river valleys. One obvious destination is MENITES , a hill village just up a green valley choked with trees and straddled by stone walls. The church of the Panayia may have been the location of a temple of Dionysos, where water was turned into wine; water still flows continuously from the local rocks. Nearby is the medieval village of MESSARIA , with the deserted twelfth-century Byzantine church of Taxiarhis below and the pleasantly shady Platanos taverna. The finest monastery on the island, Panakhrandou , is only an hour's (steep) walk away, via the village of Fallika: reputedly tenth-century, it's still defended by massive walls but occupied these days by just three monks. It clings to an iron-stained cliff southwest of Hora, to which you can return directly with a healthy two- to three-hour walk down the creek valley, guided by red dots. Hidden by the ridge directly north of Hora, the prosperous nineteenth-century village of STENIES was built by the vanguard of today's shipping magnates; just below, at Yialia, there's a small pebble beach with a taverna. Nearby on the road to Strapouries is a wonderful taverna, Bozakis , which boasts a view all the way down to the coast and excellent food. Beyond Stenies is APIKIA , a tidy little village which bottles Sariza-brand mineral water for a living; there are a few tavernas , including O Tassos which has a lovely garden setting and specialities such as goat and rabbit. There are a very limited number of rooms here, as well as the "luxury" hotel Pigi Sariza (tel 02820/23 799 or 23 899; 34-72), which is getting a bit tatty around the edges. The road is now asphalted up to Vourkoti and even past this point is quite negotiable via Arni to the west coast. There are some stunning views all along this road but bike riders need to take care when the meltemi is blowing - it can get dangerously windy.
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