Tourlitis Lighthouse

Tourlitis stands on a thin sea stack off the tip of the Andros Chora, below the ruins of the Venetian castle to which a stone footbridge still leads. Built in 1897, it was the first lighthouse in Greece constructed on a rock in open water, with a spiral stair cut into the pillar to reach the tower. It was destroyed during the Second World War and left ruined for decades, then rebuilt in 1994 at the expense of a shipowner in memory of his daughter, and it now operates automatically, one of the most photographed lighthouses in Greece. Visitors see it from the Chora waterfront, from the castle footbridge, or from the beach at Paraporti; there is no access to the rock itself.

What you actually see

• The rock tower - a lighthouse on a sea stack with its carved stair.
• The castle footbridge - the stone crossing to the Venetian ruins beside it.
• The Chora waterfront - the classic viewpoint along the promenade.
• The evening light - the tower silhouetted at sunset from the beach.

When to go

Any season; winter storms make the setting dramatic, and summer evenings give the best photographs. There is no schedule to plan around, as this is purely a view.

Honest expectations

You cannot visit the lighthouse itself, and the whole experience is a photograph from the shore, ten minutes unless combined with a walk through the Chora. The footbridge to the castle can be closed in rough weather.

Nearby

The Chora's museums are along the main street; Andros Route paths start from the town.