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Chios is a large island in the north-eastern Aegean, close to the Turkish coast, with a long seafaring tradition and a unique treasure: mastic. The aromatic resin of the mastic tree is produced only in the south of the island, and the medieval Mastichochoria, the mastic villages, were built as fortified settlements to protect it. The most famous is Pyrgi, whose houses are covered with xysta, intricate black-and-white geometric patterns scratched into the plaster, while Mesta is a perfectly preserved labyrinth of stone lanes and arches with no outward-facing doors. In the centre of the island, the eleventh-century monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in Greece. The north is wild and mountainous, with remote villages such as Anavatos, an abandoned settlement clinging to a cliff, and Volissos with its castle. Chios Town, the capital and port, has a Byzantine-Genoese castle and a lively waterfront, and nearby Kambos is an area of walled citrus orchards and old stone mansions. The island's beaches include the black-pebble Mavra Volia at Emporios and the sandy bays of Karfas and Agia Dynami. With an airport and ferries, Chios suits culture lovers, foodies and travellers seeking authenticity.
Quick facts
LOCATION
North Aegean
KNOWN FOR
Mastic villages & Nea Moni
BEST FOR
Traditional, History, Local food, Churches & monasteries, Near the airport
Transportation
Chios Airport
Port of Chios
Beaches
Mavra Volia Beach
Karfas Beach
Agia Dynami Beach
Lithi Beach
Komi Beach
Nagos Beach
Religious Sites
Monastery of Nea Moni
Museums & History
Castle of Chios
Daskalopetra (Homer's Stone)
Kampos Mansions
Windmills of Vrontados
Chios Mastic Museum
Archaeological Museum of Chios
Other
Mesta Village
Pyrgi Village
Olympoi Village
Anavatos Village
Avgonyma Village
Olympi Cave
Volissos Village
Shopping
Aplotaria Street (Chios)
By air
Chios Island National Airport, about 4 km south of Chios Town, has flights from Athens and Thessaloniki. There are few direct international flights, so most visitors connect through Athens, a flight of under an hour.
By ferry
Chios Town is the main port, with ferries to Piraeus, often overnight, and to Lesvos, Samos, Ikaria and Limnos. Daily boats go to the small island of Inousses, and frequent boats cross to Cesme on the Turkish coast in under an hour.
Getting around
Recommended. Buses connect Chios Town with the medieval mastic villages, such as Pyrgi and Mesta, and some beaches, but services are limited. A car makes it much easier to combine the south, Nea Moni, Anavatos and the wild north.
