Chios
A guide to Chios
Chios is the fifth-largest Greek island, in the north-eastern Aegean, just across the strait from the Turkish coast. It is an island of mastiha, medieval villages and seafarers. Our apartment is in Vrontados, just north of Chios town, so by car almost all of the island is within a day trip.
Chios town and Kampos
Chios town is built around the main harbour and its medieval castle. Inside the walls, the old quarter is lovely for a slow walk. Along the harbour front you’ll find cafés, shops and the boats to the other islands.
South of the town lies Kampos, with stone mansions behind high walls and old orchards of mandarin and orange trees. The island’s airport is there too.
Nea Moni and Anavatos
In the centre of the island, about 15 km from town, is Nea Moni, an 11th-century monastery famous for its mosaics and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Not far from it is Anavatos, a medieval village built on a rock. It was abandoned after the massacre of 1822 and is one of the most moving places on the island.
The mastic villages
The south of Chios is mastiha country. In Pyrgi, the “painted village”, the houses are covered in black-and-white geometric patterns called xysta. Mesta is a village-castle, with medieval lanes that wind between the houses. Olympi is close by.
To see how mastiha is grown and harvested, visit the Chios Mastic Museum in the south of the island.
Beaches
The closest to us is Mersinidi, a short way north of Vrontados. The sea in front of the house is only 40 metres away.
Karfas, about 7 km south of Chios town, has a long sandy beach with tavernas and cafés. Further south is Komi, also sandy, and at the southern tip of the island Mavra Volia, a beach of black volcanic pebbles. On the west coast, Lithi beach is loved for its sand and its tavernas.
The north
North of Vrontados the coast road leads to Kardamyla, in the north-eastern corner of the island, a village of seafarers around a small bay.
In the north-west, Volissos rises like an amphitheatre on a hill below a Byzantine castle. It is one of the places said to be the birthplace of Homer.
Getting here and getting around
Chios has ferries from Piraeus and other Aegean islands, and flights from Athens. There is also a short ferry crossing from Çeşme in Turkey; Chios and Çeşme are twin towns.
The port is about 4.5 km from the apartment. A car is the easiest way to see the island, and there is a car rental about 200 metres from us. Before you arrive, message us and we’ll tell you how to find us.