Chios
3.6/5The mastic island — medieval villages, Byzantine monasteries and the only mastic trees in the world
The Genoese castle, the medieval mastic villages, the Nea Moni monastery and the volcanic beaches of the south.
Why 3.6: genuinely low prices and exceptional history and architecture — but the beaches are the weakest thing about it.
Chios grows the only mastic trees in the world, and they built its wealth for 600 years. The resin is still tapped by hand in the 24 mastichochoria of the south, and those villages are the reason to come: Pyrgi, where every surface of every building carries the black-and-white xysta scraffito found in no other village in the Aegean, and Mesta, a Genoese fortress-village where each house forms part of the defensive wall. Add Nea Moni, whose 11th-century mosaics are the finest Byzantine work surviving in Greece, the near-abandoned clifftop ruin of Anavatos, and Mavra Volia at Emporios — black volcanic pebbles under dark cliffs. What Chios is not is a beach or nightlife island; it scores 3.2 for beaches, and at 842 km² with a 4-day itinerary you need a car and an overnight 7–10 hour ferry from Piraeus, or the domestic flight. June is the window — sea warm, Pyrgi walkable in daylight, the Nea Moni mosaics without queues. September if you want to watch the mastic harvest begin.
Good for
- Anyone who wants medieval villages — Pyrgi's black-and-white xysta and Mesta, a Genoese fortress-village built as its own wall
- Byzantine-art travellers — the 11th-century mosaics at Nea Moni are the finest surviving work in Greece
- Budget travellers who want a working island — prices stay genuinely low and mastic is still tapped by hand in the south
Maybe skip if
- If you come for the beaches — they are the weakest thing about Chios, black-pebble Mavra Volia aside
- If you won't drive — Chios is 842 km² with a four-day circuit, and the mastic villages need a car
Getting there
Domestic airport — Aegean, Sky Express. Ferries from Piraeus dock at Chios Town port, overnight, daily.
Tip: Daily summer ferry to Cesme (Turkey) takes 30 minutes — closest Greek island to mainland Turkey.
Best time to visit Chios
Chios runs on mastiha — the unique Mediterranean tree resin grown only in the south of the island (the mastichochoria villages). Mastic harvest is August-October and visiting the cooperatives during it is a real experience. Best May-October for everything; June and September are the windows.
Top beaches of Chios
Emporios Beach (Mavra Volia)
One of the most striking beaches in the Aegean — black volcanic pebbles in the ancient harbour of Emporios, with sheer dark cliffs and water of extraordinary clarity. The volcanic landscape gives it a completely different character to any other beach in Greece.
- Type
- Black volcanic pebble
- Length
- 400 m
- Depth
- Medium — crystal clear water
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the southeast to southwest at over 5 Bft. South-facing — sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); calm in summer, exposed only to rare southern winds
- Facilities
- Basic: small taverna. Spectacular cliff scenery.
Komi Beach
The best sandy beach in southern Chios — convenient for those exploring the mastic villages, with good facilities and calm, clear water.
- Type
- Fine sand
- Length
- 600 m
- Depth
- Shallow — calm, clear
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the northeast to southeast at over 5 Bft. East-facing — mostly sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); can be choppy on the strongest NE days
- Facilities
- Good: sunbeds, tavernas, parking. Best organised beach in the south.
Limnos Beach
A remote sandy beach below the medieval village of Volissos in northwest Chios. Almost always empty — most visitors never make it this far. The setting, with the castle above and olive groves behind, is one of the most picturesque on the island.
- Type
- Fine sand
- Length
- 500 m
- Depth
- Shallow — calm, warm
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the southwest to northwest at over 5 Bft. West-facing — sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); calm most summer days, sometimes choppy on rare westerly winds
- Facilities
- Basic: small taverna. Very quiet even in summer.
4-day itinerary for Chios
Read the day-by-day plan on its own page →
Day 1: Chios Town
- 09:00 · Chios Town
The capital — a working port city with a Genoese castle, an Ottoman quarter and one of the finest archaeological museums in the eastern Aegean. Genuine and untouristy.
- 09:30 · Genoese Castle
14th-century Genoese fortress enclosing the old Muslim quarter — the only intact Ottoman neighbourhood in the Aegean. Mosques, fountains and the grave of Kara Ali are within the walls.
- 11:00 · Chios Archaeological Museum
Excellent collection of finds from ancient Chios — vases, coins and sculptures from the island's prosperous ancient period as a major trading city.
- 15:00 · Karfas Beach
The main organised beach near Chios Town — sandy, calm and well-equipped. Not remarkable but convenient for a first-day swim.
- 🍴 Stop for dinner · Chios Town — see Eat & Drink below
Day 2: Nea Moni & Pyrgi
- 09:30 · Nea Moni
UNESCO-listed 11th-century Byzantine monastery — the finest Byzantine mosaics surviving anywhere in Greece. Built by Constantine IX after he became emperor. The gold and coloured glass tesserae are extraordinary.
- 11:30 · Anavatos Village
The most dramatic village in Chios — a near-abandoned clifftop settlement where villagers threw themselves off the cliff rather than surrender to Ottoman forces in 1822. Haunting and beautiful.
- 14:00 · Pyrgi Village
The most extraordinary village in the Aegean — every surface of every building covered in the xysta geometric pattern (black and white scraffito). A living medieval fortress village.
- 16:30 · Mavra Volia (Emporios)
The best beach on Chios — black volcanic pebbles under dark cliffs, just past the little harbour of Emporios. Clear, deep water; bring shoes for the pebbles and go late afternoon when the cliffs shade the beach.
- 21:00 · Drive back to Chios Town
Drive back from the south coast (about 35 minutes from Emporios). The waterfront tavernas and ouzo bars in Chios Town fill up after dark — pick a table with a view of the medieval castle walls.
Day 3: Mastic Villages
- 09:30 · Mesta Village
🚗 ≈50 min southwest of Chios Town
The best-preserved medieval mastic village — a Genoese fortress-village where every house is part of the defensive wall. Walk the labyrinthine interior lanes. Stay overnight in one of the converted tower houses.
- 🍴 Stop for lunch · Mesta — see Eat & Drink below
- 11:30 · Mastic Museum
The story of mastic — the resin that built Chios's extraordinary wealth for 600 years. The Genoese monopoly, the Ottoman prize, and the modern production are all explained. Tasting included.
- 13:30 · Olympi Village
Another intact mastic village with a central defensive tower. Walk the perimeter walls and visit the underground Byzantine church.
- 16:00 · Komi Beach
Sandy beach near the mastic villages — the best organised beach in southern Chios. Good for a swim after a day of medieval villages.
- 21:00 · Drive back to Chios Town
Drive back from Komi (about 30 minutes). Last night dinner in Chios Town — try a mastiha-flavoured cocktail at a kafeneio, or a more substantial meal at one of the seaside tavernas.
Day 4: North Chios & Departure
- 09:30 · Volissos Village
Medieval village in the northwest dominated by a Byzantine castle. The surrounding landscape of olive groves and mastic trees is the most unspoiled on the island.
- 11:30 · Limnos Beach
Sandy beach below Volissos — calm, clear water and almost always empty. One of the finest uncrowded beaches in the northern Aegean. - 16:00 · Chios Town — Departure
Ferry to Piraeus, Lesvos, Samos or Cesme (Turkey, 45 minutes).
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