Chios
The Genoese castle, the medieval mastic villages, the Nea Moni monastery and the volcanic beaches of the south.
Chios produces something found nowhere else on earth — mastic resin from the Pistacia lentiscus tree, used for 3000 years as chewing gum, medicine and varnish. The medieval mastic villages of the south are some of the most architecturally extraordinary settlements in Greece — built by the Genoese in the 14th century with a unique geometric defensive design. The island is genuinely off the beaten track despite its size.
Getting there
✈ Airport (domestic)⛵ Piraeus 7–10h overnight€38–70
Domestic airport — Aegean, Sky Express. Ferries from Piraeus dock at Chios Town port, overnight, daily.
Read full route
Tip: Daily summer ferry to Cesme (Turkey) takes 30 minutes — closest Greek island to mainland Turkey.
When to Visit
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.
Best: May, Jun, Sep·Great: Mar, Apr, Jul, Oct, Nov·OK: Jan, Feb, Aug, Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Quiet, mild, locals
Feb
Mild
Mar
Pyrgi xysta
Apr
Easter, blooming
May
Sea warm
Jun
Sea warm enough for the south coast (Mavra Volia black-pebble beach), the Mastichochoria villages (Pyrgi especially) walkable in daylight, the New Monastery byzantine mosaics open without queues.
Jul
Hot, Chios diaspora returns — many Chios-born Greeks come home for the summer, family reunions everywhere. The harbour towns busy, the Mastic villages still quiet weekdays.
Aug
Peak diaspora season — the island is at its full capacity. Beaches busy, but Chios is large (842 km²) so the mountain villages and the north (Volissos, Limnos beach) stay genuinely calm.
Sep
Mastic harvest about to begin — by mid-September the resin tappers will be at work in the gum-mastic groves. Diaspora thinning, sea at peak warmth, restaurants returning to local prices.
Oct
Mastic harvest
Nov
Mild, mastic ongoing
Dec
Mild, off-season
BestGreatOK
4-day itinerary for Chios
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.
Day 2: Nea Moni & Pyrgi
- 09:30 · Nea Moni Monastery
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 · Emporios Beach
Black volcanic pebble beach in the ancient harbour of Emporios — crystal clear water, dramatic cliff scenery. Far less visited than it deserves. - 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
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. - 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).
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 protection
- 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 protection
- 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 protection
- 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.
Local & Seasonal
Local Specialties
Mastiha
The single most distinctive Greek product. Resin tears chewed as gum, distilled into liqueur, used in toothpaste, sweets, cosmetics. UNESCO-recognized cultivation. Buy crystals to chew, the Mastiha Shop liqueur, or sweet-spoon mastic submarine ('ypovrychio') anywhere in Chios town.
Mandarins (tangerines)
PGI-protected variety unique to the Kambos region. Sold fresh in winter, but year-round as preserves and the perfumed liqueur 'mandarini'.
Sfougato
Chian zucchini-and-cheese baked omelette/soufflé. Found at most village tavernas; the version at Hotzas in Chios town is famous.
Chian retsina and Ariousios wine
Chios was an ancient wine center; the Ariousios wine from the north coast was praised in classical times. Modern wineries (Ariousios, Mavrokalamos) are reviving the tradition.
Crafts & Souvenirs
Mastic products
The Mastiha Shop has branches in most villages — soaps, liqueurs, candy, oils. The Mastic Museum in Pyrgi sells direct from the cooperative at lower prices.
Xysta wall art
Black-and-white geometric sgraffito decoration on the houses of Pyrgi village — completely unique to that one village in the Aegean. You can't take it home, but buy any postcard or print of it.
Festivals & Events
Mastic harvestAugust through October
Not a single-day festival but a season. Visit any of the 24 mastichochoria during this time and you'll see the cleaned ground beneath the schinos trees waiting to catch the resin tears. Tours from the Mastic Museum in Pyrgi.
Rouketopolemos (Rocket War)Holy Saturday night — 1 May 2027
In Vrondados, two rival parishes — Agios Markos and Panagia Erithiani — fire tens of thousands of homemade rockets at each other's bell towers across a 400m valley, while the midnight Easter liturgies continue inside both churches. Possibly the most spectacular Easter event in Greece. Watch from the slopes of Mount Aepos for safety.