Chios

Chios Island is part of the Northeastern Aegean Islands. It is located a short distance from Turkey and is located between the islands of Lesbos and Icaria. It is a very attractive island due to its lush vegetation, its wonderful beaches, its perfectly preserved medieval towns, its pleasant nightlife, its wonderful natural beauty and its many places of tourist interest. It has a very mild climate, which does not exceed 30 degrees during the summer and does not drop below 10 degrees in winter. The villages are called by the local people "Mastihochoria", mastic villages, since the inhabitants were and are used to produce and export large quantities of mastic obtained from the numerous Lentisk trees of which the territory abounds.

According to Greek mythology, the name of the island derives from Chiona, daughter of Oinopion, first King of Chios, grandson of the Mycenaean King of Crete and son of Dionysius and Ariadne. According to legend, Chios is also the birthplace of Homer. On the island there is a rock, in the locality of Vrontados, called Daskalopetra, or Stone of the Master, where it is thought that Homer used to narrate his poems. According to archaeological findings, Chios was inhabited from the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. It became part of the Roman Empire, then the Byzantine Empire and was later under constant attack by Catalan and Turkish pirates. In the fourteenth century the island was taken by the Genoese who dominated it until 1566 when it returned under Turkish rule. During the Greek Revolution of 1821 the inhabitants of Chios were incited by Lykourgos Logothetis of Samos to fight the Turks. When the sultan understood what was happening, he sent his fleet to the island to punish the inhabitants for their participation in the revolution, causing a real massacre. The sad episode inspired Victor Hugo with his beautiful poem "L'enfant de Chios" and Delacroix with his painting "The Massacre of Chios", exhibited today at the Louvre Museum.

In 1881 a very strong earthquake destroyed the island causing 6000 deaths, numerous damages and the destruction of many buildings in the capital. On November 11, 1912, the island of Chios was finally liberated and annexed to the new Greek state.

To move around the island you can use public transport and taxis. During the summer there are buses running daily to many destinations such as Pyrgi, Mesta, Olympi, Langada, Volissos and Kardamyla, and weekly to Anavatos, Nea Moni and Avgonyma. Also there are buses running a daily service to the beaches of Emborios, Nagos, Marmara, Komi, Agia Markella, Volissos and Lithi.
The taxi service, on the other hand, is the ideal solution for reaching places not reached by buses.

Some useful numbers:
Bus station (KTEL): +30 22710 22079
Taxi station: +30 22710 4111 / 43312

The island can be reached by plane or by ferry.
Chios Omiros Airport is located 4km from Chios Town. There are no buses to and from the airport, but taxi service is available. The airport has 4 daily flights to Athens (the flight takes about 1 hour) and two weekly flights to Thessaloniki and the island of Lesvos.
The airline that flies to Chios is Olimpic Airways.

For more information:
Chios Omiros Airport:
Tel.: + 30 22710 81400 / 81402 / 81422
E-mail: kaxitl@hcaa.gr
Olympic Airways Company (Chios Town office): +30 22710 20359 / 24515 / 22414

Ferries instead connect the island to the Port of Piraeus (journey time is 8 hours) and to the island of Lesbos (journey time: 3 hours). There are weekly ferries to Thessaloniki (18 hours), Kavala (16 hours), Alexandroupolis (16 hours), Rhodes (15 hours), Kos (9 hours), Lemnos (5 hours) and Samos (3 hours). There is also a daily ferry to the port of Cesmo, Turkey.
It is also possible to take boat trips to Karlovasi (it can be reached in 3 and a half hours) and Vathy, on the island of Samos (4 and a half hours), to the island of Psara (3 and a half hours), to the small Fourni island (7 and a half hours), to the island of Icaria (8 and a half hours) and to the small island of Inousses (almost 2 hours).

There are beautiful places to visit on the island

Pyrgi
It is one of the most beautiful places in Chios. It is located southwest of Chios Town, in an area called Mastichoria (Village of Mastice). Its inhabitants, about 1200, produce large quantities of mastic. The name of the city derives from the central tower of medieval origin which has kept all its traditional architecture. Pyrgi is also called the painted city for its magnificent decorations: gray and white geometric shapes decorate the facades of the houses and are the result of a very rare technique: the gray drawings are scraped onto the white background. Like many medieval towns on the island, the stone houses of Pyrgi are built close to each other to form a defensive wall. Very narrow stone streets, wonderful churches with original architecture and balconies full of flowers form the magical scenery of the medieval village of Pyrgi within which there are accommodations, cafes and excellent taverns.

Sad
It is a small town located 35km southwest of Chios Town, in the area called Masticihoria (Mastice villages). In fact, a large quantity of mastic was produced in the area and its inhabitants were rich, as evidenced by the beautiful villas. The village, with its narrow winding alleys around the houses leading to the beautiful central square, is one of the best examples of defensive architecture on the island, has about 400 inhabitants and is the best preserved medieval village of Chios. The beautiful architecture of Mesta is protected and any renovations that could alter the original architecture of the city are strictly prohibited.

Olympia
It is located in a valley 30km southwest of Chios Town. The city, built in the 13th century, has wonderful architecture. The houses are built in such a way that the outer walls are joined together, thus giving the impression that there are no openings, except for a clearly visible door through which one can enter and leave the city. The narrow alleys and its architecture creates an impressive scenery of medieval nature.

Oinousses Island.
It is a small island, the only inhabited one, of an archipelago made up of 11 small islands near Chios. It has traditional architecture and lovely beaches.

Psara Island
While remaining a small island, it is the largest of 7 islets located very close to the island of Chios. With its wonderful beaches and the absence of cars and scooters, it is the ideal place for a peaceful and relaxing holiday.

Nea Moni monastery
It is located between the city of Karyes and Avgonyma and is one of the oldest monasteries on the island. It was built in the 15th century and was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Olympia cave
It is a beautiful cave near the city of Olympi, 60m wide and with a humidity of 95%.

The medieval villages of mastic
In the southernmost part of the island, in the only place in the world where the plant from which mastic is obtained grows (only here in fact it is possible to obtain mastic, a D.O.P product, used both in painting and in food and in homeopathy) there are 24 mastic villages, located in an area called “Matichicoria”, mastic villages. Built in the medieval period, these villages show an exquisite architecture and unique decorative elements, such as the ksistà, geometric designs made with a unique technique: the image is scratched on the white background.

Monastery of San Minas
Built between 1572 and 1595 by Reverend Neofitos Koumanos, it is located on a hill, near the town of Neohori. The Monastery is famous for the sad episode that took place in 1822, when 300 women and children who went there to find refuge were instead massacred by the Turks. the Mausoleum of the Monastery preserves the bones of the victims of the massacre.

The capital of the island of Chios

Chios Town (also called Chora)
It is located on the east coast of the island. It has a population of about 29,000, many schools, a university and various cultural centres. It is the administrative, cultural, economic and educational center of the island. The capital was the protagonist of the disastrous earthquake of 1881 which caused innumerable damage and the loss of a large part of its splendid architecture. However, in the heart of the capital there is still a part of the old city embellished with neoclassical and Arab-influenced buildings. Cafés, bars, shops, houses and buildings built in recent times coexist harmoniously with an older architecture and all this creates a truly fascinating scenario. The most beautiful part of the city are the public gardens, the ancient theater, the statue of Kanaris, a bronze monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers, the remains of the walls of ancient Chios and the old quarter located within the walls of the Genoese castle .

Kournas monastery
It was built by Dominican monks between 1346 and 1566, during the Frankish occupation. It is located near the town of Karyes, northwest of the city of Chios.

Chios Castle
Initially the Castle, or Fortress, of Chios, encompassed the entire city of Chios. Later the city extended beyond the walls of the castle which was built around the 10th century. The building was modified several times over the centuries and today almost nothing is left of the original construction. The Venetians rebuilt the main gate, Porta Maggiore, in 1694, which leads to the castle.

Museums

Maritime Museum
It is located in Chios Town, and illustrates the great nautical history of the island. The museum exhibits paintings and models of ships, photographs and many nautical tools.
For more information:
Tel.: +30 22710 44139

Byzantine Museum
It is housed in the 19th century Ottoman mosque in the central square of Chios Town. It was founded in 1980 and exhibits a collection of objects and finds that were discovered on the island and donated from a private collection and dating from the Christian period up to the 17th century.
For more information:
Tel.: +30 22710 26866

Justinian Museum
It is housed in a historic 15th century building. It exhibits icons from the Byzantine era, frescoes and ecclesiastical objects from the Venetian period.
For more information:
Tel.: +30 22710 22819

Argentis Museum
It is housed in the municipal library, in the center of Chios Town. It houses a collection of ethnological and folk art such as local costumes, embroideries, fabrics, objects, wood carvings, engravings and more.

Museum of Philoproodos Omilos
It is located in the town of Vrondados and houses a collection of folk art objects, ecclesiastical objects, local costumes, ancient books and objects from the National History Museum.

Museum of Folk Art
It is located in the beautiful city of Pyrgi and was founded by the Cultural Association of Korais. It houses a rich collection of rural and agricultural objects, photographic material and handicrafts.

Beaches
Beaches with soft golden sand and colored pebbles embellish the coast of the beautiful island of Chios, surrounded by splendid crystalline waters of turquoise, azure and deep blue.

Karfas beach
It is located near the town of the same name, 5km south of Chios Town.
It receives hundreds of tourists every year. The beach has fine sand and clean waters and offers many tourist services such as sunbeds and umbrellas. A large number of hotels, bars, cafes, night clubs and restaurants are located all around.

Mavros Gialos beach
It is located on the south eastern side of the coast of Chios and 28km from Chios Town. Its name means "black beach", a phenomenon due to the black pebbles of the now extinct volcano and which makes the beach one of the most famous in all of Greece. It has unrivaled natural beauty, with crystal clear waters that are quite cold, even in summer. It is surrounded by rocky hills and lush vegetation. The area is distinguished by the natural landscape and the surrounding tranquility. There are no tourist facilities such as umbrellas and sunbeds, nevertheless it remains a cosmopolitan beach, visited by many tourists every year and offers a spectacular view of Chios. The beach stretches for many meters and hardly gets overcrowded.

Megas Limnionas beach
Just 15 km from Chios Town, there is this charming little beach, whose sand is made of pebbles, shallow and crystalline waters. The area has recently expanded its tourist services.

Agia Fotini beach
It is located 15km from Chios Town. It is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, a favorite place for local people, and is located in a bay. The surroundings, rich in vegetation, provide moments of tranquility and leisure.
The beach is partly organized with umbrellas and sunbeds.

Fun
In the capital of the beautiful island of Chios and in the tourist resorts of Karfas there are most of the nightclubs that offer various types of music and are open until late at night.
Among the main holidays there is the Anniversary of the Independence of the island (liberation from the Turks) which is celebrated on November 11 in Chios Town with big parties, dances, food and alcoholic drinks. During the summer the Cultural Association of the city of Karies organizes various cultural events, dances and theater performances. The best known cultural event is the feast of Agia Paraskevi on July 26 in Kalamoti and the feast of Agia Markella, patron saint of the island, on July 22 in Kardamila and Volissos, which attracts pilgrims from all over Greece.