Are you planning a vacation in Chios, Greece, and wondering how to get there? Where to stay? What to see and do? How to get around the island? We’ll help you answer these questions in this article…
Chios, Greece’s fifth largest island, lies in the northern Aegean Sea, between the Cyclades and Turkey.
Still relatively untouristy, this island has retained all its authenticity and is well worth a visit. Chios is famous for its mastic tree resin, which has earned Chios mastiha the AOC label.
Last but not least, Chios is also an island where you can eat well, thanks to delicious local cuisine and several culinary specialties.
How do I get to Chios?
The island of Chios is far from the Greek mainland, being less than 7 km from the Turkish coast. To get to the island, however, you have a choice. As well as a port in the capital, the island also has a “Homère” airport, making it easily accessible.
By plane
Flying is a good way to get to the island of Chios, as it only takes 50 mins from Athens to reach Chios airport (JKH). The island is served by the Greek airlines Sky Express, Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines, with several flights a day in high season.
We recommend you look at the different flights with the AEGEAN flight company.
There are also connections from Thessaloniki, as well as between Chios and the islands of Lemnos, Mytilene (Lesbos), Rhodes and Samos.
By ferry
From Athens, there are around 1 or 2 daily routes from Piraeus to Chios in 7 to 8 hours, often including an overnight trip.
There is also a ferry service from Lavrio: departure on Saturdays and return on Thursdays for a direct ferry to Chios from Lavrio in just 6 hours.
To book our ferry tickets, we always use the following platform Ferry Hopper . It’s in French, easy to use and fast. And what’s more, there’s no extra charge!
What to do in Chios
When choosing where to stay on the island, it’s a good idea to find out where the points of interest are. In this way, you can anticipate your vacation schedule and avoid having to travel too far.
1 – Typical architecture
Discover Chios, with its castle and mills, and medieval stone villages such as Mesta and Olympoi. Stroll through the narrow streets of Kampos, decorated with black and white pebbles, or the geometrically-patterned houses of Pyrgi.
2 – All you need to know about Putty
Soak up the atmosphere of mastichochoria (mastic villages) in the south of the island, such as Kalamoti or Pyrgi, and learn all the secrets of Mastiha culture.
3 – Discover some of the island’s points of interest
Visit the Olympoi and Agio Galas caves, the 11th-century Nea Moni monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or the village of Armolia and its ceramics tradition.
4 – Choose your favorite Chios beach
Laze on beautiful beaches and dive into the translucent water at Mavra Volia, Glaroi Beach, Vroulidia, Agia Fotia or Agia Dinami….
5 – Soak up its history
Chios is also heavily steeped in history, as evidenced by Delacroix’s famous painting “The Massacre of Chios”. You’ll find a replica in Chios’ Byzantine Museum.
Where to stay?
Here are the corners of the island we’ve identified as good places to stay:
- Whether you’re coming by plane or ferry, you’ll arrive on the island via the town of Chios. This city is a good choice for a home base. What’s more, it’s centrally located for easy access to the whole island.
- Just south of the capital, the seaside town of Karfas and the fishing village of Agia Ermioni are also a good place to base yourself. In particular, you’ll find many rentals near the beaches. Which is another plus point!
- Further south, you’re sure to fall under the spell of the Olympoi or Pyrgi mastichochoria. These 2 pretty medieval villages are also a good choice for accommodation on the island. However, it is sometimes difficult to find a rental in this area.
- You can also find a rental in Vrontados, by the sea and north of the town of Chios. Less than 1 hour from the mastichochoria in the south and 1h15 from the north, it’s also a good strategic location.
- You’ll also find some accommodation in the north of the island, particularly around Volissos and Limnia.
We recommend you take a look at the selection of offers we have made for you on Booking as well as on Airbnb where there’s quite a lot available.
How to get around?
Depending on how you got to the island, your means of transport will be different.
If you arrived by ferry and were able to fit your car in, you can start discovering the island as soon as you arrive in port!
If you’ve come by plane and don’t want to drive, you’ll find Ktel buses serving the whole island, as well as cabs.
However, for greater freedom of movement and to explore the island, we recommend renting a car through Rental Cars, which we also use on a personal basis.
For more information
So that’s all our advice to help you plan your vacation in Chios, and don’t hesitate to take a look at the Chios tourist office website, which is pretty well done.
We also recommend Evi’s article on Chios, the island of perfumes and flavors and Dina’s article on Chios putty.
Article written by Virginie W.
