Chios

Chios, Greece

Like most Greek islands, Chios really comes to life in summer – but unlike many of its neighbours, most of its summer visitors are Greeks from Athens and the mainland. This gives the island an authentically Greek flavour and ensures an animated nightlife and some excellent Greek cooking. There’s plenty of sightseeing to be done, and enough active pursuits to keep any visitor happy for a full fortnight.

Population:

55,000

Currency:

Euro. €1 = 100 cents

Emergency Numbers:

General emergencies: 100
Fire: 199
Health emergencies: 166

Opening Hours:

In summer, normally 8.00-12.00 and 16.00-20.00 daily for most shops. Government offices and businesses normally 08.00-12.00 and 16.00-20.00 Monday-Friday.

Newspapers:

Alithia
Chios News

The Island

Lying within sight of the Turkish mainland, Chios is (by Aegean standards) a big and prosperous island. Its rolling hillsides are covered with olive groves, vineyards and mastic plantations which made the island wealthy during the Ottoman era.
Chios is also the ancestral home of several of Greece’s leading ship-owning dynasties, many of whom maintain holiday villas on the island, and its main port bustles with merchant shipping and, in summer, a scattering of opulent yachts.
There is little to remind you of the ancient world, but Chios has more than a few relics of its years as a fief of the Giustiniani, a medieval Genoese trading clan who controlled many of the North Aegean islands, and as part of the Ottoman Empire (the island was liberated and became part of Greece only in 1913).

Do & See

Chios Town (also referred to as ‘Chora') is a surprisingly modern city. With a crescent harbour overlooked by office blocks, warehouses and workshops; it is dominated by the forbidding walls of the Kastro. This Genoese castle partially encloses an old quarter of narrow streets, tall stone houses with wrought iron balconies and shuttered windows, and drinking fountains bearing Koranic inscriptions that hint at their Turkish ancestry. There is plenty to do on and around the island - from active pursuits to sightseeing, or simply relaxing on the beach.

Beaches

Chios has more than a dozen good beaches, ranging from stretches of white and black pebbles to bays of coarse sand. The busiest are those closest to Chios Town, and most have a range of places to stay and eat.

Dining

With its strong culinary tradition and an equally strong Greek clientele, Chios is one of the best islands on which to sample authentic Greek cooking, and has an excellent assortment of tavernas and restaurants. A meal usually begins with an assortment of cold starters, or "meze", before proceeding to the more substantial main courses. The best tavernas are located in Chios Town, with a number of summer-season beach tavernas catering to those staying at the island’s scattering of beach resorts.