Greetings to everyone from Chios, one of the closest Greek Islands to Turkey, just opposite Izmir – Cesme! Chios, or Sakız, is one of the three islands you can cross from Turkey by car. Since we want to visit the whole island, we take our own car. Of course, if you wish, you can rent a car after you pass through or you can choose public transportation / taxi within the island. A car is essential to explore the island well;
How and when to go to Chios?
Chios is a perfect summer destination. But it is also very pleasant in spring. Keep in mind that both the ferries and the island can be crowded, especially during the summer months and holidays. If you are planning to go during these periods, buy your tickets in advance and make all your reservations to avoid any surprises.
Flights from Turkey to Chios are operated from Ulusoy Central Port in Çeşme. It takes about half an hour. We bought our tickets online at feribotlines.com but they can also be bought elsewhere.
How many days should I allocate for Chios?
In our opinion, Chios is not a day trip, we recommend you to plan a trip for at least 2 nights and 3 days to fully understand the island.
Chios Accommodation:
There are airbnb options for accommodation on the island, although not many. It is also possible to find it in different villages.
Since it is located in the middle of the island, it might make sense to stay in the center of Chios, where there are mostly options. But it is certainly not essential; Because the maximum distance you will travel while traveling on the island takes about 50 minutes. Therefore, it is actually possible to stay in the historical villages as well.
We stayed in an airbnb by the sea in the northern town of Vrontados, just 15 minutes from the port; Considering that we made a last minute plan, it was quite good for us. It is possible to find houses for 2 or 4 people for around 50€ per night. There is not much difference between the hotels in terms of price and amenities.
Let’s leave the link here to the house with a magnificent garden opening to the sea, where we stayed for 4 people on our last trip to Chios.
Chios recommendations :
@toasterigr
@to_apomero_chios
Pantoukios Fish Tavern
Amethistos Restaurant
@o_passas_lagada_chios
@the_pastards
Το κάστροχωρι καφενείο Αnavatos
(This is the only name, this is the only business in the village, so you are unlikely to find it.)
🍴
The ones we haven’t tried but are on our list:
Nostos
Bradypus Restaurant
Roussiko Restaurant @roussiko_chios
☕️🍧
Coffee & Bakery
Pura Vida @pura_vida_chios
@cartel_espressobar
@kafekouti Kafekouti Bakery
@nonnamarkella
@hutdiycafe
@kanellos_loukoumades
@pagota_kronos
@perivoli.chios
🌳 For centuries, the most important source of livelihood of the island has been the mastic trees, which also gave the island its name. Therefore, we can say that life is also shaped around these trees.
🏡Mastic production is mostly in the southern regions, where the most beautiful historical villages of the island are also located. It is quite easy to recognize gum trees, and lime powder poured under the trees prevents drops from entering the soil. If you see a tree with lime dust around it, these are gum trees.
Our route in this region called Mastichochoria is as follows: Kambos, Armolia, Pirgi, Olimpi & Mesta. The villages are quite small and close to each other; You can leave your car in the free parking lots at the entrances and visit easily. All of these villages can be visited in one day with beach breaks between the two villages.
🏛 Among the historical villages, the most famous are Pirgi and Mesta with their unique architecture;
🍊The first of the stops on the road to Chios-Pirgi is the Citrus Museum. In the garden of the museum, founded on the production and trade of oranges, there is also a delightful café called Perivoli.
🏛Another museum is Chios Mastic Museum. It is designed to tell the story of mastic production on the island, the life around it and the changes throughout history.
🏖We visit a small beach in Mavra Volia and continue in the direction of Pirgi. Pirgi is the largest of the villages; Geometric forms are carved on the facades of the buildings with a rare engraving technique. These patterns also form the architectural character of the village.
🍩Mesta is a village that attracts attention with its narrow streets and stone structures that are more reminiscent of the Middle Ages. There are plenty of options for eating and drinking here. Available in sweet & savory options, @kanellos_loukoumades is quite famous.
🥗We chose Amethistos in the village of Olimpi for dinner. The plates are very filling and delicious. We tried moussaka, hummus, greek salad & hash browns.
🍦One of the famous flavors of the island is @pagota_kronos Even though it is a bit sweet for us, ice cream lovers can try it.
Chios is the perfect seaside holiday destination, with pristine bays and organized beaches that you’d be hard-pressed to recognize as businesses.
Our favorite unmanaged bays:
Agia Dynami
Mirsinidi Beach
Trachili Beach
Giali
Mavra Volia
Our favorite managed beaches:
Apothika
Nagos
Glaroi
Komi
Lithi
Karfas
🏖 If you come to the island by car or rent a car, there are many beach options you can go to. We think this is how you enjoy the island. The beaches closer to the center are also incredibly calm, but we tried to explore different places from all over the island.
🚘You can travel from Turkey to Chios by car. A round-trip ticket for the car costs €100 and 15-day car insurance costs €47.5. This gives you an advantage in costs such as car rental and gasoline. You can also turn any bay of the island into your own business by taking your chairs and umbrellas with you. We even took an in-car refrigerator.
🌊One of the most beautiful features of Greek islands in general is that there is no concept such as beach entrance fee. You can enter the already beautiful sea from everywhere. If you want to rent a sunbed-umbrella in the facilities, you pay 1.5-2€. So there are no high figures like 150₺-350₺ as in Turkey.
Our route on the second day in Chios was a route mostly not followed by Turkish tourists. We explored the historic villages in the island’s interior and the west coast.
Setting off early in the morning, we first visited the monastery of Nea Moni of Chios after a drive through the fog-shrouded mountains; This building, famous for its mosaic workmanship, was built on the 11th century; It is under the protection of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our second stop after the monastery was Anavatos, a village that has been heavily destroyed by war and earthquakes; Although it is not known exactly when it was founded, it is thought that it was built for the workers during the construction of Nea Moni of Chios. This village on a huge rock has an impressive appearance.
There is also a café operating right at the entrance of the village. “The castle village Anavatti’s coffee shop” is the only one here so it is easy to find 🙂
Here we tried ‘chicken souvlaki’ & ‘Cretan dakos salad’. The Cretan dakos salad consists of fresh tomatoes, cheese and olives served on a rusk. A pleasant place to pause if you are going to visit this village.
Another detail that caught our attention the most while traveling in Greece was the miniature chapels that we often came across on the roadsides. The miniature structures, of which you can see an example in the last photo, are called Eklisaki. Sometimes they look like a simple iron box, sometimes they look like works of art. It is possible to see crosses, holy pictures, flowers, wish papers, etc.
Eklisaki’s are not only for people who have died in road accidents. Sometimes it is done simply as a reminder of death or to protect the area where it was built. Sometimes it is just to honor a beautiful landscape. They are maintained by passing drivers, church workers and local people.
On our second day, after visiting the monastery, one of the most impressive buildings on the island, and the abandoned historical village of Anavatos, we visited the remaining operated/unoperated bays on the west coast; For dinner we came to the village of Avgonima.
🌞To Asteri has a unique sunset because it is one of the rare places overlooking the west side of the island. One of two taverns in the historic village of Avgonima. The menu mainly features meat dishes. It is also a good option if you want to take a break from seafood.
George Costalos, founder of 👨🏻🍳Asteri. He’s one of the cooks on Chandris’ ships; Now the tavern is completely family-run, run by their children.
📝There are different flavors special to Chios on the menu, and it is written next to them which ones are special. This makes it easier for you to choose my Asteri specialties. As in most places, there is also a Turkish option on the menu. We have pinned the menu link to the ‘Gum’ highlights.
🍲What we tried:
Pork shank (8,5€) Goat with sage (10€) Argiris’ Tzatziki (3,5€) Greek Salad (6,5€) Roasted Eggplant (5,5€)
🍦 For dessert we tried Kantaifi and gummy homemade ice cream, both for 5€.
🍻We paid a total of 45€ with drinks. The portions are quite large for two people, but all in all the prices remain quite affordable. We can say that these prices are valid for all venues on the island. A dinner for two with drinks costs around 30-45€. Reservations are essential for the tavernas.
📍Chios is about 16 km north of the center, easy to reach. The town takes its name from the fact that it is located in the form of an amphitheater on the plain where the river Krikelis is located. It is a very pleasant place with its narrow streets and colorful low-rise buildings. You can see plenty of fruit and olive trees on this highly fertile land.
🏖There is not much organized beach here, but there is a tiny area a little further away where you can swim. You come here mostly for the cafes and taverns overlooking the harbor.
🍽We were in this town for both breakfast and dinner. The most recommended places for dinner: Passas, which we tried, and Nostos Chios, another taverna in town.
🥒If we had to choose one of our favorite delicacies in the Greek islands, it would most likely not be a seafood dish, but zucchini chips. This simple dish with finely chopped green zucchini, tempura fried, is our favorite, hence the cover photo of this post.
🧀 Various cheese fries are also very popular on the islands. Grilled Mastelo cheese is a favorite. If you find it, try the crispy feta cheese with honey & sesame seeds.
🍤The other dishes we tried at Passas were Passas Salad with shrimp, Shrimp Pie & Papalina.
🇹🇷Passas is a well-known taverna that is also very popular among Turkish tourists. For this reason, it is also possible to speak Turkish with the service staff. Reservations are essential if you want a good table.
@o_passas_lagada_chios is definitely one of the places we would like to visit again.
As dinner time approaches, we try one more taverna on the way north from the center, towards the village of Lagkada.
🐐As we drove through the barren hills, which were strangely impressive, we made several photo stops for the goats and the idle structures we saw on the way. What caught our eye then was a deep blue cove between the hills, where fishing boats paused.
We had the tavern on our list but we weren’t planning to go. Since it is located in this blue bay we wanted to take a look. When we reached the beach, we were greeted by a loud Greek music entertainment. We sat down at a table as if we found ourselves in the middle of a wedding in broad daylight; It was awe-inspiring to see everyone in the tavern drinking, eating and having fun with reckless abandon.
🍽 Pantoukios is a taverna serving traditional Greek cuisine using fresh produce. The service is very good, even though the service is slightly disrupted due to the crowds. Prices are equivalent to other places on the island. Two people will pay an average bill of 40-45€ with drinks + meals.
🦑 Tiropitakia are very popular. The best & fresh squid we had on the island was also here.
Get lost in the streets of ☕️Chios center, sip your coffee in the bazaar.
🌳Visit the Mastic Museum of Chios.
🏛Explore the historic villages in the south; Armolia, Pirgi, Olympoi & Mesta.
🌊Swim in the sea at Agia Dynami and the surrounding pristine bays.
Swim at the beach 🏄🏻Apothika, drink a cocktail with a view at the bar.
⛪️Neo Visit the monastery of Moni of Chios and the abandoned village of Anavatos.
🌞Watch the sunrise towards Saint Isidore of Sykiada Chapel.
🎤Enjoy Greek music at the taverna on Pantoukios beach.
🌅Taste local delicacies against the sunset view at To Asteri tavern in Avgonima village.
🦑 Taste fresh seafood at Giorgos Passas’ restaurant in the seaside town;
