Chios

Chios is a sizeable island home to medieval villages and picturesque sights worth your visit. It's blessed with an excellent climate for wine-making.

Wall hangings and paintings of a souvenir shop depicting typical doors and windows of Pyrgi village of Chios.
photo: Güldem Üstün / CC BY 2.0

Chios Attractions

The front side and main entrance of the Homerion Cultural Center in Chios Town.
photo: Homerion Cultural Center of Chios
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Homerion Cultural Center

Chios Town

A cultural center named after Homer Simpson! Just kidding. It's named after Homer the poet. Exhibitions, dances, plays - a house of arts.

A photo showing the Main Square (Vounakiou) of Chios town with palm trees and other plants.
photo: JustinPoulsen / CC BY-ND 2.0
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Chios Town Main Square

Chios town central square has a statue garden, a marble fountain and -surprise!- peacocks. It's a genuinely charming place, excellent for walk.

A photo of the the eastern tower of the Genoese castle in Chios.
photo: Katsiaryna Naliuka / CC BY-SA 3.0
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Genoese Castle of Chios

Old Byzantine fortification that the Genoese reinforced later around the 15th century. Today, some parts are inhabited and its Turkish baths are renovated.

Chios Settlements

A picture of the exterior of one of the churches of Vrontados dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
photo: RomkeHoekstra / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Vrontados

Chios

Coastal town known across Greece for its Easter customs. The moment the Resurrection Psalm starts, parish members of two churches start a fireworks war.

One of the narrow arched roads in the Mesta village of Chios.
photo: Güldem Üstün / CC BY 2.0
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Mesta

Chios

Well-preserved village of the 12th century that architecturally resembles a castle. Top activity: get lost in its maze-like street system and explore.

A narrow pedestrian road in the village of Pyrgi on the island of Chios.
photo: Petille / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Pyrgi

Chios

Fortified medieval settlement with rich heritage that stands out for its elaborate decorative-patterns on the exterior walls of the houses.

Chios Why visit?

  • Chios has a town and 64 villages.
  • Chios was one of the Oceanids, daughters of Titan Oceanus.
  • Initially inhabited by Thessalians.

Chios Museums

A part of the exterior of the Chios Mastic Museum at the village of Pyrgi.
photo: Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation
must visit
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Chios Mastic Museum

Pyrgi

The mastic museum displays the processing and cultivation of mastic, a key part of Chios history, cultural landscape, and economy.

The front side and the main entrance of the Byzantine Museum (Mecidiye Mosque) of Chios.
photo: Balkanique / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Chios Byzantine Museum (Mecidiye Mosque)

Housed in an Ottoman Mosque, the Chios Byzantine Museum is full of hagiography, artifacts, and other findings dating between the 5th and 15th century.

Chios Things to Do

These coastal rocks were Markella's last hiding resort and the place where her father killed her.
photo: Forsterfoto / CC BY 2.0
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St. Marcella Church & Pilgrimage

An Orthodox pilgrimage at the place where a local saint, Marcella, martyred by her own father in the 14th century.

The fine art mosaics around the dome of the church in «Nea Moni of Chios» Monastery.
photo: John Karakatsanis / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Chios «Nea Moni» Monastery

Founded in 1042 AD with Byzantine imperial sponsorship, it is famous for its mosaics. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1990.

Chios Festivals

Members of one parish of Vrontados are launching improvised rockets targeting the rival church.
photo: Dimitris Tachynakos / CC BY-SA 4.0

Vrontados Rocket War (Easter) Ritual

Local custom since the Ottoman era. Two rival parishes aim for the bell tower of the rival church with fireworks offering a phantasmagoric show.

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