Chios, the authentic Greek island with its breathtaking and ancient villages, blooming tulips, crocus and lily fields and 72 beaches with a crystal clear sea is a real gem! Chios is the fifth largest island in Greece and is located in the Aegean Sea. It is a fairly undiscovered island where you can still taste the authentic Greece. On Homer's island of birth you will find 20 mastic villages built in the 14th century. Each village is unique, but Pyrgi, with its impressive black and white paintings, is actually an open-air museum. The mastic cultivation in the villages is used to make liqueur, but also chewing gum, for example. Chios also has a coastline of two hundred kilometers, beautiful bays and mountains. It is the perfect island for travelers who like to combine culture, nature, gastronomy &adventure.
The Highlights of Chios
Endless lemon gardens
In Kampos you will find endless lemon and orange gardens. Nice to walk and cycle through, but for the fanatics among us:in August there is also a half marathon. While running you can enjoy the aromas of Chios. After the marathon you can enjoy a cup of coffee and a 'sweet spoon' in the cafe overlooking the gardens. This sweet mini dessert on a spoon is made from the fruit from the garden and is the perfect reward after a spicy marathon!
Chios Mastic Museum
In the Chios Mastic Museum you can discover everything about the liquid gold of the island. You learn more about the history and production in a fun way. It is an interactive museum and a fun activity with children after a day of fun at the beach! In addition to the fantastic taste, Masticha also has a very positive effect on health. For example, it has been proven that it is good for digestion, a good excuse for a glass of Masticha after dinner.
Wild Orchids in Avgonima
Between February and June, visit thriving Chios and the mountain village of Avgonima! During this period you will find large plains full of beautiful flowers. From tulips to roses to wild orchids and in the most remarkable places! This is how you spot wild orchids along the beach and on the mountains.
Anavatos
Anavatos is a medieval Byzantine village on top of a cliff and between rocks. Dive back in time to the Greek War of Independence and visit this current ghost town. This place is perfect for travelers who love a nice hike!
The heart of Chios – its inhabitants
Everyone who visits Chios says the same 'how hospitable the people on Chios are!'. This probably has to do with the hundreds of years old tradition of mastic cultivation. Each villager had their own mastic trees. It is quite a job to get the extract from the trees and to clean it before it can be made into products. Every day it is a different resident's turn. At his or her house, all the neighbors come together to take his or her mastic extract from the tree and to clean it that day. The next day they all go to the next house. They are competitors and yet everyone helps each other. This tradition has never changed. The way the extract is extracted from the trees is still the same as it was hundreds of years ago. The warm heart has been passed on from ancestors to the present generation and the inhabitants of Chios also show this warm heart to travelers.
