Chios Island Greece
Greece

23 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

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Chios Island Greece | Aegean Cruise Destination Guide

A fragrant resin has shaped the destiny of this Aegean island. Mastic, the translucent tear of the mastic tree, grows nowhere else in the world with such quality, and it has earned Chios centuries of coveting, fortunes and fortifications. As you approach the east coast, facing nearby Turkey, you first glimpse the main city, its lively waterfront and the massive walls that have watched over the anchorage since the Middle Ages.

First Steps in the Island Capital

The ship docks at the main port, about ten minutes on foot from the centre. The walk runs along waterfront cafés, where residents nurse their frappés watching ferries pass. Chios lives first for itself: shops serve islanders, tavernas display their menus in Greek, and this quiet normality sets the day's tone.

The Castle and Its Lanes

North of the harbour basin rises the castle, built in the fourteenth century and reworked by the Genoese then the Ottomans. You cross its gates to lose yourself in a maze of paved lanes still inhabited, where laundry dries between medieval stones. Inside the walls, the Bayrakli Mosque and the remains of a Byzantine cathedral bear witness to successive layers of history. The Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine Museum in town complete this path for those wishing to dig deeper.

Nea Moni: The Gold of Mosaics

Eleven kilometres from the centre, in a wooded valley in the heart of the island, the Nea Moni monastery figures on the UNESCO world heritage list. Founded in the mid-eleventh century with the support of the Byzantine emperor, it preserves mosaics with gold ground ranked among Greece's most precious. Tradition holds that a miraculous icon of the Virgin, found on site, motivated its construction. The taxi journey takes about twenty minutes and the site's tranquillity richly rewards the detour.

The Mastic Villages

The island's south shelters the medieval villages that organised the harvest of the precious resin. Pyrgi, 25 kilometres away, surprises at first glance: its entire façades are covered in grey and white geometric patterns, the "xysta," carved into the plaster. Mesta, about ten kilometres further on, preserves intact its fortified structure, with vaulted passages designed to confound pirates. Near Pyrgi, the Mastic Museum explains mastic tree cultivation and offers a taste of this gum with its pine scent that Greeks have chewed since antiquity. Budget half a day for this loop south.

An Island That Has Remained Itself

Between stops, the contrast with the more-visited Cycladic islands strikes the eye. Few souvenir shops, almost no English on the signs: Chios built its prosperity on maritime trade and citrus as much as on its resin, and its great shipping families still count among Greece's most influential. In the Kampos quarter, immediately south of the capital, their old ochre-stone houses hide behind high walls, amidst orchards of orange and mandarin trees. The detour, possible by taxi on the southern road, will please travellers who love places telling their story in a low voice.

Composing Your Day

  • Half day in town: waterfront, castle, museums, on foot.
  • Nea Moni: about two hours round trip from the dock, by taxi.
  • Pyrgi and Mesta: half day south, by excursion or taxi.

Before Casting Off

Many passengers return aboard with a small sachet of resinous tears at the bottom of their bag, a tiny souvenir of an island that built its history on a tree. As the coast fades, their fragrance lingers on the fingers, and you find yourself hoping it lasts until the next port-call.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the main port of Chios town on the island's east coast, facing the nearby Turkish shore. The centre is about a ten-minute walk along a promenade lined with waterfront cafes.
A translucent resin harvested from the mastic tree, which grows nowhere else in the world with this quality. It brought the island centuries of rivalry and wealth; Greeks have chewed it since antiquity.
The castle and waterfront on foot in the morning, then a choice: Nea Moni monastery, about two hours round trip by taxi, or the mastic villages in the south, which need half a day. Both together will not fit a short call.
A mid-eleventh-century monastery listed by UNESCO, 11 kilometres from the centre in a wooded valley. It preserves gold-ground mosaics counted among the most precious in Greece.
Medieval towns in the south of the island that organised the resin harvest. Pyrgi, 25 kilometres away, covers its facades in grey-and-white geometric patterns known as xysta; Mesta, a little further, keeps its fortified layout and vaulted passages intact.
Yes, it stands north of the harbour basin, within walking distance. Built in the fourteenth century and remodelled by the Genoese and Ottomans, it holds a maze of still-inhabited lanes, the Bayrakli mosque and the remains of a Byzantine cathedral.
Not very, and that is the point. Shops serve islanders, tavernas post their menus in Greek, and souvenir shops are few. The island built its prosperity on shipping and citrus as much as on its resin.
An area of old ochre stone mansions belonging to the great shipowning families, hidden behind high walls among orange and mandarin groves just south of the capital. The detour is made by taxi on the southern road.
Reasonably. The mastic museum near Pyrgi lets children taste the resin, and the castle lanes are easy to walk. That said, the drives to the south are long for young children.
The euro and Greek. You will see little English on signs: this is an island that lives mainly for itself. Bring cash for taxis and small businesses in the southern villages.