How many days in Chios? 5 days, from the Kastro to the mastic villages
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Chios is a large, working island of shipowners, citrus estates and the only place in the world where mastic is produced, from the resin of a bush that grows only in the island's south. It gets fewer foreign visitors than its neighbours, and its sights are spread out: medieval villages, a UNESCO monastery and black-pebble beaches. Give it five days with a car, and plan by direction: south for the mastic villages, the centre for Nea Moni, the north for Volissos and the mountains.
Short answer
Three days covers Chios town, the mastic villages and Nea Moni with Anavatos. Five days adds the wild north, the Kampos estates and a boat to Oinousses, without driving all day.
The 5-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Chios town and the Kastro
Morning. Walk into the Kastro, the walled medieval quarter built by the Genoese, through the main gate by the Vounaki square. Inside are narrow lanes, old Ottoman houses and the Giustiniani Palace, a small museum of Byzantine frescoes (a few euros).
Afternoon. Visit the Korais Library, one of the largest in Greece, and the Archaeological Museum (about €4). Walk the market lane of Aplotaria, with shops selling mastic products, nuts and coffee, and the old Medjitie mosque by the square, now a Byzantine collection.
Evening. Have a drink on the long seafront, then dinner at an ouzeri near the harbour. A meal with wine costs €15-25 per person; try mastelo, the local cheese, grilled.
The seafront and Aplotaria are the town's evening walk. Most shops close for a long afternoon break, around 14:30-17:30.
Day 2: The mastic villages: Pyrgi, Mesta and Olympoi
Morning. Drive about 25 km south to Pyrgi, the 'painted village', where house façades are covered with grey-and-white geometric patterns called xysta. See the small Byzantine church of Agioi Apostoloi with its frescoes. Then visit the Chios Mastic Museum near Pyrgi (a few euros), which explains how mastic is harvested from the trees.
Afternoon. Continue to Mesta, a fortified medieval village whose outer houses form the wall, with arched lanes and the church of the Taxiarchis. Then drive 5 km to Olympoi, with its central defensive tower.
Evening. Swim at Mavra Volia, a beach of black volcanic pebbles near Emporios, about 10 minutes from Pyrgi, then dinner in Mesta's square.
The mastic harvest happens in July to September, when you may see farmers cleaning the resin in front of their houses. Buy mastic gum, liqueur and sweets in the villages.
Day 3: Kampos, Nea Moni and Anavatos
Morning. Drive 5 km south of town to Kampos, where Genoese and Chiot merchant families built stone mansions behind high walls, each with orange and mandarin groves and an old water wheel. Some mansions are now guesthouses or museums; visit one that offers citrus tasting.
Afternoon. Drive about 15 km into the hills to Nea Moni, an 11th-century monastery and UNESCO World Heritage site, with gold mosaics in the main church. Entry is a few euros; cover shoulders and knees. Continue 10 km to Anavatos, a village of grey stone houses on a cliff, abandoned after the massacre of 1822.
Evening. Return via Avgonima, a hill village with a taverna and sunset views, then to town for dinner.
Anavatos is a memorial site, with steep and uneven paths. Wear good shoes and go in the late afternoon for the light.
Day 4: The north: Vrontados, Volissos and Nagos
Morning. Drive 5 km north to Vrontados, home of the Daskalopetra, a rock where, by tradition, Homer taught his students. On Easter night here, two churches fire thousands of rockets at each other in the Rouketopolemos. Then continue north along the coast to Kardamyla, home of many shipowning families, and the pebble beach at Nagos, with plane trees and springs.
Afternoon. Cross the mountains to Volissos on the northwest coast, about 40 km from town, a village below a Byzantine castle. Swim at Lefkathia or Managros beach nearby.
Evening. Have dinner in Limnia, the small harbour below Volissos, then return to town, about 1 hour.
The north is mountainous and empty. Fill up before you leave town, and expect burnt hillsides in places: recent wildfires have damaged parts of the island's pine forests.
Day 5: Oinousses or Komi beach
Morning. Take a small ferry from Chios port to Oinousses, a tiny island of shipowners, about 1 hour away. Visit the Maritime Museum and walk to the monastery of the Evangelismos. Check current timetables, as boats are few.
Afternoon. If you skip Oinousses, drive to Komi, a long sandy beach in the south, about 25 km from town, with tavernas and shallow water, ideal for children.
Evening. Last dinner in town. Buy mastiha liqueur, souma (the island's fig spirit), spoon sweets made from Kampos citrus, and mastic loukoumi to take home.
Ferries also run from Chios to Çeşme in Turkey, about 30-45 minutes, for a day trip with a passport.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, do Chios town and Kampos on Day 1, the mastic villages on Day 2 and Nea Moni with Anavatos on Day 3. You lose the north and the islands.
Got extra days?
Extra days go to Psara, the historic island of 1824, by ferry in about 3 hours, to Lesbos or Samos on the inter-island ferries, or to Çeşme and Izmir in Turkey.
Where to stay in Chios
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Chios town | Cheapest rooms, bus station and ferries, restaurants year-round. | €40-70 |
| Mid-range | Kampos | Restored stone mansions among citrus groves, 10 minutes from town. | €90-170 |
| Mid-range | Karfas / Agia Ermioni | Beach hotels 7 km south of town, close to the airport. | €70-130 |
| Comfort | Kampos estates or Mesta guesthouses | Boutique estates with pools, or medieval houses in Mesta. | €150-300 |
Getting around
You need a car (about €30-50 a day in summer); the island is about 50 km long. From Chios town: Kampos 5 km, Nea Moni 15 km, Pyrgi 25 km, Mesta 35 km, Volissos 40 km. KTEL buses (green for villages, blue for town) connect the main villages a few times a day. Chios airport is about 4 km south, with flights from Athens in about 45 minutes. Ferries reach Piraeus in roughly 7-9 hours, often overnight, plus Lesbos, Samos and Çeşme in Turkey. Check current timetables.
What to eat in Chios
Chios cooking uses mastic, citrus and local cheese. Look for mastelo, a mild cheese grilled or fried, vegetable fritters, wild greens with local oil, and fresh fish in the southern harbours. Souma is the local spirit, distilled from figs; mastiha liqueur is served cold after dinner. Sweets include citrus spoon sweets from Kampos, mastic loukoumi and the mastic ice cream sold in town. A taverna meal costs €15-25 per person; fish in the south is by weight.
Best time to visit
May, June and September are best: highs of 25-30°C, warm sea and quiet villages. July and August are hot and busy with Greek visitors, and the mastic harvest is under way. Easter brings the Rouketopolemos at Vrontados. Winter is mild, and the town stays open, but many beach hotels close from November to April.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €25 | €55 | €120 |
| Food & drink | €20 | €35 | €65 |
| Sights & tickets | €5 | €15 | €30 |
| Local transport | €15 | €25 | €45 |
| Total per person, per day | about €65 | about €130 | about €260 |
Approximate 2026 prices; transport assumes a shared rental car and fuel. Ferries are extra. Greece charges a per-room, per-night climate resilience fee, higher from April to October.
Before you go
Common questions
What is Chios mastic?
Mastic is the resin of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus var. chia), which only produces it in the south of Chios. Farmers make small cuts in the bark in summer, and the resin drips and hardens into 'tears'. It is used in chewing gum, liqueur, sweets and cosmetics, and it has EU protected status. The mastic villages and the museum near Pyrgi explain the process.
Do I need a car in Chios?
Yes, for the villages. Buses connect Chios town with the main villages, but not often and not to the remote beaches, Anavatos or the north. A small car lets you do one area per day. The roads are good in the south and narrower in the mountains.
Can I visit Turkey from Chios?
Yes. Ferries run from Chios town to Çeşme, near Izmir, in about 30-45 minutes, several times a day in summer. You need a passport and, depending on your nationality, a visa or e-visa. Day trips are common; check the return time.
Which are the best beaches in Chios?
Mavra Volia near Emporios for black pebbles, Komi for long sand and families, Karfas near town for convenience, Nagos in the north for plane trees and springs, and Lefkathia and Managros near Volissos for wild water. The south is warmer and calmer than the north.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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