|
Chios, the second largest of the Eastern Aegean islands, is a place of special beauty that has managed to come out untouched by mass tourism. The traditional villages, picturesque beaches and wild nature of the island attract thousands of visitors every summer.
The history of Chios started in the ancient times and in fact, it is one of the seven places that claim to be the birthplace of Homer, the great poet of Heliad and Odyssey. Ancient ruins that have been found on the island depict that a rich civilization flourished there. However, the island reached its peak in the Byzantine and the Medieval Times, when strong castles were built to protect it from enemies and pirates.
In the 15th century, the Turks conquered Chios and kept it under their occupation till the early 20th century. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, the residents revolted, however the Turks suppressed the revolution, killed almost all inhabitants and sold the survivors as slaves. This massacre moved the Europeans and many artists were inspired by this event in their works, including the French artist Eugene Delacroix who created his famous painting “Le Massacre de Chios”, now housed in the Louvre Museum.
Today, the island of Chios owes most of its income on agriculture, fishing and tourism. Tourism facilities have developed a lot over the last years to accommodate visitors with comfort. Chios town, on the eastern coast, is the capital of the island. It is famous for its strong Castle, the lovely waterfront and the paved paths in the Old Town. Villages on Chios are generally famous for their special architecture. Olympi and Pyrgi have been built like a fortress and have black and white designs on the walls of the houses. The villages on the southern side of the island are known for their mastic production, the most famous local product of Chios.
Apart from picturesque villages, Chios also has nice beaches to swim. The most crowded beaches are Karfas and Agia Fotini, where many hotels can also be found. However, many other, more peaceful beaches are scattered all around the island, if you want to enjoy some privacy. It is worth mentioning that, crowded or isolate, most beaches on Chios have clean and crystal water, ideal for snorkeling.
As Chios is very close to the coasts of Turkey, many daily excursions are organized, mostly to Cesme. Chios island can be reached both by ferry from Piraeus and by plane. The long history, rich culture and beautiful nature of Chios will make your vacations special and unforgettable…
Normal Ferries:
Chios is connected to the port of Piraeus by daily ferries. The trip takes about 7 hours. Moreover, Chios is linked by ferry to Lesvos (2 h), Mykonos (3 h) and Syros (4 h). One weekly ferry also connects the island to Thessaloniki, northen Greece (18 h), Kavala town (16 h), Alexandroupolis town (16 h) and the islands of Rhodes (15 h), Kos (9 h), Lemnos (5 h) and Samos (3 h).
Excursions boats :
Many excursion boats also operate in summer from Chios to Samos, Ikaia, and the remote islands of Oinousses, Psara and Fournoi.
There are also boats to Cesme, Turkey, for a daily excursion.
Links for Chios
If you wish to add your website, just contact us
No Links found
|
 |
 Welcome to our website. We have one and only goal: to foresee your needs and offer services that will meet your expectations.
Our experience in the field of “Travel” began in 1999 and we have built the most important tourist network on the greek web.
|
|
