Chios

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Overview

While no Greek island is like another, Chios has one of the most distinctive faces, thanks to the unique fortress-like architecture of its villages that makes them look so different to their sugar-cube cousins on other islands. That style stems from the island's history as the ancestral home of shipping barons and the world's only commercial producer of mastic. Many of these unusual heritage buildings now serve as hotels, bringing Chios into the top league of unusual accommodations.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Korais Library & Philip Argenti Museum

Chios

On the upper floor of the remarkable Korais Library, the Philip Argenti Museum contains a 19th-century birthing chair, along with shepherds' tools,…

Chios Mastic Museum

Chios

Brave new architecture arrives in Chios in the form of this airy hilltop structure that casts a curious glance on mastic gardens and ancient stone houses…

Nea Moni

Chios

At the island’s centre, Nea Moni is a World Heritage–listed 11th-century Byzantine monastery. Once one of Greece’s richest monasteries, it attracted pre…

Agio Galas Cave & Church

Chios

Only a small section of the island's largest cave is accessible, but the main reason to drive all the way to the northern tip of Chios is the 12th-century…

Cave of Sykia Olymbi

Chios

This 150-million-year-old cavern was discovered accidentally in 1985. It's 57m deep and filled with multicoloured stalactites and other rock formations…

Nautical Museum of Inousses

Chios

Created in 1965, this handsome museum showcases the collection of local shipping magnate Antonis Lemos. Many of the models on display (some intentionally…

Turkish Bath

Chios

With its bubble-like cupolas pierced to let in gentle shafts of light, this classic early-18th-century hammam (Turkish bath) was built as a charitable…

Anavatos

Chios

At the end of a silent stretch of road that branches off the main road near Avgonyma, this solemn site serves as a reminder of the island's brutal history…

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