Chios is one the islands of the Northeastern Aegean Sea, very close to the coast of Asia Minor. It’s called the "Mastic Island", being the only place on earth that produces this special kind of resin coming from the mastic tree.
Chios offers to the "sea and sun" fans a large variety of beaches for all the tastes, from cosmopolitan sandy beaches with all the touristic facilities, to isolated coves where you can enjoy the primitive natural beauty. The sandy beach of Karfas is the most popular one in the island. It offers full services, sea sports, restaurants, cafés, hotels, shops, and everything else you might need, all situated in walking distance. The beach of Mega Limnionas has less sand and more local visitors. The beach of Daskalopetra, north of the island's capital, with its white pebbles is also worth a visit.
You can visit the "mastic villages", twenty of them, situated on the south part of the island, with the mastic fragrance prevailing all over. Pyrgi is the most well-known of them, the "illustrated village" as they call it, because of the elaborate decorative motifs on the facades of the buildings. Equally well-known is Mesta, the medieval village, with Byzantine style architecture built like a castle. Other villages are Vessa, Armolia, Nenita and Patrika. Anavatos is a medieval abandoned village built on a conical cliff 450 metres above the sea. Its natural fortification impresses the visitors.
The Monastery of Nea Chios, with its masterful mosaics, is one of the most important ones in Greece.
Chios' s gastronomic wealth includes dairy products like the "mastelo" cheese, oranges and tangerines, spoon sweets and sesame-honey confections.
Useful Phone Numbers
Municipality of Chios: 0030 22710 44386
Citizens' Service Center (KEP): 0030 22713 50813
Police: 0030 22710 81537
Port Authority: 0030 22710 44434
Fire Brigade: 0030 22720 23600
Hospital: 0030 22710 44302
Taxi: 0030 22710 41111
Bus Station: 0030 22710 22079
