Chios Island, Greece

Yacht charter to Chios brings you to one of the largest and least crowded islands in the Aegean. Lying south of Lesvos and only a few miles off the Turkish coast, Chios claims to be the birthplace of Homer, grows the mastic tree that yields a resin found nowhere else in the world, and hides medieval fortified villages, a UNESCO-listed Byzantine monastery and quiet harbours that see very few charter boats even in August.

Why sail to Chios

Chios is a destination rather than a base, and that is exactly its appeal. Crews who make the passage up from the Cyclades trade crowded anchorages for working fishing harbours, stone villages and a coastline shared with local caiques.

• Very little charter traffic. The North Eastern Aegean sees a fraction of the yachts that fill the Cyclades and Dodecanese, so quays and coves rarely feel busy.
• The only mastic in the world. The mastic villages of the south produce a resin used in food, liqueur and pharmaceuticals, and the know-how of its cultivation is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
• Medieval villages intact. Pyrgi, with its geometric xysta façades, and fortified Mesta look much as they did centuries ago.
• A UNESCO World Heritage monastery. Nea Moni, founded in the 11th century, holds some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in Greece.
• Homer's island. Legend places the poet's school at Daskalopetra, the Teacher's Rock in Vrontados, just north of the capital.
• Easy side trips. Oinousses lies just off the north-east coast and Psara to the west, both small, quiet island stops.

Chios at a glance

• Island groupNorth Eastern Aegean, between Lesvos to the north and Samos and Ikaria to the south
• Nearest boatsMykonos in the Cyclades, roughly 123 km, about 66 nautical miles to the south-west
• Main portChios Town on the east coast, facing the Asia Minor shore across the Chios Strait
• Other harboursMarmaro (Kardamyla), Langada, Limnia, Limenas Meston and Lithi
• AreaAbout 842 km², one of the largest Greek islands, with roughly 50,000 residents
• Highest groundMount Pelinaio, about 1,297 m, in the mountainous north
• Summer windMeltemi from the north, with strong gusts off the mountains on the west coast
• Known forMastic, Nea Moni, Pyrgi and Mesta, Homer, the Korais Library, spoon sweets

Harbours and anchorages around Chios

Chios Town, the main harbour

The capital, also called Chios and known locally as Chora, is a lively port on the east coast, opposite the shores of Asia Minor. It is the island's main ferry port and can be busy and noisy. Yachts usually moor stern-to on the town quay, keeping clear of the ferry berths, and wash from fast ferries can make the more exposed corners uncomfortable. Water and electricity are available on the quay, and the town has everything you need to provision. A marina about a mile north of the harbour has long been only partly operational, so check its current status with us before relying on it.

Marmaro and Langada in the north-east

Marmaro, the harbour of Kardamyla on the north-east coast, is a small man-made port that gives reasonable protection from the meltemi, though a swell can work in during strong northerlies. Langada, a picturesque fishing village further south towards the capital, is a popular stop and a natural jumping-off point for Oinousses, just across the channel. Both sit at the back of small bays with good swimming nearby.

Limnia and Volissos in the north-west

Limnia is the small harbour below Volissos on the west coast and the place where the local caique leaves for Psara. It is the obvious base for walking up to Volissos, one of the island's most beautiful villages, spread over a hillside under a Byzantine castle. Be ready for strong gusts on this coast in summer, when the meltemi accelerates down off the mountains.

Limenas Meston and the south-west coast

Limenas, the harbour of Mesta, lies on the south-west coast and gives protection from the meltemi behind its mole and excellent shelter from southerlies. It is the best place to leave the boat while you explore Mesta, Olympi and the rest of the mastic villages. Lithi, a little to the north, is another small harbour with tavernas on the shore.

Emporios and the southern coves

At the southern tip, Emporios is a typical seaside village beside Mavra Volia, a striking beach of black volcanic pebbles. The southern and eastern coasts are dotted with coves suitable for a swim stop or a settled-weather night at anchor, and the resort beaches of Karfas and Agia Ermioni lie just south of the capital.

Getting to Chios from Mykonos

There is no charter base on Chios, so the island is reached on passage. The nearest yachts in our fleet are based on Mykonos in the Cyclades, about 66 nautical miles to the south-west. Because the meltemi blows from the north, the leg up to Chios is the harder one and the return south to the Cyclades runs with the wind behind you. Plan the northbound passage for early in the week or a settled forecast, and consider breaking it with a stop on Ikaria. Samos lies to the south-east if your route runs on from the Dodecanese.

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Chios ashore: mastic villages, Byzantine monuments and Homer

Chios has a varied landscape: rugged mountains in the north, the green citrus country of Kampos around the capital and the low mastic hills of the south. Each part rewards a day ashore.

Chios Town: the castle, the library and the museums

Chios Town blends the traditional and the modern. A large medieval castle dominates the harbour, and its walls enclose the old quarter, where houses keep their lattice windows and balconies. Aplotaria, the traditional commercial street, leads to the central Vounakiou square. The town has an Archaeological Museum with finds from across the island, a Byzantine Museum, and the Homerion Cultural Centre, which hosts theatre and music performances. The Korais Library, one of the most important in Greece, holds about 130,000 volumes, including its founder's collection of rare books, alongside an exhibition of local costumes.

Pyrgi, Mesta and the mastic villages

The south of the island is where the mastic trees grow, and the villages here, the Mastichochoria, have kept their medieval character. Armolia is the first you reach, known for its pottery and the ruins of a 14th-century Genoese castle. Pyrgi looks as though it emerged intact from the Middle Ages, with narrow, often vaulted alleys and house façades covered in xysta, geometric patterns scratched in grey and white. South-west of Pyrgi, the archaeological site of Kato Fana holds traces of a 6th-century BC temple of Apollo. West of Pyrgi lie Olympi and Mesta, a remarkably well-preserved fortified village where several traditional houses have been restored as guest houses.

Nea Moni, Anavatos and Avgonyma

In the hills west of the capital stands Nea Moni, one of the most important Byzantine monuments in Greece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded in the 11th century with the patronage of Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos and is famous for its mosaics. Nearby, the semi-abandoned medieval villages of Avgonyma and Anavatos, the latter perched on a sheer crag, transport the visitor to another era.

Vrontados, Volissos and the north

North of the capital, Vrontados is home to Daskalopetra, the Teacher's Rock, where legend says Homer taught. Beyond it, Langada sits close to Delphinion, an ancient naval and military base founded by the Athenians in 412 BC, and Kardamyla and Marmaro are fishing villages set at the back of small bays. The road on to Volissos, another of Homer's claimed birthplaces, crosses impressive mountain scenery with views over the sea, and the monastery of Agia Markella stands above the west coast nearby.

Beaches and local flavours

Swimmers will find plenty of variety, from the resort of Karfas near town to Agia Ermioni, Komi, the black pebbles of Mavra Volia and the beach below Agia Markella. Beyond the mastic itself, in gum, liqueur and sweets, look for the traditional spoon sweets, fruit preserves for which the island is famous, and the citrus from the old estates of Kampos.

When to sail to Chios

The North Eastern Aegean is open water, so the weather window matters for the passage from the Cyclades. The meltemi blows from the north through high summer and can gust hard off the mountains of Chios, especially on the west coast. Read up on the winds in Greece and on Greek climate and weather before fixing a route, and build a spare day into any plan that reaches this far north.

Check the weather forecast sources for Greece each morning, and ask the port authority in Chios Town for the local bulletin before heading round to the west coast.

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