Mavra volia and Foki

Near the village of Emporios lays the beaches of "Mavra volia" and Foki. The beaches are both covered with black pebbles (mavra volia) created by the volcanic activity of the now extinct volcano of Psaronas. The Genoese used these black stones to pave their yards for their houses built in the Kambos.

The beach of Foki is the one that the local youth chooses for swimming

Mesta

Mesta is one of the best-preserved medieval villages in the south of Chios. The village was established by the merging of smaller Byzantine settlements (14th-15th century ) during the period the Genoese dominated Chios.

Mesta lies southwest of the town of Chios, 35 kilometers away, in the area of Mastihohoria (meaning the “mastic villages”) where the mastiha trees grow. It is a perfectly preserved castle village dated to the medieval period. The houses were built one right next to the other, thereby creating a protective wall surrounding the village.

The open-hearted and kind people of Mesta still preserve the traditions of the 14th century village. The village’s most important custom takes place during the carnival festivities where the “Aghas” trials, a satirical replica of the trials that used to take place under the Turkish Occupation, are presented.

Emborios

Emborios is a port that lies in the vicinity of Mastichochoria 5 Km from the village of Pyrgi. It's one of the most unique places of Chios and of Greece in general. Its name shows that it was a trading center in Antiquity. Here was the settlement of Lefkonio (3.000 BC), traces of which were found during recent excavations and are now being exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Chios.

Nowadays the small picturesque and historical port of Emborios, there are plenty of taverns, restaurants and rooms ready to offer the visitors some quiet and relaxing vacations. Besides, Mavra Volia is considered to be the best beach on the island, if not one of the most exquisite, and it is only in a short distance from the port of Emborios.

Travelling to Chios

Travel to Chios By Plane

One can either take the plane from Athens (Aegean Air or Olympic Airlines) or in the summer some charter planes departing from major european capitals. There are regular flights between the following European capitals

Charter flights to Chios

Hellas Wings From Oslo Norway directly to Chios Greece once a week

Jet Air From Brussels Belgium directly to Chios Greece once a week

Martin Air From Amsterdam Holland directly to Chios Greece once a week

Lauda Air From Vienna Austria directly to Chios Greece once a week

To Chios By boat

An alternative would be to take the boat from Piraeus, Lesvos, Kabala, Samos, Rodos or Cesme (Turkey). A very useful site to find boat schedules is Greek Travelers pages.
Some of the most often used routes
Pireaus (port of Athens) to Chios
Chios to Pireaus (port of Athens)
Lesvos (Mytilene) to Chios
Chios to Lesvos (Mytilene)
Samos to Chios
Chios to Samos
Ikaria to Chios
Chios to Ikaria

A little bit about Chios

Chios

Chios or Khios is an island in the North East Aegean Sea a few Kilometers off the coast of Turkey, (take a look at where Chios is located on the map). Its the 5th largest island of Greece with a population relatively small (around 50,000) with a considerable amount of immigrants to different parts of the world, Athens and the rest of Greece. The capital is also called Chios or Chora; it is a port and the island's chief town. The island is famous for its scenery and good climate. Its chief export is mastic but it also produces olives, figs, and wine. Its an island that has kept its traditional character intact, due mostly to not being a very popular tourist destination.

Chios' History in brief

Archaeological research on Chios has found evidence that the island has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic age, with cave dwellings at Hagios Galas and the settlement and accompanying necropolis of Emporio being the primary sites of research for this period. It was noted in antiquity as Homer's birthplace. It was colonized by Ionians and became subject to Persia in 546 BC. Though later a member of the Delian League, it revolted several times against Athens. It prospered successively under Rome, Venice, Genoa, and the Ottoman Empire. During the Turkish occupation (Ottoman Empire), there was a massacre of the islanders after a rebellion in 1822, depicted by Eugène Delacroix in his famous artwork at The Louvre. Chios rejoined the rest of independent Greece after the First Balkan War (1912).

Source wikipedia.org on Chios

Chiostrip association of rooms to let and apartments in Chios

Chios trip is the official website of the association of rooms to let and apartments in Chios. The visitor can choose from the map of Chios the place they would like to stay and they will get a listing of all the available places that they can contact. The list is somewhat outdated but still a good reference for anyone that wants to find a budget accommodation in Chios.

Chios Travel

This blog is written in the hope of being helpful to the visitors who travel to greece, its like a traveling guide like so many others with the exception that this one is dedicated to the island of Chios.

If you have been in Chios or know about Chios and you are interested in writing about it leave a comment on this post and I will be notified about it.

If you have had a good time / experience in Chios and would like to share it with us we will gladly post it.

Even if you had a bad time we will post it but try not to insult people or businesses directly, otherwise we will have to do some editing to your post.

If you are an accommodation manager or owner and want to post a review to promote your accommodation, we will be happy to post it.

I you have specific questions about Chios or your future trip to Chios try to post on the most relevant topic and will try to anwser as soon as we can.

The more people that get involved in this endeavour the better this guide is going to become, so don't be afraid get involved.

Travel links

Links of useful websites about Chios

Chios trip the official association of rooms to let and apartments of Chios
ChiosNet another travel guide about Chios

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