Chios Tours from Çeşme

A trip of discovery

Wander around picturesque alleys and citrus gardens of Kampos. Visit medieval villages and castles. Discover a different beach every day. Taste the aromatic unique in the world Chios natural Mastiha. Participate in fascinating traditional events, such as the rocket war at Easter. Admire the Byzantine monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Hertiage Monument. Pack your bags, then, and discover Chios, a unique island of the Aegean.

CHİOS

The town of Chios, called “Chora” is the largest town of the island with a population of 29.000. It is the administrative, cultural, educational and commercial centre of the island, as well as its most important port.

It is built in the middle of the east coast, from where the Asia Minor coastline is visible. The town’s location indicates its close relationship with Ionia. Archaeological evidence indicates that the island has been inhabited since 6.000 B.C. The town of Chios was built by the Ionians a little before 1.000 B.C.

During its 3.000 – year history the town has been through periods of prosperity as well as decline.

Nowadays Chios is a vivid town with various economic, maritime and commercial activities. It is also the island’s cultural center, as most schools and libraries (The Koraes library among them) and the Homerion Cultural Center are situated there. Despite its transformations due to the 1822 catastrophe, the 1881 earthquake and extensive post-war rebuilding, the town has a lot of sites of architectural interest not only in the center but also in several of the neighbourhoods.

Nea Moni, the most important medieval monument of Chios - UNESCO Monument

Nea Moni, the most important medieval monument in Chios, is a monastery complex of the 11th century, built by donation of the Emperor Konstantinos Monomachos and his spouse, Zoe.The katholikon (the main church of the complex) is one of the few preserved samples of the “octagonal insular” type, with an excellent byzantine mosaic decoration, reflecting the fine art of Constantinople during the Macedonian Dynasty. Due to its importance for the history of Art and architecture, the monastery is protected by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Monument.

Getting to know the culture of Mastiha on Chios Island

If you would like to get to know the mastiha culture and experience everyday life at mastichochoria (the villages of mastiha, in southern Chios), a visit there is a must. You can also have the unique experience of mastiha cultivation by participting in an agritourism program organised by specialised local agencies, during which you can learn and participate in all the steps of the cultivation process, such as preparation, harvesting and cleaning. However, you should bear in mind that Chios natural mastiha cultivation and production is deeply integrated with Chios island’s identity and everyday life on the island. This means that a visitor could have a deeper insight of what we call “mastiha culture”, through a variety of activities and experiences on Chios island

CHİOS TOURS PROGRAM

We pick up our guests from the hotel and arrive at Çeşme Ulusoy Port at 08:30 in the morning. After passport and customs procedures, we depart for Chios island by ferry at 09:20 .After a 45-minute journey, we arrive at the island of Chios.

After a pleasant journey, we arrive in Chios. Here we will give you a short free time after customs clearance. During this time, you can visit the city center or enjoy a nice coffee in the cafeterias on the beach.

After the free time, our guide and bus will be waiting for you at the place and time we have determined. Our tour begins with our progress towards the south from the city center. Our first stop is Armolia Village.

1. Armolia

Our first stop is the village of ARMOLIA, famous for its handmade ceramics for centuries. Apolichno Castle, built by the Genoese in 1440, continues to greet us from the high hills, although not many solid structures have survived since the Middle Ages when it was built due to the great earthquake in 1881. The village of Armolia is considered the beginning of the mastic gum villages in the south of the island. At this stop, we will get to know the famous Mastic Gum trees, which gave the island its name, and get detailed information about its health benefits and usage areas. In addition, we will learn about the grueling operations during the harvest period and of course we will have a short free time to visit the famous ceramic workshops and to examine handmade artistic works. Then we continue our journey towards the castle-villages further south.

2.Mesta

Our next stop is one of the most special villages of Chios that should be seen the most. MESTA village 13-14. It is a village that we can call an open-air museum, which has preserved its main structure in the most beautiful way among the castle-villages established in the 19th century to protect it from pirate attacks. With its narrow labyrinthine streets, solid stone houses adjacent to each other and arches connecting them, it takes its visitors on a journey through medieval times. We visit the TAKSİARHİS church and get information about it. Taxiarchis, built at the beginning of the 18th century, is the largest church in Chios and also one of the most important churches in Greece. Then we move towards our next village.

3. Pyrgi

Another medieval castle-village that is unique in the world with its geometric shapes on the outer surfaces of the houses is PYRGI. We will examine closely how these mosaic-like shapes from a distance are made with the technique called ksista. The tower (pirgos), which gave its name to the village, and Agion Apostolon in the village square, one of the oldest churches of Chios, dating from the Byzantine period, are some of the places to see in this village. Also, the house where it is believed that Christopher Columbus stayed in Chios before his exploration of America is located in the village of PYRGI. You can find the freshest products of the latest harvest in this village, which has been the collection center of mastic for years. Leaving behind this uniquely beautiful village of Chios, we head towards Emporios, where we will take a break for lunch and swimming.

4. Karfas Beach

Karfas, the most popular beach on the island with its golden sands, is the last stop of our tour. Many taverns in the Karfas region offer a wide variety of dishes from fresh seafood to traditional Greek dishes. Our guests can enjoy the sea and the sun on this beautiful beach.
Then we move towards the city center of Chios Island and send you away from the island with good memories After passport and customs procedures at the port at 17:00, we depart for Çeşme at 18:00.

After a 45-minute journey, we arrive in Çeşme. We drop off our guests at their hotels and end of the tour.

This tour is between 08:00-18:00 every day.

Duration: 10 hours

Places to visit: Chios -Armolia-Mesta-Pyrgi-Karfas Beach

Tour Prices:

• 75 € Per Person

Included

• FERRY TİCKET ( R/T )
• South Island Tour in Chios

Excluded

• Lunch -Drinks
• Any Private Expenses
• Optional tips to the drivers and guides

Important to know

All of our tours are group tours. Contact us for your private tour requests. Please dress accordingly to the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes
This tour may be operated by a multilingual guide.f you have special dietary requirements, please contact directly the local tour provider.
You can find their contact information in the voucher after booking .The duration of transfers , the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
A passport is required for the tour.This tour is not wheelchair accessible