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An Educational and Fun Day Trip to Chios – What to Do!

Chios is a fantastic place to take a day trip, or even a weekend. It’s beautiful, romantic, and has fantastic seafood, as well as a world heritage site to explore.


In this article, you’ll learn:

One of the great things about living in Turkey is that it is almost entirely surrounded by water. Where there is water, there are ferries to interesting places. Along the western coast, many of these ferries go to Greek islands. 

Greek island hopping has always been on our “to do” list, so we couldn’t wait to get started. Last year we started, by taking our first ferry to Rhodes, and this year we tried the small island of Chios.

Taking the ferry from Cesme, Turkey to Chios, Greece.

Where is Chios?

Chios is the fifth largest Greek Island and very close to Cesme, Turkey on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea. At 325 square miles, it’s a relatively small population and is not as busy as some of the more popular islands for visiting.

Just like any other Greek island, the beaches are pristine, the seafood is fantastic, and on Chios, there’s quite a bit to see and do.

Cesme to Chios

To get there we drove to the coastal city of Cesme and paid a mere 40 Euros for the return ticket for that one day.  It was really simple, except that the only frustrating thing was the Greeks had to hand-input all of the Turks’ information, and we were behind a long line of Turks.

We were the only non-Greeks or Turks on the boat. So, we had to wait almost an hour to get to the front of the line. It was no big deal because once everyone was stamped, we were on our way.

A saddled donkey stands in the shade on Chios.

Renting a Car

The rest of the island is well set up for a day trip. We walked straight to a car rental place and rented one for the remainder of the day. The rental agency clerk assured us we could fill our day easily and recommended our next trip we stay over the weekend.

However, she cheerfully marked out the route we should take to get the most out of our one day. She was right, we discovered, next time I would at least spend a weekend there. One day really was great, but two would have been amazing.

Inside the Nea Moni Monstery.

One Day in Chios – Our Itinerary

  • Chios ferry port to Nea Moni Monastery
  • Nea Moni to Lithi
  • Lithi back to the port

Nea Moni Monastery

Our first stop was the Nea Moni Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1990 along with two other monasteries from the same period and style). It’s a good thing we started here, too, as the monastery closes at 1:00 PM each day. We had about forty minutes to do the entire complex, which included the church and a small museum.

Mosaic showing saints in Nea Moni Monastery, Chios.

I love hearing how the monks decided on where to build a new monastery. 

For Nea Moni, three monks were looking for a new site to build upon when they discovered an icon of the Virgin Mary on a bush. The icon is now located in the museum along with at least one copy. 

Constantine, himself, footed the bill after he was named emperor according to one of the monk’s predictions. Because of its lofty beginnings and favors, Nea Moni became one of the richest monasteries in Greece.

Evidence of this can be found inside the church where the backgrounds of the many mosaics are painted in gold. Some of the mosaics were very complete whereas others have been badly damaged, either from the Ottoman take-over or the earthquake that followed.

The main altar with all of its decorations and icons in Nea Moni Monastery.

Apparently, the battle of Chios was extremely bloody. One of the rooms inside the church has a glass cupboard displaying skulls and bones from some of the victims.

Bones and skulls in a cupboard in Nea Moni Monastery.

Lithi

After the monastery, we drove to Lithi, where we ate lunch and swam in the warm, crystal-clear blue water. Along the beachfront were many restaurants, and we had our obligatory calamari. 

Calamari, in Greece, is the whole squid cleaned and cut into slices, lightly battered and fried and this was some of the best we’ve found anywhere. The tentacles are delicious, but you must remember to not swallow some of the cartilage, like the beak.

Confessional in Nea Moni Monastery.

After swimming, we didn’t have much time, so we high-tailed it back to the rental car agency. The girl had said she would be there to collect the car, but it was siesta time and the shop was closed up tight. 

We had just a few minutes before our ferry was supposed to launch when she showed up, got in a fight with a parking policeman, and delivered us to the port. A heart-pumping end to a relaxing day on just another Greek island excursion.

Things to Do in Chios on Our Next Trip

  • Painted Villages (Pyrgi and Mesta)
  • Visit the museums (Mastic, Citrus, and the Archaeological Museums)
  • Explore more of the castles, towers, and monasteries on the island

If you are looking for some other Greek islands, check out 10 Things to do in Mykonos!

Conclusion

Looking for a relaxing day trip from Izmir? Take the ferry to Chios and rent a car. The villages and beaches are gorgeous, and the seafood is amazing. To be honest, though, one day is just a taste. To get the most out of your trip, go for at least a weekend.

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Have you been Greek Island hopping?  Have you been to Chios?

Chios is a fantastic place to take a day trip, or even a weekend. It's beautiful, romantic, and has fantastic seafood, as well as a world heritage site to explore.

Viv

Saturday 24th of July 2021

Hey! Great article! Question to you: when did you do this trip? I'm searching for ferries but it looks like they've all been suspended due to Covid..

Corinne Vail

Sunday 25th of July 2021

Yes, I do think they've been suspended. I hope it's still easy to get there.

Phoebe @ Lou Messugo

Wednesday 22nd of April 2015

Stumbled across this from your Heritage Wednesday Pinboard and can answer yes! I've been to Chios. Not many people have, it's not on the main circuit of Greek islands, but I went there for my first ever European "foreign" summer holiday (having lived in India before, holidays had been in Kashmir, Kulu, Rajasthan, NOT Europe!!) I think it must have been in about 1980. We were pretty much the only non Greeks or Turks and we did the opposite, we went to Cesme for the day (my first trip to Turkey!)

Corinne Vail

Wednesday 22nd of April 2015

Phoebe, Hilarious! I can't wait to sit and talk travel with you. Any more plans for this summer?