Things To Do

The Wedding Website of Sarah Acker and Emanuel Moshouris

Situated in the North Aegean Sea near the coast of Turkey lies the island of Chios (pronounced Hee-os). Chios is the fifth largest Greek island and is famous for its legendary mastic trees, medieval villages, a UNESCO-recognized monastery, and a rich history dating as far back as the Neolithic period 8,000 years ago. This rugged island is full of surprises and contrasts. The coastline offers stunning beaches like the darkly pebbled Mavros Gialos and the soft sandy Komi Beach. Venture inland to wander through the winding paths of the villages Pyrgi and Mesta known for their distinct medieval architecture. In the same area, visit the famous mastic groves and learn about the production of this uniquely Chian sap. Head high into the mountains and pay homage at the Nea Moni monastery and the Temple of the Holy Cross.

Village of Pyrgi

Pyrgi, 821 02, Greece

Pyrgi is a village on the Greek island of Chios, known as the "painted village" on account of the decoration of the houses. This mostly consists of black and white decorative motifs in different shapes.

Village of Mesta

821 02, Greece

Mesta is a Greek traditional village on the island of Chios. It belongs to the Mastic Villages, a group of villages in South Chios where the main activity is the manufacture of mastic. The mastic villages have been added to the representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

Nea Moni of Chios

Nea Moni of Chios, 821 00, Greece

Nea Moni is an 11th-century monastery on the island of Chios that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the Provateio Oros Mt. in the island's interior, about 15 km from Chios town.

Chios Mastic Museum

821 02, Greece

The Chios Mastic Museum is located in the Mastichochoria (literally: mastic villages), a group of medieval villages in Southern Chios, the only site in the Mediterranean where the mastic tree, or Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, is cultivated; called by its generic name of skínos in Greek, this is an endemic variety of pistacia plant from which mastíha (gum mastic) is produced. The Chios Mastic Museum aims to showcase the production history of the mastic tree’s cultivation and the processing of its resin, which it integrates into the cultural landscape of Chios. Through the prism of UNESCO’s inclusion of traditional mastic cultivation on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, emphasis is given to the diachronicity and sustainability of this product of Chios.

Mavra Volia Beach

Chios, Greece

Made of volcanic stones, this scenic beach features swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing & an eatery.

Karfas Beach

Chios, 821 00, Greece

Cave of Agio Galas

Agio Gala, 821 03, Greece

Castle of Chios

10 Kalothetou, Chios, 821 00, Greece

The castle was constructed in the medieval period, with its first construction phase having started in the 10th century by the Byzantines. The structures surviving to this day are part of later construction and expansion dated to the time when the Genoese, who maintained commercial concerns, ruled the island during the 14th to the 16th century.

Byzantine Museum of Chios (Mecidiye Mosque)

Chios, 821 00, Greece

The Byzantine Museum of Chios is housed in the Ottoman Mejiti Mosque, which was built with the sponsorship of Sultan Abdul Mejit in the middle of the 19th century in the town square of Chios.