Summer · editorial guide
Chios: Mastihohoria, beaches and local life
Chios is a large island and is best approached more as a place for exploration than as a destination where you stay by one beach and move only around it.
In southern Chios lie the Mastihohoria, with Pyrgi, Mesta, Olympoi and dozens of other villages linked to the cultivation of mastic. A few kilometres outside Chios Town is Kampos, with its mansions and citrus orchards. On the western and northern sides, the landscape becomes more open and the beaches more secluded, while Chios Town itself remains a lively commercial and social centre throughout the year.
This variety also matters when you look at the total cost of a holiday. There is no single tourist area where you have to stay in order to get to know the island. You can choose the town, Karfas, a seaside settlement or a base closer to the Mastihohoria, and organise your days from there.
Why Chios offers a good balance between experience and cost
You can spend a day in the Mastihohoria, walk through Pyrgi and Mesta, stroll through the lanes of Kampos, visit Nea Moni or head to a different beach without needing your programme to depend on organised activities every day.
Chios Town adds another advantage. It is a real town, with a market, cafés, ouzeries, restaurants, shops and cultural life. If you stay there, you are not dependent only on the services of a seaside resort and can use the town as a base for different excursions.
The same applies to food. Chios has strong local production, with mastic, citrus fruits, Chios mandarins, spoon sweets and many other local products. Gastronomy is not simply something added for visitors, but part of the island’s productive life.
This does not mean that every option on Chios is inexpensive. It means that you have several ways to build a trip where your money goes more towards what you actually want to do.
What summer gives you on Chios
The Mastihohoria are one of the main reasons to discover southern Chios.
Pyrgi stands out for its famous “xysta”, the geometric decorative patterns on the façades of houses. Mesta is an especially well-preserved medieval fortified settlement, with narrow passages, arches and houses built closely together. Olympoi, Armolia and other villages can easily be included in the same day route.
Summer adds another dimension here. Work connected with mastic production begins around mid-June and continues until September or October. So, especially in southern Chios, mastic is not simply a product you see in shops but part of the seasonal life of the villages.
The beaches are very different from one another.
Mavra Volia at Emporeios has deep water and characteristic black volcanic pebbles. Karfas is sandy, shallow and organised, with hotels, rooms, restaurants and bus access. Komi has a long sandy beach, restaurants and more summer activity. In western and northern Chios there are smaller bays and quieter shores for those who want to move around more.
And there is Kampos, only about six kilometres from the town. The old mansions, high stone walls and orchards with mandarin, orange and lemon trees create a landscape that feels nothing like a classic island resort. The area is particularly suitable for walking or cycling.
Nea Moni adds another layer to the trip. It is an 11th-century monument and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 together with Daphni Monastery and Hosios Loukas, mainly for its architecture and Byzantine mosaics.
Festivals and summer celebrations
Chios has a very lively tradition of summer village festivals. The official Chios.gr site notes that in several villages the celebrations can last two or even three evenings, with violin, oud, lute and traditional dancing.
The largest religious celebration of the summer is Agia Markella on 22 July. The monastery is near Volissos, and the day is a local holiday for Chios. Thousands of people head towards the area, and some even make the long journey from the town on foot.
15 August also has a distinctive character. Pyrgi hosts a large celebration in the main square, which, according to the official tourism portal, traditionally lasts three days. In Volissos and the wider Amani area, August fills the small villages with festivals, communal meals and local gatherings.
During July and August, cultural and music events also take place in the town and the Mastihohoria. Because the programme changes every year, it is worth checking the official Chios.gr events calendar before organising your trip around a specific event.
Weather
May has an average high of about 23°C (73°F) and an average low of around 14°C (57°F). It is more a month for the Mastihohoria, Kampos, villages and routes than for a trip based exclusively on the beach. The temperature is pleasant for moving around during the day, and the landscape still retains more of its spring greenery.
In June, the average high rises to about 28°C (82°F) and the low to 18°C (64°F). It is now a proper summer month, and from around the middle of June the period of mastic work begins in the villages of southern Chios, so beaches and Mastihohoria can be combined very naturally on the same trip.
In July, the average high is about 30°C (86°F) and the low 21°C (70°F). August is almost the same, with an average high of about 29°C (84°F) and a low of about 21°C (70°F). This is the most intensely summery period, with more festivals and activity in seaside areas and villages.
In September, the average high remains around 26°C (79°F) and the low 17°C (63°F). The sea can still be a central part of the holiday, while temperatures are more comfortable for routes through the Mastihohoria, Kampos and western Chios. Activity around mastic also continues during this period.
In October, the average high falls to about 22°C (72°F) and the low to 14°C (57°F). There are still mild days and the sea may occasionally be part of the programme, but the trip is better suited to the Mastihohoria, Kampos, gastronomy, history and routes around the island.
The temperatures are long-term climatic averages, not a forecast for a particular year.
For groups
Chios Town is a practical base if you want nightlife, ouzeries, restaurants and cafés close by, while taking different routes during the day. The waterfront is one of the liveliest parts of the town both during the day and at night.
For a more purely summery pace, Komi combines a long beach, restaurants and beach bars, while southern Chios and the Mastihohoria fit more naturally into the daily programme from there.
A group with a car can easily spend one day on the Mastihohoria and Mavra Volia, a second on Kampos and the town, and a third heading towards western or northern Chios.
For families
Karfas is one of the easiest choices. The official Chios tourism website lists it as a sandy beach with shallow water, a lifeguard, organised facilities, restaurants and bus access. Around the beach there are both hotels and rented rooms and apartments.
Komi is also sandy and organised, with food and activities close to the beach.
For a family, I would give more importance to a practical base and less to trying to cover the whole island. Chios has enough content that even two or three good day routes can give very different images of the island.
For couples
Mesta can be combined with southern Chios, beaches and food in one of the island’s most distinctive settlements. Pyrgi and Olympoi are in the same wider area, so a day in the Mastihohoria can have plenty of content without requiring an organised excursion.
Kampos is a good choice for a quieter walk, especially if you enjoy walking or cycling. For the sea, western Chios has smaller bays and beaches that can be combined with Mesta, Lithi or Volissos.
For solo travellers
Chios Town is the most practical starting point if you want to be in the middle of everyday island life and have food, cafés, cultural options and evening activity within easy reach.
If you do not want to depend constantly on a car, choosing your base becomes more important. Karfas, for example, is served by bus and brings together the beach, food and accommodation in the same area.
If you enjoy routes and walking, the official Chios tourism portal also provides organised suggested routes for the Mastihohoria, Kampos, Volissos and other areas of the island.
What to calculate before you book
The main issue on Chios is distance.
If you want to discover southern Chios, western beaches, Volissos and northern Chios on the same trip, you will need to spend time on the road. For this kind of trip, a car is particularly useful, and renting one or bringing your own vehicle should be included in the overall calculation.
Not every trip to Chios needs to be organised this way, however. If you choose the town or a seaside base and make two or three longer excursions, you can keep several days much simpler.
Also pay attention to what you are actually comparing when you look at accommodation. A property that is slightly farther away may have a better room price, but if you need a long transfer every day, that does not necessarily mean it will be the better overall option.
And as with the other islands in this series, it is worth comparing more than one period. In weeks of higher demand, availability and prices may be different. June and September deserve a separate search if your dates allow it, especially because the weather remains summery and mastic production is active in both months.
Ταιριάζει αν
- You want the holiday to include the beach but not stop there. Chios has enough content for someone who wants villages, history, local products, food and routes within the same trip.
- It also suits you if you like choosing a different direction each day and do not mind spending some time travelling around.
Ίσως όχι αν
- You want a small island where, from one base, you can be almost everywhere within a few minutes.
- Also, if you want to give up the car entirely while still trying to discover all sides of the island, you will need to limit the ambition of the programme a little. Chios rewards you more when you do not try to see all of it in only a few days.