If you're dreaming of an idyllic Greek summer, jamming along to every ABBA classic on your Spotify playlist as you stroll along stone-paved pathways with views of azure seas to one side, you're probably thinking Santorini, or maybe up-and-coming Milos, are your best bets.
As gorgeous as the whitewashed Aegean gems may be, we won't sugarcoat it and tell you they're exactly synonymous with peace and quiet:
Think buzzing cruise crowds, jam-packed narrow streets that can feel suffocating in peak hours, and don't forget to budget accordingly—in Santorini's case, that's an average $281 per day.
Now, if you're keen on a more ‘chill' experience, with ancient towns virtually untouched by tourism, and crowd-free beaches, this alternative Greek island getaway won't hurt your wallet:
Discover Greece's Best-Kept Secret This Summer
Considering it is the fifth largest Greek island, about 6.3 times bigger than Santorini, and one of the most culturally significant ones, you'd expect Chios to be teeming with visitors in summer.
Strangely enough, that's not always the case: located in the northeastern Aegean, only 4 miles from Turkey, it is a bit out of the way for most cruise liners and island-hoppers chasing the usual blue domes and beach clubs.
Spoiler: you won't find those easily around here.
Instead, you should picture an authentically Greek slice of heaven where pappoús still gather around domino boards in a medieval town's public square, the food served at the local, family-owned restaurant is likely made by someone's yiayia, and beaches are undeveloped and naturally-beautiful.
Start With Lazy Mornings At Chios Town
Whether you're flying into Chios' small airport from Athens or arriving by boat from more-famous islands, Chios Town is what you're likely to see first.
A compact coastal capital offering a plethora of traditional taverns, bougainvillea-framed streets, and a picture-perfect waterfront, best known for its quartet of stone windmills with wooden blades, it is the epitome of Greek charm.
Though it is the largest municipality, home to roughly 27,000 residents out of the island's 50,000, it feels more like a big village, and the rest of your time here will be summed up in slow mornings having coffee by the port, admiring the Genoese mansions, and souvenir-shopping at Aplotaria Street.
Explore The Mastic Villages Of Chios
Chios Town is gorgeous, alright, but the island is in fact best known for its timeless mastiha villages:
Located in South Chios, they're a string of historic chorió located in a fertile terrain for mastic trees, a tree from which the eponymous mastiha is extracted—in fact, Chios is said to be one of only a handful of places in the entire world where this can be found in abundance.
Back to the towns, Pyrgi is undoubtedly the most famous, due to the geometric, black-and-white tiles covering house façades, an architectural style found exclusively in Chios, and not anywhere else in Greece.
Up next, there's Olimpi, your typical Middle Ages settlement with stone houses and narrow, cobbled alleys, and a short drive away from the other two, the walled Mesta is no different:
Looking like it's straight out of a storybook, it is famous for its Genoese fortifications, pedestrianized lanes lined with centuries-old dwellings, and artisan shops.
Beautiful Uncrowded Beaches
Chios is also a hugely underrated summer destination, boasting a wide range of beaches along its 56-mile coastline, from pebbly to sandy and in varying stages of development.
For all the usual amenities, including beach chair rentals and restaurants in the vicinity for late-afternoon finger foods and ouzo, you should check out Emporios, a particularly scenic volcanic beach, a convenient 15-minute drive from the mastic villages.
Craving a more tranquil experience away from whatever moderate crowds you may find? Vroulidia is set on a turquoise bay with pebbles on the shoreline, and sandy patches the further you go out into the sea, and it's almost exclusively frequented by locals.
Komi Beach is a long sandy strip backed by cozy taverns and cafés, perfect for casual swimming and a family day out, and while there are no official nudist beaches in Chios, Elinta's secluded location, fine sands, and crystal-clear waters make it a prime spot for naturism.
Medieval Monasteries & Abandoned Villages
Although many of the tourist attractions are concentrated in South Chios, don't go sleeping on the mostly-rural, rugged north:
Set amidst cypress giants and lush countryside, Nea Moni is an 11th-century monastery about 9 miles from Chios Town. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring outstanding Byzantine mosaics that have survived centuries of pillaging and warfare largely unscathed.
If you're anything like us, you love a hidden gem, so how about having an entire medieval ghost town to explore all by yourself?
Built onto a cliffside, Anavatos is an abandoned village and literal time capsule, frozen in the long-forgotten year of spring of 1822, when locals fled en masse following a Turkish invasion.
That's enough eeriness for the day, so for the next stop, you'll maybe want to unwind and soak up the ancient culture in Volissos, a typically Chian town bestriding a mound, characterized by a labyrinthine center at the foot of a ruined castle.
Oh, we should probably add that some of Chios' most inviting beaches are nearby, like Lefkathia and Magemena.
Is Chios The Most Affordable Greek Island This Summer?
Chios is also one of Greece's most affordable destinations.
A meal in a centrally placed tavern in either Chios Town or one of the smaller towns costs an average of $12–$15, and we're not talking frugality.
Hotzas Tavern, for instance, serves lamb kebabs coupled with Greek yogurt, white beans with tomato and mandarin, and other Chian delicacies. Normally, that crumpled-up €20 note buried deep in your wallet you withdrew ‘just in case' will suffice.
Other cheap eats in Chios Town include Steki, known primarily for its generously filled souvlaki sandwiches, and To Apomero, popular among islanders for its tender kontosouvli skewers.
Accommodation is equally a bargain: even in summer, when visitation numbers triple, you can find private rooms for as cheap as $52 in Chios Town. If you feel like staying in a medieval house will make for a great travel story, this one-bedroom arrangement in Mesta starts from $63 a night.
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