Start here
First time in ChiosThe places most visitors are glad they saw, in the order they make sense.Only one dayA single southern day: the mastic villages, one swim, back by evening.Three daysTown and Kampos, the south, then the west coast and Nea Moni.A week or moreTime to reach Amani, the north and the far beaches without rushing.
By part of the island
Chios Town and the CastleHalf a day inside the walls, the museums and the waterfront.The mastic southPyrgi, Olympoi, Mesta and the villages the mastic trade built.Kampos and the citrus estatesWalled lanes, Genoese houses and the orange groves behind them.Northern Chios and AmaniThe emptier end of the island: Volissos, the north-west coast, long drives.Oinousses and PsaraTwo day trips by boat, each with its own history and beaches.
Depending on the day
A windy dayLet the wind decide the coast — the finder reads today’s direction.A very hot dayBeaches first, villages after five: the finder sorts by shade and time.Best beaches to begin withEasy access, decent water, nothing that needs a walk down a cliff.Hidden ChiosQuieter coves and villages with little or no infrastructure.Chios with childrenShallow water, short walks and places that hold a child’s attention.For historyByzantine, Genoese and 1822 — the sites where the story is visible.On footVillage lanes, a monastery precinct and one long coast path.What to eatMastiha, mastelo, souma and the rest, and where you meet them.