Chios: City History and Maritime Culture

Chios, also known as Chora, is the island’s largest city. If you’re looking for a hotel in Chios, you can start by choosing based on the kind of stay you want: historic buildings, squares and maritime collections shape the city’s cultural character. Several eras can be seen in specific buildings, from the walled city center to civic buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. This lets you distinguish between searching for a city experience and choosing the island as a whole as your destination.

Squares, Museum and Castle

The offices of the Regional Unit of Chios and the town hall are located at the central Plateia Vounakiou. Around the square are the former Ottoman Mecidiye Camii, now the Chios Byzantine Museum, and the municipal park. The mosque building was constructed in the mid-19th century and houses the museum’s permanent exhibition. The administrative buildings, municipal park and historic building offer different points of reference around the square.

Chios Castle dates from the 10th century and was built on the site of the ancient city, with a direct connection to the harbor. Since the Genoese rule, it has formed the city’s walled core. The area has been inhabited since at least the Hellenistic period. The castle’s main entrance is Porta Maggiore at the southern end, built by the Venetians in 1694. The ancient settlement, medieval city center and Venetian entrance illustrate the different historical layers of this place.

Cityscape and Collections

Aplotaria Street is lined with numerous civic buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The historic High School of Chios was founded in 1792. The school’s 18th-century history can thus be viewed alongside the later civic buildings and the older history of the castle area.

The Chios Maritime Museum is centrally located in Chios. It is housed in a traditional residence built in the early 20th century, with features of the island’s neoclassical architectural style and painted ceilings. The collection includes ship models and other nautical objects. The Archaeological Museum is in the southern part of Chios. The museums therefore offer different cultural focuses, while Plateia Vounakiou provides a central point of reference in the cityscape.

More to Explore on the Island of Chios

Beyond the city, the island of Chios offers other cultural and natural attractions. Nea Moni Monastery was built between 1042 and 1056. Its mosaics are part of one of three collections from the Middle Byzantine period preserved in Greece; Nea Moni is considered an undisputed masterpiece of Byzantine art. The Chios Mastic Museum’s permanent exhibition explores the traditional knowledge of mastic cultivation. Its outdoor exhibition brings visitors into contact with the mastic plant and its natural habitat.

Kampos is another point of interest on the island: this settlement and agricultural complex combines an outstanding natural landscape with distinctive local architectural features. Narrow lanes between citrus groves and estates with high stone walls invite visitors to stroll. These island attractions differ from the squares, buildings and collections of the city of Chios.

If Nea Moni, the Mastic Museum and Kampos are also of interest to you, consider Chios as an island destination. This will help you decide what you want to focus on during your trip before looking for a hotel.

Discover more destinations: Lagkada, Neochori, Kallimasia, Psara, Thimianá, Agia Ermioni, Paralia Agias Fotinis, Mestá

For the broader travel overview: Chios.