Greece Travel Tips and Guide

Chios is known as the fragrant flower of the Aegean and is located in northeast Aegean Sea of Greece and is the fifth largest of all the Greek islands, sitting just five miles from the Turkish coast. Chios is a mountainous island with its highest peak Pelineo.

Chios not traditionally a tourist favorite is gaining a reputation as an island sought by package tourists, with crystal-clear waters, sandy beaches and good facilities. Its beautiful and significant beaches like Komi, Daskalopetra, Agia Markella, Vroulidia etc. which are organized cosmopolitan resorts make the island special. Around the rest of the island, there are an amazing array beaches there to be sampled.

Things to see

There are more than 30 monasteries and hundreds of churches in Chios. Probably the major historical attraction on Chios is the monastery, Nea Moni, about 11 kilometers from the city of Chios. It was founded in the 11th century when three hermit-monks found a miraculous icon of the Virgin here and they persuaded the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus to build a magnificent monastery and church on this site. The 11th century church is still considered one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in this part of the Greek Orthodox world and its mosaics are also highly regarded.

In Chios, also, there are several museums. Some of the most attractive are the following:

The Byzantine Museum which was housed in the 19th century on the central square of Chios and contains a collection of items and findings that have been discovered on the island and donated from private collections. The Palace of Ioustiniani stands between the Castle of Chios and the main square of the capital. The exhibition displays Byzantine murals, post Byzantine icons, small works of arts and Byzantine and Genoese sculptures.

The Maritime Museum is located in the centre of Chios and explains its maritime tradition by displaying various items that give historical information about this tradition and about the development of shipping commerce in the area. Chios is also known for its production of "masticha". The small villages of Pyrgi and Mesta are just two of the villages known as "mastihohoria", where their production of mastic, a substance once used like chewing gum, saved them from the Turkish army's wrath. The villages are enclosed within walls and are best explored on foot, these towns, built like mazes, have a wonderful atmosphere to them. Mastic chewing gum can also be bought in these villages

When to come

The island's climate is warm and moderate, categorized as temperate Mediterranean, with modest variation due to the stabilizing effect of the surrounding sea. Average temperatures normally range from a summer high of 27 Celsius to a winter low of 11 in January. The weather is fairly good from May to October and the sea is not chilly and this makes it perfect for a summer destination.

August is the month on which most of the traditional festivals take place. These are mostly celebrations of Greek Orthodox Saints accompanied by food and drink and traditional Greek dances until early morning hours with participants from all age groups, nationalities and social classes. These festivals are not to be missed. On the other hand August is really the month that almost all Greeks take their summer vacation to island destinations. Even Chios can get overcrowded in August. If relaxing vacation is what you are after August in Chios is not your best choice.

Greece can satisfy even the most demanding of its visitors. It has beautiful scenery and great man made establishments, it has sea but also mountains, it has archaeological sites and night clubs as well, it has crowded areas but it also has nice and quite places. The best of all is that all these are not far away from each other. I don't think its an overstatement to say that Greece is a traveler's paradise.

Where can you find such places.

If you want to find fancy restaurants and Hotels and all the comforts a man can get those are the services every known place has and they are actually difficult to miss. Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu, Crete, Athens, Thessaloniki, Samos are among the most visited destinations in Greece. If you need luxurious accommodations, fancy restaurants, loud music, packed cafes, lots of visitors you can find them here.

Places that are not crowded but still have lot to offer are more difficult to find. There are less services and less money to be gained from visitors and therefore are not heavily promoted. If you are looking for those places don't ask at your local travel agent. Don't arrange a Cruise hoping to find them. The are usually very close to the crowded centers but not much is mentioned of them.

Lots of smaller islands that are not heavily advertised, and island satellites to famous ones usually fall under this category and would be ideal places for people that want to explore the alternative Greece. For the sake of the discussion I am going to mention Gaudos, Paxoi, Fournoi, Sifnos, Ikaria, Chios but this is not extensive by any means. These places are usually recommended from people that have already gone there. If you have not had such recommendations then I would advise you to prepare your trip to the most favorable location leaving some room in your schedule for visiting places that the locals will undoubtedly suggest. An inquiry to a local Greek travel agent or a Greek Habitant might reveal some hidden treasures around the area. Keeping in mind the pros and cons presented right after, one can easily recognize such places.

With quiet destinations you avoid the mass tourism and the noise and you enjoy more the nature and the hospitality of people simple and not caught up at the great rush of our times. Nature is purer and the food is fresher and atmosphere is unspoiled and healthier. The prices are cheaper too. One great disadvantage is that such places don't have many means of transportation to and from them and not to many comforts should be expected when looking for accommodation. Some of them don't even have air connectivity with mainland Greece. They might have boat or bus connection 3-7 times a week from the near by Town.

Travel off high season

Greeks usually take their summer vacation around the 15th of August that is the biggest festivity in the Orthodox Christian world, commemorating the Assumption of Theotokos (Mary the mother of Jesus). Around these days everything gets very busy with boats running full and extra flights being added and all types of accommodation running at full capacity. These period makes for some very tiresome vacation and I would definitely avoid it if I had the choice. Planning either before or after August is probably the smartest thing one can do when traveling to Greece. You do avoid the headaches and prices are a whole lot different.

Almost all destinations in Greece are connected through Athens, so this gives an opportunity to the traveler to explore the Athenian lifestyle and Acropolis if he/she so chooses. Some alternative routes include Italy which has daily direct boat connections to the Ionian islands and Turkey which has daily boat connectivity to the nearby islands of the Aegean.

Arranging your car rental before hand

Small places usually luck the public transportation of the big and famous cities. Buses usually run not very frequently and planning your excursions around them usually is not an easy chore. The more crowded places will probably have cars booked fully for the high season times. So if you are planning on using a car arranging it ahead of time is always good choice.

Alternative accommodations for rent

If you are not interested in the standard services of a hotel (food, everyday cleaning/towels/sheets pools and restaurants) you can rent villas or homes at cheaper prices. Usually the such places provide a high level of service compared to what you pay for them.