Before coming to Chios there is a few things you should probably want to know. Apart from the beautiful scenery, welcoming people and tasty food, of course. Despite being known for its good and sunny weather, if you are going to spend a long period of time in Greece, and in this particular case, in Chios, you must know that it’s not always summer. Be prepared for quite a lot of wind and rainy days as autumn begins, and obviously during winter. 

 

Even if you come to Chios for a shot period of time, you may want to learn some greek words to be able to communicate with the locals. Keep in mind that Chios is not very touristic, so don’t expect everyone to know english, specially outside of the capital. Feel free to check some greek vocabulary for a basic communication with the greek people.

 

As you probably already know, Chios is very close to Turkey. It has its benefits, because you can see its coast and the city of Çeşme from the Island and travel there by ferry (at the moment it’s closed because of covid-19), but also it has disadvantages. When arriving to Chios you must be careful and set your mobile network to the Greek ones, because otherwise it can quickly change itself to the Turkish network and that can be quite expensive.

 

Another thing you should be careful about is the Greek driving style. We recommend you keep an eye open for not so pedestrian friendly roads and especially fast motorbikes. Also, if you ever feel like going shopping in the city, you should keep in mind that most of the shops close at mid-day and open around 5pm (but not the supermarkets). Continuing with schedules, if you ever feel like visiting the beautiful villages that we have in Chios and you don’t have a car, you should know that the bus schedule is a bit complicated. Most of them leave from Chios city very early in the morning and come back just at 3pm, so if you want to do a one-day trip it’s complicated.

 

But don’t be stressed, there is some very good things you should also know. And one of those is the amazing food you can eat in Chios. You can check the traditional Greek dishes and best restaurants! Our personal favorite is pita, very simple yet effective. You can never go wrong with pita. And last but not least, if you are a nature lover, be prepared to see amazing beaches and mountains. The first one is the obvious one, the beaches are truly beautiful, even though most of them have are full of stones and can be a bit uncomfortable. But don’t forget about the mountains and check some hiking trails throughout the island. Not only can you explore new places (and find a lot of goats) but have amazing views of the island, the sea and our neighbor country.

 

We recommend you take a look at the rest of the web to find more specific information depending on what you would like to visit. We really hope you find this information interesting and relevant and enjoy your visit to Chios!