Deciding where to stay in Chios shapes the whole feel of a visit to this large, varied island. Chios is not a single resort but a patchwork of very different places: a lively working capital. A sandy beach resort kilometres away, medieval stone villages in the mastic-growing south. Green, quiet coasts in the north. Each suits a different kind of trip, and the right base depends on what you have come to see.
This guide explains where to stay in Chios area by area: Chios Town and the beach resort of Karfas, the medieval mastic villages of Mesta and Pyrgi. The northern coast. The quieter corners, with the strengths and drawbacks of each, the kinds of accommodation you will find, and what it costs. Read it beside the full Chios travel guide and the guide to the best things to do in Chios.
Where to stay in Chios: what are the best areas?
The best areas to stay in Chios are Chios Town for its harbour life, restaurants and ferry links; Karfas, 7 kilometres south, for the island’s main sandy beach; the medieval mastic villages of Mesta and Pyrgi in the south for.
Chios is one of the larger Greek islands, and where you choose to stay makes a real difference, because the island’s character changes completely from one region to the next. The four main choices are the capital, Chios Town. On the east coast. The beach resort of Karfas just to its south. The medieval villages of the mastic-growing south around Mesta and Pyrgi. And the greener, quieter north around Kardamyla and Nagos.
For a first visit, Chios Town and nearby Karfas are the most practical bases, as they hold most of the island’s hotels. Put you close to the port and airport. Make an easy centre for day trips by car to every corner of the island. Chios is only about 50 kilometres from top to bottom. No region is out of reach. But distances of an hour’s drive between the north and the far south mean your base still matters.
Those seeking atmosphere over convenience often prefer a stone guesthouse in a medieval village such as Mesta or Pyrgi, while lovers of quiet beaches and green landscapes head north. The sections below weigh each area in turn, so you can match your base to the kind of holiday you want, whether that is beaches, history, food or simply a peaceful retreat, as set out in the guide to the best things to do in Chios.
Should you stay in Chios Town?
Chios Town is the best all-round base on the island.
Chios Town, known locally as Chora, is the island’s capital, its main port and its largest settlement, and for visitors it makes the most sensible base. It is a genuine, lively Greek town rather than a tourist resort, with a long harbourfront lined with cafés and restaurants. A bustling market, the old Genoese castle quarter. A waterfront that comes alive in the evening as locals take their stroll along the sea.
Staying in Chios Town gives you the widest range of accommodation on the island. From small harbour hotels to guesthouses in the atmospheric Kampos district of old citrus estates just to the south. You are within walking distance of the ferry quay and only kilometres from the airport. You have restaurants. Bakeries, shops and services on the doorstep, which makes arrival, departure and everyday life easy.
The town is also the ideal centre for exploring, sitting roughly midway along the east coast so that both the mastic villages of the south and the green north are within an hour’s drive, as the guide on how to get to Chios explains. The trade-off is that Chios Town has only a small town beach, so beach lovers usually pair it with, or swap it for, nearby Karfas. For a first visit that mixes sightseeing, dining and easy transfers with the option of the beach minutes away, the town is hard to beat as a base.
Is Karfas a good place to stay in Chios?
Karfas is the best choice for a beach holiday.
Karfas, about 7 kilometres south of Chios Town and only a short drive from the airport. Is the closest the island comes to a conventional beach resort. It is the top pick for travellers whose priority is sun and sand. Its long, curving bay of golden sand shelves gently into calm, shallow water. Making it excellent for children and for easy swimming. The beach is backed by a strip of hotels, studios, tavernas and beach bars.
This is where you will find the largest concentration of purpose-built tourist accommodation on Chios. From family-run studios and apartments to the island’s bigger beach hotels, many with pools and sea views. Because it is so close to both the town and the airport, Karfas combines the pleasures of a beach base with easy access to the restaurants and sights of the capital, a ten-minute drive or a short bus ride away.
Karfas is livelier and more developed than most of the island, which is part of its appeal for families and first-time visitors who want everything to hand, though those seeking authentic village Greece find it a little touristy in high summer. It makes an excellent base for combining beach days with day trips, including to the beaches of the south described in the guide to the best beaches in Chios. Buses run between Karfas and Chios Town through the day in summer, so even without a car you can reach the capital for dinner and shopping with ease.
Where you stay for the mastic villages?
To experience the medieval mastic villages, stay in the south of Chios, in Mesta or Pyrgi themselves. Both have restored stone guesthouses within their fortified, car-free lanes, offering a unique atmosphere.
The mastichochoria, the mastic villages of southern Chios, are the island’s most distinctive attraction, a cluster of fortified medieval settlements built to protect the growers of the rare mastic gum. To immerse yourself in them, the finest choice is to stay within a village itself, above all in Mesta. The best-preserved of them, or in Pyrgi, famous for the geometric black-and-white xysta patterns carved into its house fronts.
In both villages, old stone houses within the maze of covered, car-free alleys have been restored as characterful guesthouses and small hotels, letting you sleep inside a living medieval fortress-village. Waking to the sound of the village rather than traffic. Eating in a tiny square and exploring the labyrinth of vaulted lanes after the day-trippers leave is an experience quite unlike a beach hotel. The great reason to base yourself here.
This southern base suits travellers who prize atmosphere. History and quiet over convenience and nightlife. It puts you close to the fine beaches of the south coast such as Mavra Volia and Emporios. The trade-off is that you are 30 to 40 kilometres from Chios Town and the airport, so a hire car is essential, as described in the guide to the Chios mastic villages. Evenings in the villages are quiet and the choice of tavernas is small, but that seclusion is exactly what draws travellers to base themselves in the heart of the mastichochoria.
Where you stay in the north of Chios?
The north of Chios suits travellers seeking peace, green landscapes and quiet beaches. Bases such as Kardamyla, Marmaro, Nagos and Volissos offer small guesthouses and rooms in an unspoilt, mountainous region far from the crowds.
Northern Chios is the wildest and greenest part of the island, a region of pine-clad mountains. Small farming and fishing villages. Quiet pebble beaches that see far fewer visitors than the south or the town. Staying here, around the twin villages of Kardamyla and its port of Marmaro, near the beach of Nagos. Or in the west around the hilltop village of Volissos, offers a peaceful, authentic escape from resort tourism.
Accommodation in the north is smaller in scale and quieter in style: family-run guesthouses, rooms to let, and restored stone houses rather than large hotels. Volissos in particular is known for beautifully restored traditional houses that make atmospheric places to stay. Set beneath its Byzantine castle and close to the sandy beaches of Managros and Limnia on the island’s west coast.
This is the base for travellers who want to slow down, swim off empty beaches, hike in the hills and experience village life well off the tourist trail. Because the north is mountainous and distances to the airport and main sights are longer, a hire car is essential. The reward is some of the most unspoilt and restful country on Chios, a world away from the busier east coast.
What are the best areas to stay for beaches?
For beaches, Karfas is the most convenient base, with the island’s main sandy resort beach on the doorstep. The south around Emporios gives access to the dramatic black-pebble Mavra Volia beaches, while the north around Nagos offers quiet pebble coves.
Chios is not primarily a beach-package island, but it has excellent and varied beaches, and where you stay affects which are easiest to reach. For a straightforward beach holiday with sand and shallow water, Karfas and the neighbouring bay of Agia Fotia on the east coast are the obvious base. Offering the island’s most developed and family-friendly swimming right in front of the hotels.
For the island’s most striking beaches, the volcanic black-pebble bays of Mavra Volia near Emporios in the far south. It is worth basing yourself in the south or making the drive from a southern village, as these dramatic beaches of shining dark stones and deep blue water are among the finest on Chios. The south coast also has the sandy beach of Komi, popular with families and lined with tavernas.
In the north, quieter pebble beaches such as Nagos and Giosonas reward those staying around Kardamyla with clear water and crowds, while the west coast around Volissos has long, undeveloped sandy beaches. A full rundown of the coast, with the character of each beach, appears in the guide to the best beaches in Chios, which helps match a base to your ideal beach.
Where families and first-time visitors stay in Chios?
Families and first-time visitors are best based in Karfas or Chios Town. Karfas offers a safe, sandy, shallow beach with hotels and tavernas on the doorstep, while Chios Town adds restaurants, shops and easy transport links.
For a first trip to Chios, or a family holiday, convenience and a good beach usually matter most, and the east coast around Chios Town and Karfas delivers both. Karfas is the natural family choice, with its long, sandy, shallow beach that is safe for children. A range of studios and apartments with kitchens and pools. Tavernas and shops within easy reach, all just minutes from the airport.
Chios Town suits first-timers who want the fuller experience of a real Greek town, with the widest choice of restaurants. A lively harbour to explore in the evening, shops and services. The shortest transfers on arrival and departure. Many families split the difference by staying in Karfas for the beach while driving into the town for dinner and sightseeing, getting the best of both in one trip.
Both bases put you within an hour’s drive of every major sight on the island. From the mastic villages and Nea Moni monastery to the northern beaches, making them ideal centres for touring. With a hire car, either lets you build a varied holiday of beaches, villages. History and food without long daily drives, which is exactly what most first visits to Chios are looking for. Booking a car in advance for the peak weeks of July and August is wise, as demand is high and the island rewards those free to explore it at their own pace.
Where couples and those seeking quiet stay?
Couples and travellers seeking peace look to the medieval mastic villages of the south, such as Mesta and Pyrgi, or the green north around Volissos and Kardamyla.
For a romantic or restful stay, the villages of Chios offer atmosphere that no beach hotel can match. In the south, the medieval mastic villages of Mesta and Pyrgi have restored stone houses turned into intimate guesthouses within their car-free. Vaulted lanes, where the pace is slow and the evenings quiet once the day-trippers have gone, an ideal setting for couples seeking character and calm.
In the north and west, the hilltop village of Volissos is celebrated for its beautifully restored traditional stone houses. Which make some of the most atmospheric places to stay on the island, set beneath a Byzantine castle and close to uncrowded west-coast beaches. This is a place to unwind, swim off empty shores and dine in village tavernas, far from any resort bustle.
These village bases reward travellers who value authenticity, quiet and a sense of place over nightlife and convenience, and who are happy to hire a car and explore at leisure. For a honeymoon or a slow, immersive holiday. A stone house in a Chios village offers an experience that stays in the memory long after a standard beach hotel be forgotten. It captures the real spirit of the island.
What kinds of accommodation does Chios offer?
Chios offers a full range of accommodation but few large resorts.
Chios has accommodation to suit most tastes and budgets, though it is not an island of sprawling all-inclusive resorts. The largest hotels are concentrated on the east coast, in and around Chios Town and the beach strip of Karfas. Ranging from comfortable mid-range beach hotels with pools to smaller harbour and boutique hotels in the capital and the historic Kampos district of old mansions just to the south.
Across the island, the most common form of accommodation is the family-run studio or apartment. Often with a kitchenette, which suits independent travellers and families touring by car and offers good value. In the mastic villages of the south and the villages of the north, the most characterful options are restored traditional stone houses and guesthouses. Which trade modern facilities for atmosphere and a genuine sense of place.
At the simpler end, rooms to let (domatia) in smaller villages and beaches provide inexpensive, straightforward bases for those exploring off the beaten track. What Chios lacks in five-star luxury it makes up for in authenticity and value. Choosing between a convenient beach hotel and a village stone house is really a choice between two very different styles of holiday on the same island.
How much does accommodation cost and when you book?
Accommodation on Chios is good value by Greek-island standards. Studios and simple rooms often cost from around 40 to 70 euros a night, mid-range hotels roughly 70 to 130 euros, with village guesthouses and boutique places above that.
Accommodation tends to be noticeably better value. You get more for your money than on islands like Santorini or Mykonos. As a rough guide, simple studios and rooms often start from around 40 to 70 euros a night, comfortable mid-range hotels run from about 70 to 130 euros. Characterful village guesthouses and boutique hotels sit at the upper end, varying with the season.
Prices rise steeply in the peak weeks of July and August, when Greek holidaymakers and the island’s diaspora return in force and the best places fill quickly. Booking well in advance is strongly advised for high summer. In the shoulder months of May, June, September and October, rates are lower, availability is easy. The island is quieter and cooler for exploring. Which travellers consider the ideal time to visit, with warm seas, open tavernas and hotels at their best rates.
Outside the summer season the island is very quiet. While Chios Town stays open year-round as a working town, many resort and village businesses close from late autumn to spring. Booking ahead matters most in high summer and for the sought-after village stone houses, which are limited in number. At other times you can travel more freely, as the Chios travel guide sets out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to stay in Chios?
For most visitors the best place to stay in Chios is Chios Town or the nearby beach resort of Karfas, on the east coast. Chios Town, the capital, offers the widest choice of hotels, restaurants, shops and transport links. Along with a lively harbour, while Karfas, 7 kilometres south, has the island’s main sandy beach and family-friendly hotels. Both are close to the airport and port and make ideal centres for exploring the whole island by car. For atmosphere over convenience, the medieval mastic villages of Mesta and Pyrgi in the south are the standout alternative. Offering restored stone guesthouses in a setting quite unlike any beach hotel.
Is it better to stay in Chios Town or Karfas?
It depends on your priorities. Chios Town is the better base for the fuller experience of a real Greek town, with the most restaurants. Shops, nightlife and services and the shortest transfers. It has only a small beach. Karfas, 7 kilometres to the south, is the better choice for a beach holiday, with a long, sandy. Shallow bay and family-friendly hotels right by the sea, though it is busier and less authentic. Many visitors stay in Karfas for the beach and drive the ten minutes into Chios Town for dinner and sightseeing, combining the strengths of both.
Do you need a car if you stay in Chios?
For most stays, yes. Chios is a large island and its attractions, from the mastic villages of the south to Nea Moni monastery and the beaches of the north. Are spread far apart. A hire car makes a visit far more rewarding and is essential if you base yourself in a village or in the north. If you stay in Chios Town or Karfas and are happy to rely on buses, taxis and organised day trips, you can manage without one. You will see much less of the island’s variety than drivers do, and reaching the mastic villages or the northern beaches becomes far harder.
Is Chios a good island for accommodation and value?
Yes. Because Chios receives far fewer package tourists than islands such as Santorini and Mykonos, its accommodation is generally better value, and you find more space and authenticity for your money. The island has a full range of places to stay, from beach and harbour hotels around Chios Town and Karfas to restored stone guesthouses in the medieval mastic villages and the green north. Along with family-run studios and rooms across the island. What Chios lacks in large luxury resorts it makes up for in character, and it is an excellent, good-value choice for travellers who want an authentic Greek island.
Whether you base yourself in the lively capital, on the sandy beach at Karfas, in a medieval mastic village or in the green north. You will find comfortable, characterful accommodation at fair prices and an island that still feels genuinely Greek.