Chios from Athens: Piraeus Ferries, Blue Star and Hellenic Seaways, and Getting Around the Island

Leaving Athens for Chios means heading down to the port of Piraeus, where the big Aegean ferries sit at the quay with their ramps lowered and trucks, cars and backpackers drifting aboard. At the far end waits an island known for its mastic, produced only in the south.

How do you get to Chios from Athens?

You get to Chios from Athens by ship from Piraeus, on lines that run through the northeast Aegean and call at Chios along the way. Two companies are named for this route: Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways. Both send ships from Piraeus that continue on to Mytilene on Lesbos, so Chios is a stop on a longer voyage rather than the end of the line.

Blue Star Patmos is a ship that serves the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilini route.

Hellenic Seaways runs Piraeus to Chios and Mytilene with the Nissos Samos. If Chios is your only goal, any of these lines gets you there. If you like to link islands, the longer Blue Star route puts several neighbors on the same line.

Chios is the fifth-largest Greek island, shaped like a crescent or a kidney, 31 miles from end to end, and it lies just off the coast of Asia Minor, south of Lesbos.

Ferry schedules, crossing times and fares are not set out here. Choose your line, then look at the sailing dates for the month you are traveling, since a ship that serves a route in one season may not serve it in another.

Ways to get to Chios from Athens

Blue Star Ferries from Piraeus

Blue Star Ferries is a Greek company that links the mainland with the Aegean islands and serves more than 20 destinations across the country. For Chios it offers two ships on two different patterns. Blue Star Patmos serves Piraeus, Chios and Mytilene on Lesbos, a short list of ports for a traveler who wants to reach the island without a long chain of stops.

It suits someone who sees the voyage as part of the trip, or who plans to carry on after Chios to Lesbos or beyond. Because Chios sits in the middle of that line, you can also arrive on one ship and leave on another.

Hellenic Seaways and the Nissos Samos

Hellenic Seaways operates a route from Piraeus to Chios and Mytilene using the ship Nissos Samos. The pairing of Chios and Mytilene is the same as on Blue Star Patmos, so the two companies offer a comparable shape of journey, with the island of Lesbos as the next port after Chios.

Having two companies on the same stretch gives you a choice of ships rather than a single option.

Other ways: flight, bus and car

The ferry lines above are the ones that can be described for this route. A car does matter once you have landed, as the section on making the most of the island explains.

One more note on ANEK Lines, one of the largest passenger shipping companies in Greece, founded in 1967 by residents of Crete as a community-based company. It is a large name in Greek shipping, though no ANEK route to Chios is given here, so the sailings to plan around are those of Blue Star and Hellenic Seaways.

Options compared

The three sailings share a departure port, and all of them reach Chios before Mytilene. The real difference is the company and the number of stops. Blue Star Myconos is the line for a traveler who wants to see more of the Aegean on the way, while Blue Star Patmos and the Nissos Samos keep the list of ports short.

Think about what comes after Chios. If you are going on to Lesbos, every option here continues to Mytilene. If you plan to return to Piraeus, the same lines give you a choice for the way back. And if you want other islands as well, Samos and Ikaria are on the Myconos line, which makes that ship the natural base for a multi-island trip.

Making a day of it

Once you step off the ship, Chios asks for a plan, because it is a big island and some areas are quite far from one another. Renting a car or motorbike is recommended for getting around. A private car is probably necessary if you want to get to know the island better. The main intercity roads are in good condition and properly signposted. A bicycle is an option only if you are not covering big distances.

Chios town and its Genoese castle

Chios is the main city of the island and its administrative center, and the first thing to look for is its well-preserved Genoese castle. It is a natural place to spend your first hours, walking the stone walls and the lanes that lead off them, then sitting down at a café on the waterfront with a coffee or a glass of ouzo, the anise spirit of the Aegean.

Look for sweets made with mastic in the town’s shops. Chios is the only place in the world where authentic mastic is produced, and it is a Protected Designation of Origin product. It turns up in spoon sweets, liqueurs, pastries and ice cream, and it makes an easy souvenir to carry home.

Nea Moni, in the center of the island

The 11th-century monastery of Nea Moni stands in the center of Chios between the villages of Avgonyma and Karyes. It was built with funds given by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX after three monks petitioned him while he was in exile on Lesbos. That story gives the stones a human voice, and it is worth keeping in mind as you walk through the grounds.

Pair the monastery with the villages on either side of it, Avgonyma and Karyes, where you can stop for a plate of local food. Opening hours and fees for the monastery are not given here, so confirm them for your dates.

The mastic villages and the south

Mastic has been cultivated on Chios since the time of Homer, and only in the south of the island. Mesta is the village to find, with stone houses packed so closely together that the whole settlement looks like a castle, and a strong medieval character you feel as you walk its lanes.

Not far in spirit from Mesta is Emporios, a tiny seaside village known for the nearby black pebbles of Mavra Volia, one of the most popular beaches in Chios. A day that links Mesta, the mastic country and Emporios makes a full loop through the south, and a car gives you the freedom to stop wherever the road invites it.

The north and the smaller islands

Kardamyla is a traditional village in the north of the island, a counterweight to the medieval south and a good reason to drive in the other direction. The prefecture of Chios also includes two smaller islands, Psara and Oinousses, which are part of the wider Chios area even though the ferry lines above do not name them.

Good to know before you go

Plan your time on land around the car or motorbike, since the island is large, and keep the ferry line you chose in mind for the way back, because the same companies that bring you to Chios continue on to Mytilene. If you want something to carry home, mastic is the product tied to this island alone, and it comes with a Protected Designation of Origin.