Chios North Aegean Beaches

Chios Beaches: Karfas, Komi, Nagos & the Black Pebbles of Mavra Volia

Chios keeps its main beach resort at Karfas, a long sandy beach 7 km south of the capital. The rest of the coast ranges wide. Sandy east-coast beaches follow at Megas Limnionas and Komi, the black volcanic pebbles of Mavra Volia lie in the far south near Emporios, and quiet green coves ring the north around Nagos and Kardamyla and the north-west near Volissos. Many southern and northern beaches sit at the end of a rough track with no facilities, so bring water and shade, and a car helps. Hire a car to explore Chios at your own pace, covered in our Chios car hire guide.

Beaches of the island of Chios, Greece — Karfas beach, the main resort of Chios, Greece

Main resort: Karfas
Black pebbles: Mavra Volia
Greenest coast: North, near Kardamyla
Longest beach: Managras

Karfas

Karfas is the main beach resort of Chios, a sandy beach 7 km south of the capital and the busiest holiday base on the island. The village behind it is a tourist centre with plenty of hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and entertainment, and the beach carries sunbeds, umbrellas and watersports. The sand shelves gently, which makes it safe for children, and it suits snorkelling. Most of the island's accommodation sits here, as set out in the Chios hotels guide.

Megas Limnionas

Megas Limnionas is one of the most popular beaches of Chios, 9 km south of the capital, a mix of sand and small pebbles. Like Karfas just north of it, the beach has plenty of hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and nightlife, so it draws a crowd in summer.

Komi

Komi is a fine sandy beach with a few loose pebbles, 4 km from the village of Kalamoti in the south-east of Chios. Part of the beach is organised with umbrellas and sunbeds for hire, and the rest is open for a beach towel. Several restaurants stand behind it, and there are hotels where you can rent a room.

Mavra Volia (Emporios)

The black pebbles of Mavra Volia at Emporios, Chios

Mavra Volia is the most unusual beach on Chios, at the southern tip of the island 5 km from Pyrgi, a small beach of black pebbles. The dark stones come from a volcano that existed in prehistoric times, and there are three coves next to each other with deep, dark water. Apartments and hotels stand nearby, and the village of Emporios just behind has a few restaurants.

Nagos & the north

Nagos and the green northern coves of Chios

The north of Chios, around Kardamyla, keeps some of the greenest beaches on the island. Nagos, 5 km from Kardamyla, is a beach of small coloured pebbles set among rivers, plane trees and other greenery, with restaurants and hotels behind it, and it takes its name from an ancient temple, or naos, uncovered nearby. Anemi is the beach of Kardamyla itself, and Gyaliskari is a small, sheltered cove ringed by greenery between Vlihada and Nagos. The landscape here is markedly softer than the bare south.

Giosonas

Giosonas is a long pebble beach in the north-east of Chios, 31 km from Chios Town and 6 km from Kardamyla, backed by pine forest. Its distance from the capital keeps it relaxed and untouched compared with the beaches near the town.

Lefkathia & Managras

Lefkathia and Managras beaches near Volissos, Chios

Lefkathia is the most famous and busiest beach of the north-west, near Volissos between Limnos and Limnia, an organised beach with sunbeds, umbrellas, deep clear water, tavernas and a bar, with hotels and apartments nearby. Just along the coast, Managras is a long beach of coarse sand near Volissos, about a mile long and the longest on Chios; because it is more remote it stays quiet. Both sit below the hill village of Volissos, covered on the Chios island guide.

Limnos

Limnos is a sandy beach with some pebbles in the north-west of Chios, 42 km from Chios Town and not far from Volissos. It stays quiet, with no mass tourism, and a few tavernas nearby serve a snack or a drink. There are beachfront apartments and some hotels to rent.

Daskalopetra

Daskalopetra is a beach of small pebbles and clear water at Vrondados, 7 km north of the capital, close to the rock throne of the same name linked by tradition to the poet Homer. Many restaurants, cafes and hotels stand at the beach and nearby. The rock itself is described in the Chios sights guide.

Elinda

Elinda is a beach of coarse sand in a sheltered bay on the west coast of Chios, roughly level with the centre of the island below the deserted village of Anavatos. The water is very clear and good for swimming, and the wreck of a Roman boat lies offshore not far from the coast. The name comes from an old Greek word for navy.

Agia Marcella

Agia Marcella is a pebble beach in a bay on the west coast of Chios, comparatively calm. Fish tavernas stand near the beach, and the church of Agia Marcella, a pilgrimage site, rises close by.

Limenas Meston

Limenas Meston is the port beach of Mesta, 4 km from the mastic village in the south-west of Chios. Boats and the ferry dock on the right side of the little harbour, and the narrow beach of coarse sand lies on the left, backed by hotels and restaurants. It makes a handy swim for anyone staying in Mesta.

Beaches of the mastic-village south

The mastic-village south keeps a run of quieter beaches near Pyrgi, Olympoi and Kalamoti. Agia Fotia, near Neohori, is a small-pebble beach with clear water, rooms and tavernas and a relaxed feel; Agia Irini, on the road from Limenas Meston to Elata, is a sheltered bay of small white pebbles named after its chapel; Kato Fana, 6 km south of Pyrgi, is a sandy beach beside the ancient Temple of Apollo Fanaios; and Karida, on the same road, is a small unspoilt pebble beach best reached by an SUV over its final unpaved stretch. The villages behind them are covered in the Chios sights guide.