Ferry Trip to the Greek Islands

A Ferry Trip to Greek Islands Crystal blue sea, warm sand… As the weather warms up, summer vacation planning has begun. When we think of a summer vacation, the Mediterranean coastline comes to mind first. Although there are many beautiful routes where you can spend your summer vacation in Turkey, our neighbor Greece also offers a great destination with its beautiful islands for both an international vacation and a summer getaway. When we think of Greek islands, Santorini and Mykonos come to mind first – the haunts of celebrities and known for their nightlife. Although these tourist islands reached by plane are very beautiful, there are more budget-friendly islands accessible by ferry from Turkey. In this travel article, we have compiled information about Chios Island, which you can reach by ferry and which will captivate you with its crystal clear waters.

Chios (Mastic Island)

You can reach Chios, known in Turkish as Mastic Island, in approximately 30 minutes by ferry from the Çeşme district of İzmir. Mastic Island, being a large island, offers medieval historic villages and coves where you can easily swim. As you drive by car, you may suddenly come across a cove where people are swimming. You can pull your car to the side and dive into the water. And these beaches have no entrance fee. You only pay for umbrellas and lounge chairs or the things you eat and drink. If you say you will just swim and get out, there is no cost for that either. If you wish, you can spread your towel on the sand and enjoy the sun and the sea. Not every cove is operated by businesses. In fact, there are coves without lounge chairs but whose waters will enchant you. This applies to most Greek islands. I would suggest this about Mastic Island: you must explore the island by car. Because the island's roads are very mountainous and the coves are scattered throughout the island. Since Mastic Island is not a very small island, traveling from one place to another does not take a short time. After crossing by ferry, you can rent a car or motorcycle on the island. As can be understood from its name, Mastic Island's livelihood comes from mastic drops produced from mastic trees. You can see mastic trees in certain parts of the island, and there is a very beautiful museum within the island that explains mastic production. When the sun is high, you can visit the museum to cool off a bit. On the island, which is an important place for mastic production, mastic paste and sweets made with mastic are also famous. Mastic Island captivates with its history as much as with its beautiful sea and nature. You can also visit its historically well-preserved villages and monasteries. Villages: The island's most famous villages are Pyrgi, Armolia and Mesta. Among these villages, Pyrgi stands out with handcrafted patterns on the buildings. Mesta, on the other hand, is a village built like a stone fortress. Walking through Mesta's narrow stone streets, you can get lost – it is like a labyrinth. The reason the village, which has only two gates, was built this way was to protect it from pirate invasion and mastic smuggling. Armolia stands out with its ceramic workshops. You can visit these workshops and buy small souvenirs to take home. Historic Structures: Within the island, you can visit the Nea Moni monastery complex from the 11th century, which is on the UNESCO list. Apolichna Castle located northwest of Armolia village, Chios Castle, Agios Dimitrios Church and Panagia Church are among the historic structures you can see. Beaches: Actually, I think it is difficult to choose only the best places to swim on Mastic Island because there are many coves on the island and you can swim from any cove you can reach. There are more touristy coves with facilities like Karfas, as well as unmanned coves where you can spread your towel on the sand and swim. Agia Fotini, Didima, Mirsinidios, Trachili, Komi, Lithi are among the swimming spots we can mention. But there are many more places to be mentioned. For example, Mavra Volia, which has black rocks due to volcanic eruptions, is also among the beaches to visit, but sunbathing is not possible on this beach because the rocks are very large. My recommendation is to get a map that shows the beaches and is readily available throughout the island, and explore the island in this way. Food: When you go to Greek islands, you cannot return without eating seafood. There are many wonderful restaurants on the island where you can eat seafood. At the same time, there are foods similar to what we are used to in Turkey that also exist in Greece. My recommendation is to go to To Kechimpari located in the center of the island. The small restaurant, which is open until 5:00 p.m., definitely requires you to make a reservation. They offer you two choices – meat or fish. After you make your choice, several plates are placed in front of you; it was one of the most delicious meals I have eaten. In our next travel article, we will tell you about Samos and Kos islands, which you can reach by ferry from Turkey and which will captivate you just as much as Mastic Island. If you are looking for a peaceful, tranquil route where you can enjoy the sea, you should add Greek islands to your travel plans.   Prepared by: Nilsu Kotil