The northern Aegean island of Chios holds so many spectacular wonders, and the very best place to base yourself to see them is the fortified medieval village of Mesta. From here, you can reach beaches and caves, museums and other mastic villages, coastal towns and traditional windmills. Here are three amazing Chios day trips from Mesta, each with its own distinct appeal.

Beaches & Grottoes: Agia Dynami, Mavra Volia, & Olimpi Cave

Perfect Greek Beaches

If you love the sun and clear, turquoise waters, you’ll love the beaches of Chios. The best of the best, Agia Dynami, lies a short twenty-minute drive from Mesta. You’ll find soft sand (arrive early to snag a spot), lagoons to explore, and even a nude beach hidden around the corner to the right if that’s your thing. We visited three straight days in a row and happily would have kept coming back for more.

Want a large, long, black pebble beach instead? Don’t miss Mavra Volia, less than half an hour from Mesta.

There are actually two beaches here: one that you’ll see as soon as you arrive and another off to the right if you’re willing to walk a bit further. While we adored Agia Dynami, it fills quickly — and if you’re up for a stroll, Mavra Volia offers more privacy and solitude.

You’ll find excellent swimming at both beaches, with quiet waters at Agia Dynami and gentle waves at Mavra Volia. There’s little shade at either one, so it’s worth coming prepared with an umbrella or a hat.

An Underground Wonder

Once you’re ready for a respite from the relentless Greek sunshine, head below ground to the Olimpi Cave.

What an unexpected marvel! We were absolutely amazed by the formations in this cavern. This cave isn’t very large, but stalactites and stalagmites abound — you’ll find one jaw-dropping area after another.

A few notes on visiting the cave: (1) It’s best paired with a trip to Agia Dynami, since the two are about three minutes apart by car. (2) Wear good shoes; you’ll need to walk up and down a good number of stairs. (3) There is an entrance fee of €5 for adults. (4) You may only enter the cave with a guided tour; these leave roughly every fifteen minutes.

You can easily do both beaches and the cave in a half-day loop. If you’re looking for lunch somewhere in the middle, head to either the medieval village of Olimpi or the beach town of Emporios.

Mastic Mysteries: Pyrgi & The Mastic Museum

Galleries of Mastic

The island of Chios was shrouded in mystery for centuries, closely guarding secrets coveted by pirates and princes alike. What were they after? The mastic trees that cover nearly every rugged hillside on the island.

The ancients used mastic — a resin from these trees — for both culinary and medicinal purposes. And no one could figure out how to grow it anywhere but in the hot, volcanic soil of Chios. The mysteries of mastic are still so real that its cultivation and the mastic villages that grew up around it have been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

We drove down a random dirt road and got out of the car to study the mastic trees, with resin dripping from their trunks and white protective rings of lye at their bases. They’re worth seeing up close to feel the sticky sap and smell its distinctive sharpness.

You can learn all about mastic production and history at the new and beautiful Chios Mastic Museum, an easy twenty-minute drive from Mesta. Exhibits cover everything from tools and harvesting methods to the island’s social and economic history. A visit costs €8 for adults, which includes an outdoor discovery trail through the trees themselves.

Pyrgi, the Painted Village

After spending time with the trees, you’ll drive just four minutes to the mastic village of Pyrgi. To guard mastic and its growers, medieval rulers constructed fortified towns, complete with stone walls and defensive towers. The best example of these, of course, is Mesta, which feels medieval and enclosed. Pyrgi, on the other hand, bursts with light, a profusion of different shapes, and painted drama.

Wow, there’s a lot to take in here — it can feel dizzying. You’ll see grey and white painted geometric patterns, called xysta, everywhere you look, and there’s so much that you may find yourself happily overwhelmed.

This painting technique owes its existence to the Genoese Italians, who brought this particular Renaissance sgraffito design style with them when they controlled Chios from 1304 to 1566. These patterns, once a sign of wealth and status, have become a central part of the town’s identity. They are a feast for the eyes, both distracting and amazing all at once. And you won’t see anything else like it in all of Greece.

A Scenic Road Trip: Lagkada, Windmills, & the Church in the Sea

One of the best things about staying in Mesta is that you’re never too far from anything, so all sorts of day trips are possible. This one will take you to the north side of the island, along winding roads with stunning ocean views. You’ll never be more than an hour and fifteen minutes from Mesta, but the scenery changes so significantly that you’ll feel like you’ve traveled much further.

The Most-Photographed Church in Chios

Your first stop will be a visit to the Agios Isidoros chapel, a small whitewashed church that sits alone on the rocks in the sea.

This chapel is dedicated to Saint Isidore of Chios, a soldier martyred on Chios in AD 251 when Roman emperor Decius initiated the first empire-wide persecution of Christians. Legend has it that the trees on the island wept when Isidore died, leading to the magic of mastic. Today, you’ll most likely find the doors of the early 1700s building locked, but it’s a perfect photo spot: the chapel looks like a tiny gem set against a perfect blue backdrop.

The bonus of stopping here? Once you’re done taking your photos, you can swim! You’ll see blue ladders along the walkway that allow for easy ingress and egress; you can also swim straight off of the rocks behind the chapel.

The Fishing Jewel of Chios

From the chapel, it’s a short drive north past wide coastal views to the fishing haven of Lagkada.

People come to Lagkada to walk along the shoreline, swim, enjoy the quiet village atmosphere — and eat. This town punches above its weight in the seafood category, with colorful café tables lining the harborfront. Multiple people told us, “you have to eat at O Passas” — and we did, and we could not have been happier with our perfectly grilled fish served with a crunchy Greek salad and pine-resiny retsina wine.

When you visit, don’t miss the sweet, small, brightly painted kaikis (caïques in French) just beyond the cafés.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone can fit in these short and narrow traditional fishing boats, but they somehow continue to serve the fishermen of Lagkada well.

There are swimming beaches at both ends of the Lagkada lagoon, so if you’re warm after lunch, you can refresh yourself with another dip. The water is calm and lovely.

The Ancient Windmills of Chios

High on the list of most famous Chios landmarks, the four traditional windmills north of Chios Town can’t be missed.

These classic stone tower mills, standing proudly in a line on a Tampakika jetty, are the remnants of an early 20th-century need for a way to power the local leather tanneries. You can’t go inside, but they are a striking reminder of industrial history — and a picturesque place to end your day of sightseeing.

This is a great trip! I would plan roughly six to seven hours for the whole thing, though you can make it more leisurely if you’d like. Just be prepared for possible traffic in Chios Town. And while the roads are paved the whole way, they’re narrow enough in some sections to make for nail-biting moments if a truck is passing in the other direction. Finally, while parking is easy at the chapel and Lagkada, it can be a bit tricky at the windmills.

A quick note on this day trip from Mesta: From a photography standpoint, the chapel is best at sunrise, the windmills at sunset — and you’ll want to be at Lagkada for lunch. So you may need to prioritize.

Optional Side Trips: While you’re out and about on this day, you might consider a visit to the Citrus Museum in Kampos, a stroll around the Castle of Chios in Chios Town, or an evening swim near the cliffs at Broulida Beach (sometimes spelled Vroulidia) on the island’s southern tip.

Tips for Day Trips from Mesta

• Transportation: You will need a rental car — that’s the only option for getting around for these day trips. The Chios bus system does not reach most of these places.
• Start Early for Beaches: Spots in the sun fill early, so you’ll want to claim yours first thing in the morning.
• Bring: Sunblock, towels, bathing suits, water, and good shoes for caves, pebbled beaches, and cobblestone streets.
• Be Prepared: Most of the beaches have changing stalls, but they may not have restrooms or tavernas.
• Don’t Overplan: None of these trips will take a full day, and you may find other places you want to stop along the way. No matter what, make sure to stop for some tiny popsicles — a great treat on your day trip from Mesta!

If you’re thinking of basing yourself in Mesta, my full guide to staying in Mesta has everything you need. And if you’ll be traveling to Chios from the Turkish Riviera, don’t miss my posts on Çeşme and Alaçatı and Izmir.