You find the small, picturesque church of Panagia Gremiotissa on the hill above Chora. The church was built in 1797 AD. The church distinguishes from the rest of Chora with the blue dome, white walls, tall bell tower and the palm tree in front of the church. Rising from the hill it can be seen from every part of Chora. The picturesque white bell tower of the church is one of the most captured images on the island. Its location offers amazing view of the town and the deepblue sea, especially during sunset.

Chora

Religion & Culture

Homer was amoung the greatest poets in ancient Greek history who wrote epics like Odyssey and Iliad. The legend says that Homer took his last breath in Ios and that he lies buried in his grave on a hill at Plakato, located on the northern part of the island. Some say that the mother of Homer, Clymene, originally was from Ios and that is the reason why Homer chose to spend his last days there. Some say he died of a sickness that developed after he had a fall, others say that Homer was killed on a visit to Ios after failing answering a local riddle. Homer supposedly died somewhere between 1100 and 900 BC. The island had little evidence to prove that Homer was truly buried here until a 17th century archaeologist found some other graves in the same region and declared that one of them had an inscription that identified that it is the grave of Homer. Besides that there were also coins and texts by ancient historians Stravon, Pausanias and Herodotus to give proof to the fact that Homer was buried here. Even though some still have their doubts about whether this is truly the grave of Homer as there is no concrete evidence. Even if Homer is not really buried here, the trip to the ancient ruins is definitely not wasted. The scenery around the grave is very beautiful in an extremely fertile valley full of vineyards and olivetrees. In order to find the grave you follow the road to Pano Kambos and then to Koulida beach. From the road you follow the footpath till you reach The Tomb of Homer.

Plakato

History & Culture

Skarkos Hill is the largest Bronze Age settlement on the island. Skarkos was excavated during the years 1984-1997. The settlement covering an area of 1.1 hectares is estimated to have been home to between 200-300 people. By visiting the archeological excavation site you will learn about the history of Ios and get a feeling of the ancient lifestyle. You will also learn about the structure of the settlement or discover the ancient burial customs that employed.

Chora

History & Culture

Twelve windmills are located at the mountain slope of Chora that complete the scenic beauty of the village. The windmills used to produce energy to grind grains and was a great help to the agricultural economy and satisfaction of the food requirements of the island. Today the monuments remains as historical evidences and create a picturesque scenery in Chora.

Chora

History & Culture

Paleokastro that literally means "old castle" is located on the eastern part of the island on the top of the highest hill of the island. A winding, stonepaved road leads you the last part up to Paleokastro. It used to be a fortified area which was built in order to protect the locals from pirates and other enemies. Today the area is completely isolated but the ruins give us an idea about how life might have been like in the Middle Ages. One of the greater constructions in the area is the Venetian Castle dated back to the 10th century. Unfortunately only a part of it remains today.

Agia Theodoti

History & Culture

Ios has a wild and crazy nightlife and is considered to be the second best party island in Greece (Mykonos is number 1). Chora is full of nightclubs and bars with excellent party atmosphere. The places are open after midnight and crowded with youngsters dancing and having fun untill sunrise. Mylopotas beach is another popular party option with nice beach bars.

Chora, Mylopotas

Entertainment

Ios has many beautiful beaches and some of them are only possible to visit by boat. Boats leave regularly between Yialos port and Manganari beach via Mylopotas beach. The boat trips are not so expensive and they don't take so long time. A different alternative than the road transportation!

Yialos port

Transportation

In Agia Theodoti area you find the remains of the aqueduct near the hill. All that has survived of the structure is a single, complete arch but there was clearly a similar arch on either side of the surviving arch. It is easy to get impressed by the ancient engineering techniques that were used to build these structures.

Agia Theodoti

History & Culture

The Archaeological Museum was founded in 1999 and is located together with The Town Hall in the center of Chora. The museum was made following the important and exciting excavations of Skarkos. It is particularly a place of interest if you want to begin exploring the archaeology of Ios since the museum provides a background to the prehistory of the island, mainly with the founds from Skarkos. One of the most interesting exhibits is a set of inscriptions from the Hellenic period that provides text evidence of what life was like on the island at that time.

Chora

History & Culture

The Cathedral Church is dominating the center of Chora with its impressive, large building in white and blue colors. It is a great site for taking iconic photographs. Inside the church is beautifully decorated and has fine icons.

Chora

Religion & Culture

In the area of Kolitsani beach you find the Modern Art Museum. The museum is housed in the mansion of the french artist named Jean Marie Dro since 1993 who fell in love with Greece. The exhibition consists of painting, prints, sculptures and photographs made by Jean Marie Dro but also artwork from other famous artists as well.

Kolitsani

Art & Culture

Odysseas Elytis Theater is a large, open-air amphitheater named after a famous greek poet who wrote modern poetry. It is located at the hill of Chora behind the white windmills. Though the amphitheatre is made of marble in ancient greek style, it was constructed relatively recently as compared to other architectural wonders. It is an impressive theater that can hold up to 1100 people at any given time. Most of the cultural events of the island are held here and is a great experience to participate in any events, performances or musical concerts.

Chora

Culture & Entertainment

Ios has good possibilities for hiking. One of the longer routes is from Chora to the monastery of Agios Ioannis and back. The hike takes about 4 hours and during the walk you will see a big part of the island. You will pass by the windmills, small theatre and the beaches of Mylopotas and Agios Prokopios. In order to reach the monastery of Agios Ioannis you have to climb Pyrgos (about 710 meters), the highest mountain peak of Ios. From the top you have excellent view of the whole island. The Monastery of Agios Ioannis is worth a visit, a beautiful white construction on the top of the mountain.

Chora & Pyrgos

Hiking