Samos vs Chios: which Greek island is for you?

Samos waterfront (Shutterstock)

Population: 40,000

Average max July temp: 33ºC

Famous for: Lush landscapes, the UNESCO-listed Heraion and the Eupalinos tunnel at Pythagorio, beautiful beaches and wine

Traditional Chios windmills (Shutterstock)

Population: 54,000

Average max July temp: 31ºC

Famous for: Mastic and the mastic villages, UNESCO-listed Nea Moni, the Genoese Kampos district and Easter’s ‘rocket war’

View of Pythagorio (Shutterstock)

Birthplace of the goddess Hera, Samos was nicknamed the ‘Isle of the Blest’ in antiquity for its lush beauty and fertility. By the 6th century BC it had become a sophisticated powerhouse with Pythagorio as its capital. Famous for its ships and luxurious lifestyle, it also gave birth to great thinkers, including Pythagoras, Epicurus and the astronomer Aristarchus – the first person to declare that the Earth was one of many planets that revolved around the sun.

Historic streets in Chios (Shutterstock)

Said to be the birthplace of the poet Homer, ancient Chios was also famous for its bronze sculptors (the four horses on St Mark’s Basilica in Venice were made here). It prospered under the Byzantine Empire and the Genoese in the Middle Ages. The Ottomans later treasured the island for the sweet gum mastic that only grows here. When Chios rebelled in 1822, the Turks massacred the locals, stoking European support for the successful Greek War of Independence.

Heraion ruins in Samos (Shutterstock)

Pythagorio combines a beach resort with a 6th-century-BC World Heritage site that includes the Heraion (Temple of Hera) ruins, Sacred Way, a fortified harbour and the Eupalinos Tunnel, a 1,063m subterranean aqueduct and masterpiece of ancient engineering. Pythagorio has its own archaeological museum, though the one in Vathy, the island’s modern capital, is much larger. Treasures at the latter include a 5.25m-high marble kouros statue and bronze votive offerings to Hera.

Chios Town castle (Shutterstock)

In Chios Town, visit the castle and archaeological museum, which houses artefacts ranging from Neolithic to Roman times. Damaged but still beautiful Byzantine mosaics from the 1040s adorn Nea Moni monastery, near the medieval ghost village of Anavatos. In southern Chios, the Mastikachoria (24 mastic-growing villages) are fascinating, especially Pyrgi, which has a Museum of Mastic and houses that are spectacularly decorated with black and white patterns.

Potami beach in Samos (Shutterstock)

Wander mule paths through wine-growing villages – Manolates, Vourliotes, Ampelos – and the ‘Valley of Nightingales’, a botanic wonder on the slopes of Mount Karvouni (1,153m), which rises above the pretty beach and fishing village of Kokkari. There are grand shores on every coast, including Potami in the west, which is backed by two bucolic waterfalls that lie near to the island’s second city, Karlovassi. For breathtaking views, walk up to Pythagoras’s Cave on Mount Kerkis.

The black pebble beach of Mavra Voila (Shutterstock)

Chios is extraordinarily varied. South of Chios Town, Genoese mansions and citrus orchards fill the Kampos district. Amid the Mastikachoria, the black-pebble Mavra Volia, the most beautiful of Chios’s fifty-plus beaches, lies below the ruins of ancient trading settlement Emporio. Craggy northern Chios is home to Vrontados, which hosts the famous ‘rocket war’, when two parishes fire homemade fireworks into the air above each other’s churches on Orthodox Easter Sunday.

Samos makes excellent dry wines (Shutterstock)

‘Fill high the bowl with Samian wine,’ wrote Lord Byron. The island’s sweet muscat was famous in antiquity, but winemakers also make excellent dry wines and souma, which is similar to grappa. Seek out the local honey, yogurt and some unusual cheeses, including dermatotyri, a salty goat and sheep’s milk cheese aged in a sheepskin and served in pancakes. Main courses might include boxadakia – beef or lamb wrapped in fried aubergine and baked with tomato sauce and cheese.

Jam shop in Chios (Shutterstock)

Chios’ famous mastic appears in everything from a fragrant liqueur to pastries. Kampos produces delicious citrus-based jams and sweets. In restaurants, look for Mastelo – the island’s grill-able goat’s or cow’s milk cheese (similar to halloumi) – handmade pasta and fresh seafood. Chios was famous for wine during ancient times, but it’s rarely seen these days; you’re more likely to discover Fresh Chios Beer, lip-smacking ouzo and souma firewater (distilled from figs).

Just outside Pythagorio, near Potokaki beach and the ancient Heraion, lies the chic five-star Casa Cook Samos, which opened in May 2022. This modern stay offers edgy contemporary design in earth tones with handcrafted furnishings and natural fibres. Rooms are surrounded by five lagoon-style pools.

Evocative traditional rooms in wood and stone await at the four-star Archontiko Riziko, a handsomely restored 18th-century Genoese mansion in Kampos. The breakfasts (£4) alone are worth the stay, and there is a pretty garden and orange grove. Tranquillity, charm and fresh-squeezed juice are guaranteed.