🪪 The island at a glance
📍 Where it is
Ios is in the southern Cyclades, between Naxos and Santorini, on the ferry route from Piraeus to Santorini. It has no airport. From Piraeus the journey takes from four hours by fast ferry to seven by conventional ferry. The fastest way is a flight to Santorini and a ferry from there, half an hour to an hour.
📍 Where Ios is
Ios is in the southern Cyclades, between Naxos and Santorini. The island is shown in red, and in green Piraeus, Athens airport and Santorini, where you arrive from.
🗺️ The map of the island
Ios is small and rocky, and almost everything you will do is on the west coast, side by side: Gialos, the port, with its own beach, Chora on the hill above it, and Mylopotas, the big sandy beach, a little further down. On foot or by bus you get from one to the other in a few minutes. Manganari is in the south, half an hour’s drive, Homer’s tomb in the north, and Psathi in the east.
🗺️ Map of Ios
Gialos, the port, Chora and Mylopotas are all together on the west coast, next to each other. Koumbara is west of the port, Skarkos above Chora. In the north are Homer’s tomb and Agia Theodoti, in the east Psathi, and in the south Manganari. Tap each number to see what it is.
Map: Benedetto Bordone, 1547 (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
⚖️ Is it worth it? The pros and cons
Ios is an island for sandy beaches, sunsets and lively evenings. Whether it is worth it depends a lot on the month and on where you stay. Here is an honest picture.
📊 At a glance, from 1 to 5
👍 The pros
- Mylopotas and Manganari, sandy beaches among the best in the Cyclades.
- A pure white Chora with a view, alive day and night.
- The strongest nightlife after Mykonos, much cheaper.
- Skarkos and Homer’s tomb, for those who want history too.
- Quiet beaches in the north and the south, far from the bars.
👎 The cons
- In July and August Chora becomes a party until morning.
- No airport, the ferry from Piraeus is long.
- Dry and rocky, with little greenery.
- Expensive new villas are slowly changing the island.
🏘️ Chora
The Chora of Ios is built on a hill above the port, one of the loveliest Cycladic villages: pure white houses, steps, arches, and churches with blue domes one above the other up to the top. At its entrance stands Agia Aikaterini with its two bell towers, and at the top, on the rock, Panagia Gremiotissa, from 1797, with the view over the whole bay and Sikinos. A little further on, the windmills, with their sails still in place, are the place for the sunset.
By day Chora is quiet, with cafés, shops and the small Archaeological Museum, with the finds from Skarkos. In the evening, in the lanes around the square, dozens of bars open, and from July to the end of August the village fills with young people from all over Europe until the early hours. On the slope, the open-air Odysseas Elytis theatre, built of stone and marble like an ancient one, hosts concerts with a view of the sea.
White, on a hill above the port.
When the lights come on.
From the upper lanes.
Two bell towers, at the entrance to Chora.
At the edge of Chora, with a view.
Photos: C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), NorbertNagel (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
The church at the top of the hill.
On the rocks.
One above the other.
With their sails still in place.
Photos: C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), NorbertNagel (CC BY-SA 4.0), Stefanos Kofopoulos (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
If you want sleep, do not stay in the lanes of Chora in August. Mylopotas has hotels next to the sand, and by bus you are in Chora in ten minutes. In June and September, Chora is quiet and ideal.
🏖️ The beaches
Mylopotas is the beach of Ios: a kilometre of golden sand below Chora, with shallow water, sunbeds, water sports, tavernas and beach bars. Manganari, in the south, is the loveliest: four coves in a row, with white sand and water so shallow and clear that they put the umbrellas in the sea. You get there by car, in half an hour, or by boat from Gialos.
For the sunset, Koumbara, west of the port, with rocks, a bar and a small sandy beach. For quiet, Agia Theodoti in the north-east, with the ruins of Paleokastro on the hill above, and Psathi in the east, with waves and a taverna. Gialos, the port, has a big sandy beach too, handy if you are waiting for a ferry.
The island’s big sandy beach.
Before it fills up.
White sand and shallow water, in the south.
So shallow that they put umbrellas in the sea.
The port, from the hill of Skarkos.
Photos: Davide Taviani (CC BY-SA 3.0), Zde (CC BY-SA 4.0), NorbertNagel (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
- Mylopotas: the big, organised sandy beach, below Chora.
- Manganari: white sand and shallow water, in the south.
- Koumbara: rocks and sunset, next to the port.
- Agia Theodoti: quiet, with Paleokastro above.
- Psathi: waves and a taverna, in the east.
- Gialos: the beach of the port.
The bus runs all day from Gialos to Chora and Mylopotas, and in summer to Manganari too. For the beaches of the north and the east you need a scooter or a car, for one day.
📜 Homer and Skarkos
The ancients said that Homer’s mother was from Ios, and that the poet died here, on his way back from Samos. At Plakoto, at the northern tip of the island, an hour’s drive from Chora, they show his tomb: a few stone ruins on a dry hill, with the sea on three sides and the wind blowing. Whether it was his tomb or not, nobody knows, but the place is one of the loveliest on the island. Every May, the Homeria festival fills the island with concerts and events.
Next to Chora, on the hill above the port, Skarkos is one of the most important prehistoric settlements in the Cyclades: an Early Bronze Age village, from 2800 BC, with two-storey stone houses, streets and squares, preserved up to shoulder height. Its excavation won a European prize, and the finds are in the Archaeological Museum in Chora.
At the edge of the island, above the sea.
A dry hill, sea everywhere.
A 5,000-year-old village, next to Chora.
Photos: NorbertNagel (CC BY-SA 4.0), Zde (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🍽️ What to eat
Try skotyri, a soft, spicy cheese with herbs made only here, tsimetia, courgette flowers stuffed with rice, and mermitzeli, hand-made pasta like tiny orzo. The island has good honey and kid goat, and in the tavernas of the square in Chora and at Mylopotas you will find fish too. In the morning after a night out, at Gialos, everyone eats cheese pie.
📅 When to go
June and September are the best months: warm sea, sandy beaches with space, a Chora that is lively but not packed. In July and August Ios is the party island, with young people from all over Europe, music until morning and full beaches. If that is what you want, go then. If not, avoid it. In May and October the island is quiet and half open.
⛴️ How to get there from Athens
| How | Duration | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast boat | About 4 hours | Piraeus | Every day in summer. More expensive. |
| Conventional ferry | About 7 hours | Piraeus | Cheaper, often overnight, with a cabin. |
| Plane and ferry | About 45 minutes + 35 minutes to 1 hour | Athens airport → Santorini | The fastest way. Ferries every day in summer. |
From Ioulianou 50 you go to Piraeus on Line 1, straight to the port, or to the airport on Line 1 to Monastiraki and a change to Line 3. On the island the bus links Gialos, Chora and Mylopotas every few minutes. To compare ferry and plane, see our guide to ferry or plane.
🗓️ Three days on Ios
Chora and Mylopotas
Morning and midday at Mylopotas, with a swim and lunch on the beach. In the afternoon go up to Chora: the lanes, Agia Aikaterini, and at the top Gremiotissa for the sunset. Evening in the bars of Chora, or at a taverna in the square.
Manganari
By car or boat to Manganari, in the south, for a whole day on the white sand and in the shallow water. On the way back, a stop at Skarkos, the 5,000-year-old village, and sunset at the windmills.
Homer and the north
Morning at Homer’s tomb, at the edge of the island, and a swim at Agia Theodoti or Psathi. Afternoon at Koumbara, for the last sunset with a drink on the rocks.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I stay on Ios?
At Mylopotas, for the beach and for sleep. In Chora, for the view, the lanes and the bars, if you do not mind the noise in summer. At Gialos, for the ferry and a quieter beach.
Do I need a car?
Not necessarily. The bus covers Gialos, Chora and Mylopotas, and in summer it goes to Manganari too. Rent a scooter or a car for one day, for Homer’s tomb and the beaches of the north.
Is Ios only for parties?
No. In July and August Chora really is for parties, but the beaches of the south and the north are quiet all summer, and in June and September the island is one of the loveliest and calmest in the Cyclades.
How many days do I need?
Three days for Chora, Mylopotas, Manganari and Homer. Ios combines easily with Santorini, Naxos or Sikinos, which is half an hour away by ferry.
— Kathy
