Ios Island (Cyclades), Greece: Chora, Mylopotas Beach & Where to Stay
Ios is a Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea, north of Santorini and south-west of Naxos, with a hilltop Chora, the golden-sand beach of Mylopotas and a nightlife reputation that mainly applies in high summer. The port of Ormos (Gialos) is quiet and sleepy, the old Chora sits above it with churches, squares and bars, and outside high season Ios is a relaxed island rather than a party one - more and more families visit alongside the young crowd. Hire a car to reach the parts of Ios the buses miss, covered in our Ios car hire guide.
- Group
- Cyclades
- Population
- ~1,820
- Main beach
- Mylopotas
- Port
- Ormos (Gialos)
The island of Ios
Ios belongs to the Cyclades, the Greek island group in the Aegean Sea east of the Peloponnese. It lies north of Santorini and south-west of Naxos, and in 2005 it had about 1,820 inhabitants. It is a mountainous island with many churches and chapels and beautiful beaches and bays. The capital, Ios Town (Chora), stands on the west coast, with its port at Ormos to the north-west, and there are ferry connections including from Santorini and Piraeus.
Chora (Ios Town)
Chora is a classic Cycladic hill town of picturesque streets and white houses, built against a hill and best reached from the port by bus or taxi. On the top stand two ruins of the medieval castle and the Venetian Aghios Nikolaos chapel, with a beautiful old church and three more small churches side by side on a nearby hill. By day it is a quiet place to stroll among boutiques, shops and squares; by night it becomes the island's centre of bars and discotheques.
Mylopotas Beach
Mylopotas is the best beach of Ios and one of the best in the Aegean. It lies just outside the port on its east side, a large stretch of golden sand backed by bars, tavernas and hotels, big enough to take all the visitors even in high season.
Beaches & naturist beaches
Beyond Mylopotas the roads are rougher and the island is quieter. Two beautiful beaches, Manganari in the south and Agios Theodotis on the north coast, are the two naturist beaches of Ios, and the ruins of a Venetian kastro still stand at Agios Theodotis. There is also an excellent town beach at the port. See more on the Ios beaches guide.
Nightlife & the party reputation
Ios has been a popular destination for students since the 1960s, which gave it a party-island reputation. The reality depends on when you go: the island is busiest in the second half of July and in August, when it can live up to the myth, so avoid that period if you dislike crowds. The nightlife centres on Chora, where the real party is said to start around 22:00 and end around 03:00, while the port of Ormos stays sleepy and quiet with a few bars and tavernas for those who want to escape it.
Where to stay on Ios
There is a good choice of hotels, studios and apartments on Ios, with most of the accommodation in and around Chora and Mylopotas Beach, and some quieter options at Gialos (the port). See all of them, from budget guesthouses near Yialos beach to luxury hotels, on the Ios hotels page.
