SALT Beyoğlu is a six-story building on the central shopping İstiklal street. In this historic building you'll find selected artworks and small-scale exhibitions that are ever changing to reflect the fast-paced rhythm of the modern world. Check this art space's Walk-in Cinema, a platform for screenings, talks, workshops, and performances. While you're in the area, also check out SALT Galata, an equally wonderful sister project of SALT Beyoğlu with a cafe and a library with free Wi-Fi.

Further inland, in the southern part of the island, lie the so-called masticochoria (mastic villages). These well-preserved, fortified villages date from the 14th-16th centuries and were centres for the cultivation of mastic. Mastic is the sweet-tasting gum of the lentisk bush, which was exported all over the Mediterranean – and the area still produces around 300 tonnes of mastic every year. The most picturesque villages are Pyrgi, with its houses decorated in black and white geometric patterns called xysta Mesta, where towers and walls surround a baffling labyrinth of village streets as well as Olympoi and Vessa are all a worth a visit.

There are several ferries and (in summer) hydrofoils between Chios and the neighbouring islands of Samos and Mytilini. Try the local Muscat wine in the former and ouzo in the latter for an authentic island taste.