Chora Tinos

Chora or called in modern times Tinos Town is the island capital and we find it in the southwest. A city that unfortunately with urbanization has lost a bit of its typically Cycladic style, white houses with few blue windows, but still maintains its particular charm. Today's Chora dates back to the first half of the 18th century and was dominated by the Republic of Venice as evidenced by the ancient buildings that bear traces of it. The ancient capital with its fortress used to be on Mount Exobourgo which is located in the Tinos center.

Tinos Tow is famous as an important pilgrimage destination throughout Greece for the Sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna the Basilica of Panagia Evagelistria icon of the island where behind you can see the old city walls. It is the largest urban agglomeration on the Tinos island as well as the main commercial and tourist centre. It has two ports, the new one where the ferries that connect it to the rest of the Greek Islands and the mainland arrive, and the old one where private boats and motorboats usually land.

The picturesque Pallada district just outside the center in the port area is undoubtedly the most particular area of the town with typical Cycladic alleys, traditional taverns and night clubs where you can spend the small hours. In the district you can admire the Sant'Antonio Catholic church,the square of the pelican mascot of Tinos (the origins of the animal on the island are disputed with Mykonos) and the Archangels cathedral with its majestic marble bell tower built in 1803. Among the old street full of shops, stop at the weaving workshop to admire the women who create precious traditional embroideries by hand. Continuing north of Pallada, we arrive at the Sant'Elefherios district with its ancient church, neoclassical buildings, the ancient tap of Tinos and the church of San Nicola renovated in 1800.

The main street is called Megaloharis and starts from the marble platform which, continuing from the old port, climbs up to the Sanctuary. In this stretch of road, you will find a small Archaeological Museum, the Tinos Town Hall, the Municipal Library, the Foundation of the Sacred Wood, the San Giorgio church from 1691 and the Cultural Center. Alongside instead starts the Evangelistria road where you can only get around on foot with many shops of all kinds and with a spectacular marble fountain dating back to 1798. In this part of the city you can discover wonderful art galleries by local artists. The red carpeted walkway used by pilgrims to climb on their knees to the Madonna Church is of considerable visual impact.

Given the small size of the Chora, you can go around it in peace in a couple of hours visiting all the beautiful sites that it manages to give to its guests. After the coastal road, the journey begins through the old road to reach the magnificent and interesting Tinos villages, full of charm and fantastic stories.

The beauty of the Chora is that during the summer, the seafront becomes purely pedestrian and this allows for beautiful walks with the embarrassment of choosing where to stop to eat, for a coffee, to peek at the shops and find the perfect souvenir or to late and see the sunrise.