Ios is a small island in the heart of the Cyclades - a group of islands situated in the Aegean Sea. The island is said to be the island of youth, where young people from all over the world meet and enjoy their summers. Ios is famous for its vivid nightlife with an uncountable number of bars, cafés, clubs and restaurants and for its beaches with crystal clear water. The Main Square of Ios lies peacefully in the center of Chora - the main village. The village is a labyrinth of winding alleys and whitewashed buildings. The Main Square is calm during the day and you just find it as beautiful as it is mentioned in various travel books. After dusk it becomes the center of nightlife, where young people from all over the world enjoy the famous Ios nights, but Ios has much more to offer than just nightlife! If you want to find out about the island with all its beautiful beaches and cultural sites feel free to move around on this website to collect information about this lovely place in the Aegean Sea. Ios is not just a place for young and wild people, it offers space for everyone - from the sun and relaxation seeking person to the wild party animal. The island of Ios lies between Naxos and Santorini in a distance of 107 nautical miles away from Piraeus. It has an area of 108 sq. km. and a population of 1,500 people. The island can be reached from Piraeus by ferry all the year round. Ios is also connected, by ferry, with Crete, with the Dodecanese island complex, as well as with many other islands in Cyclades, mainly during the summer period. Probably the name Ios comes from the Ionians. The excavations made by the archaeologists, proclaims the presence of a Mycenaean settlement. The most important prehistoric settlement that was found on the island, is located upon a hill to the entrance of the port. Ios is renowned for its relationship with the great epic poet Homer. Tradition tell us that Homer was buried on the island. There is, in fact, a ruin at Plakoto, which is called Homer's tomb. Chora, the capital of the island stands near the site of the ancient city of Ios. As is the case with the other Cyclades Islands, the Venetians were here (in the beginning of the 13th century) and have left a fortress behind, in this case built in the 15th century. Before them the island was a part of the vast Byzantine Empire and this influence is distinctive in the island's countless churches. In 1537 was occupied by the Turks. Finally, in 1832 the island entered in Greece.