Chora is the hilltop main town of Ios, and it is genuinely beautiful — a maze of white cubic Cycladic houses, narrow paved lanes, blue-domed churches, and flower-filled terraces climbing a steep hill above the port. By day it is quiet and photogenic; by night in summer it becomes one of the loudest places in the Aegean, with bars spilling into the streets until sunrise.
The upper Chora has the best views and the densest concentration of bars. The church of Panagia Gremiotissa perches at the very top of the hill and is the landmark of the island. From the windmills just below the church you can see the port of Yialos, Mylopotas beach, and on clear days the outline of Santorini to the south. The contrast between the architectural perfection of the whitewashed houses and the thumping music below is one of Ios's defining characteristics.