History of Chios island for many centuries was closely connected with the development of navigation and Maritime trade. It is not surprising that one of the main attractions of Chios and the pride of local residents is a great Maritime Museum, located in the homonymous capital of the island.

The Maritime Museum is housed in a chic two-storey neoclassical mansion in the heart of the city. The building was built in the early 20th century and was privately owned by the family Pateras. In 1991, the heirs of the family officially handed over the mansion as a gift to a Public Foundation named after Pateras with the aim of creating a Maritime Museum. For the convenience of placing the Museum's collection have been done some changes to the interior of the house and its surroundings, after which the Museum opened its doors to the public.

The Museum collection was gathered primarily through private donations, and perfectly illustrates the history and Maritime tradition of the island. The exhibition presents models of ships from different eras, marine instruments and equipment, navigation equipment, fragments of ships, form and other personal belongings of sailors, paintings with a nautical theme (including the work of famous Greek marine painter of Aristides Picasa, 1870-1940), photographs, historical documents and much more. In the courtyard of the Museum there is a monument dedicated to the dead on the island the sailors during the Second world war.

Maritime Museum of Chios was created for the purpose of preserving and promoting the Maritime traditions and history of the island among the younger generation. It regularly hosts conferences and seminars, as well as educational programs for school children. The Museum includes active cooperation with other similar museums of the Greek archipelago.