Combining a photochromic chromene with a crown ether moiety results in systems in which photochromism and ionophoric properties could significantly influence each other. In this paper, we report the synthesis of several chromenes annelated by 15 (18)-crown-5 (6) ethers. The approach involves the building of the photochromic fragment upon the initial crown ether via phenols. The two main routes for chromene preparation are discussed. ...