Cyprus

Cyprus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on Earth, a piece of ocean floor pushed two kilometers into the air, and the last divided capital in the world, all on an island you can cross in two hours. Everything below is pinned on the map at the end.

Drive
On the left, UK-style. Rent a car; taxis and intercity buses exist, but the island opens up by road.
When
April to June and September to November. August is an oven. Flamingos arrive in November; turtles nest June to September.
The divide
Split since 1974. Crossing for a day is routine with a passport. Arrive on the island through the south; landing at Ercan airport counts as illegal entry into the Republic. Entries marked north are beyond the line; I have not been myself, so those come from research rather than memory.

Ruins & history

Nine thousand years of it. These are the ones worth the drive.

  • KourionLimassol
    A Greco-Roman city with a theatre set on a cliff above the sea, mosaic floors still in place, and a villa destroyed by the earthquake of AD 365.
  • Tombs of the Kings & Kato Paphos mosaicsPaphos
    Rock-cut underground tombs from the Hellenistic period, paired with the Roman villa mosaics of Kato Paphos nearby.
  • KhirokitiaLarnaca
    A Neolithic settlement of round stone houses dating to around 7,000 BC, with reconstructions you can step inside.
  • Church of Saint LazarusLarnaca
    A late-9th-century Byzantine church in the heart of Larnaca, built over what tradition holds is the second tomb of Lazarus; a sarcophagus sits in the crypt beneath the altar.
  • Cyprus MuseumNicosia
    The island’s main archaeological museum, spanning nine millennia, including some two thousand terracotta figures found together. Moving to a new building around 2027.
  • Petra tou RomiouPaphos road
    A coastal rock formation named in legend as the birthplace of Aphrodite. A roadside stop rather than a destination.
  • Ancient SalamisNorth
    An ancient city-kingdom on the east coast, with a Roman gymnasium colonnade beside the sea. Largely unsigned and overgrown.
  • St Hilarion CastleNorth
    A ruined Crusader castle above Kyrenia with panoramic coastal views. A real climb; pairs with Bellapais Abbey and the 2,300-year-old shipwreck in Kyrenia castle.
  • The painted churches of TroodosTroodos
    Barn-roofed mountain churches covered inside with Byzantine murals; ten are UNESCO listed. Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis is walkable from old Kakopetria.

The divided island

The UN buffer zone (Green Line) in Nicosia, Cyprus, with barbed wire and abandoned buildings
The UN buffer zone, Nicosia

In 1963 a British general drew a line across Nicosia with a green pencil. It is still there. Don’t photograph checkpoints or anyone in uniform.

  • The Green Line walkNicosia
    A walk along the barricaded dead-end streets, crossing the divide at Ledra Street (passport, minutes), past the Home for Cooperation, a café inside the buffer zone.
  • Büyük Han & Selimiye MosqueNorth Nicosia
    A restored Ottoman caravanserai of workshops and cafes, and a Gothic former cathedral converted to a mosque with minarets. Both a short walk from the Ledra crossing.
  • Famagusta walled cityNorth
    Venetian walls that withstood a famous siege, and a French Gothic cathedral — coronation church of the Kings of Jerusalem — a mosque since 1571.
  • VaroshaNorth
    A resort suburb sealed off since 1974 and partly walkable since 2020; also tens of thousands of people’s confiscated homes. Go quietly, on foot.

Rocks & mines

The vivid red lake at the abandoned Mitsero copper mine in Cyprus
Red Lake at the abandoned Mitsero pyrite mine

The Troodos is a slab of 92-million-year-old ocean floor, and the word “copper” comes from this island.

  • Troodos Geopark visitor centreTroodos
    A geology centre in an old school at a rehabilitated asbestos mine, explaining the Troodos range. Worth seeing before the mountain drives.
  • Red Lake, MitseroNicosia
    An abandoned pyrite pit in the island’s copper country, filled with blood-red water, thirty minutes from the capital. Toxic; look, don’t touch.
  • Tzelefos bridgePaphos Forest
    A 16th-century Venetian stone bridge on the old camel road that carried copper to the sea, deep in the Paphos Forest.

Trails

October through May. Early starts, real shoes, carry water.

  • Adonis & Aphrodite loopAkamas
    A nine-and-a-half-kilometer Akamas walk to a ridge above the Blue Lagoon coast. Do the Adonis side first for sea views on the descent.
  • Teisia tis MadarisTroodos
    A three-kilometer trail around the dyke walls of the Madari ridge, with far-reaching views, often above the clouds on autumn mornings.
  • Avakas GorgeAkamas
    A limestone slot canyon in the Akamas, three meters wide under thirty-meter walls, with a boulder wedged overhead.

The wild

Comebacks and near misses. Seasons matter here.

  • Lara BayAkamas
    A protected turtle-nesting beach in the Akamas (nesting June and July, hatchlings through September), reached by an unpaved road. No lights after dark in season.
  • The vulture cliffs at EpiskopiLimassol
    A griffon vulture colony above Zapallo Bay, rebuilt with birds brought from Spain. Best mid-morning when the thermals build.
  • The salt lakesLarnaca · Akrotiri
    Flamingos in their thousands, November to March; a blinding salt crust in summer. The Akrotiri peninsula is the island’s richest birding year-round.

The sea

Diver exploring the MUSAN underwater sculpture museum in Ayia Napa, Cyprus
The MUSAN underwater sculpture museum, Ayia Napa

One of the longest dive seasons in the Mediterranean, March to November. The water holds 24 degrees deep into autumn.

  • The ZenobiaLarnaca
    A 172-meter ferry that sank in 1980 with a hundred trucks aboard; a world top-ten wreck dive, minutes offshore.
  • MUSANAyia Napa
    An underwater sculpture museum you snorkel or dive through.
  • Cape Greco by kayakAyia Napa
    A three-hour paddle along the cliffs to the sea caves, with swimming stops. Runs until the end of October.
  • Nissi · Fig Tree Bay · KonnosAyia Napa · Protaras
    Three of the island’s best-known beaches; Konnos is the quietest of the three.
  • Blue LagoonAkamas
    A bright turquoise bay on the Akamas peninsula, reached by boat or 4x4.

Food

A traditional Cypriot meze spread with many small dishes
Meze: 15 to 25 small dishes, one after another

It's a shame to leave without trying a proper meze, local fish, fresh halloumi, kleftiko, and loukoumades.

  • Sofia & Andreas’ house, LetymbouPaphos
    A village family home serving lunch at their table, with halloumi made in a vat in front of you and bread from the stone oven. Book ahead.
  • Hercules, ZygiZygi
    A fish tavern in the fishing village of Zygi, known for its calamari.
  • ΜπéμπαNicosia
    Modern Cypriot cooking in Nicosia’s old town.
  • TopikaNicosia
    A meze restaurant in Nicosia’s old town.
  • PicnicNicosia
    A brunch spot in Nicosia’s old town.
  • RokokoNicosia
    An Italian-leaning kitchen and bar in Nicosia’s old town.
  • γρανáζιNicosia
    A bar with good food in Nicosia, for the late end of the evening.
  • OXI MarketNicosia
    A farmers’ market on the Venetian walls, Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
  • Honest BreadNicosia
    A small sourdough bakery, worth a stop for bread and pastries.
  • To souvlaki tou SoukriParalimni
    A Paralimni grill known for its souvlaki; a second branch in Protaras.
  • Adamos, LefkaraLarnaca hills
    A village tavern in Lefkara, the one locals point you to.
  • LazarisLarnaca
    A bakery-bar in a restored townhouse a few steps from the Church of Saint Lazarus, good from morning coffee to evening drinks.
  • Katoi, OmodosTroodos
    Clay-oven kleftiko in Omodos, the island’s busiest wine village.

Wine

Commandaria is plausibly the oldest wine still made under its own name; the Knights ran it from Kolossi castle. The villages making it are an hour from the coast.

  • ZambartasKrasochoria
    A leading winery reviving indigenous grapes: Xynisteri, Maratheftiko, Yiannoudi.
  • Vlassides, KilaniKrasochoria
    A winery in the hills between Kilani and Vouni known for its Shiraz. Kilani is the village to eat in, not Omodos.
  • Revecca, Agios MamasCommandaria
    A tiny organic family producer pouring Commandaria in the old family house.

Slowing down

Cyprus does luxury best when it is woven into a village.

  • Casale PanayiotisTroodos
    A century of restored stone houses across a living valley village, with a well-regarded spa. Steep lanes.
  • Apokryfo, LofouKrasochoria
    A boutique hotel in the unspoilt wine village of Lofou, fifteen minutes from the wineries.
  • AnassaAkamas
    A luxury beach resort near the Akamas, known for its service. The Latchi fish quay is five minutes away.
  • Hamam OmeryeNicosia
    A working bathhouse since 1571, on the site of a 14th-century church. Book a treatment.

The map

Everything above, pinned. Tap a point for the note and directions.

Drag to pan, ctrl + scroll to zoom, tap a point.