Megalonisos (the Big Island), as we call Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sardinia and Sicily, is one of the most popular and most completed tourist destinations, with modernized infrastructure, beautiful and different beaches, shady, lush forests, vineyards, olive groves and large areas with citrus trees.
It is worth visiting Cyprus all year round so that you can experience the magic in all seasons, while if you choose to visit the island during any holiday you will experience unforgettable moments as the Cypriots keep alive the island’s customs and traditions and organize events from one end of the island to the other. Larnaca-based Cyprus Airways has low-cost flights to many European cities, including Athens, Prague, Zurich and Bratislava, but also to the Middle East, such as Tel Aviv and Beirut.
* Visit the coastal villages, each with its own unique beauty, the picturesque stone-built villages where the sweet wine and the traditional zivania flow continuously, sit in the cafes and chat with the locals who will tell you about the island’s beauties and history. Do not forget to order the excellent Cypriot barbecue skewers and of course delicacies such as: halloumi cheese, sheftalia, dolmar, taro, ravioli in their traditional taverns.
* Get to know each of the four major cities on the island, the capital Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos and walk the narrow streets, wander the shops and the interesting market while you can enjoy your coffee in one of the cafes.
Nicosia’s historic center is located on the great medieval walls built by the Venetians. These walls are the city’s brand and house important buildings such as – among other places – the City Hall. The northern part of the city is under Turkish occupation and thus Nicosia is the only divided capital in Europe. The city combines the old with the new as, outside the Venetian fortification wall made of cigar stone, there is a cosmopolitan city.
Limassol is the second largest city on the island, a center for wine production, a very important holiday resort, known for its varied nightlife. It is located in the southern part of the island and is built amphitheatrically, with sandy beaches along the coast.
Larnaca with its marina and promenade with palm trees has important Christian and Islamic temples. You can visit the two natural lakes (Aliki and Lake Oroklini) but can also be guided among the monuments in the area. Its nightlife is important, especially in the Mackenzie area.
Paphos in the western part of the island is an archeological treasure, with some of the most beautiful mosaics in the Mediterranean. The city is divided into two levels: Upper Paphos, also known as the Estate, where the city’s commercial center is located and Lower Paphos which is lower and coastal and is the main tourist destination on the island. The entire Paphos archeological site has been under UNESCO protection since 1980.
* Visit the ten Byzantine churches that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List throughout the Troodos Mountains, let your gaze be magnetized by their murals.
*Admire the cliff of Aphrodite located on the southwest coast of the Paphos district and impresses bathers with its wild landscape. The beach is connected to the beautiful Aphrodite, the ancient Greek deity, who according to legend appeared from the foam of the sea on this site.
* Relax in Ayia Napa, the most famous and most photographed beach on the island. It is 500 meters long and 40 meters wide and is covered with fine sand, with a thin strip that connects the beach with the nearby island.
* Walk in Chirokitia, one of the best preserved prehistoric settlements, with its reconstructed round houses. The settlement is built on the steep slope of a hill located on the west bank of the river Maroni, at a distance of 6 km from the sea. It is one of the most impressive examples of early permanent settlement of populations on the island.
* Take a tour of the necropolis of New Paphos where the royal tombs are located, and is a cemetery for members of the political and administrative elite in the capital of Cyprus during the Ptolemaic dynasty. The cemetery was in use from the Hellenistic to the Roman era (2nd century BC-2nd century AD). Admire the famous colorful murals of the Cypriot churches, ten of which have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
* Enjoy the stunning colors of the sea and the wild landscape of Cape Greco, in the province of Famagusta, between Ayia Napa and Paralioni, a protected area included in the Natura 2000 program.
* Go up to the western side of Mount Troodos where the sacred monastery of Kykkos is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters. It is the richest monastery on the island and was founded with a personal financial contribution from the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118). Art, hagiography, wood carving and literature were developed there. During the years of Ottoman rule, it was a symbol of freedom and resistance for the Orthodox Cypriots.
Marni Hatziemmanouil
