Duration: | 6 Day(s) - 5 Night(s) |
Tour Category: | Archaeological Tours |
Succumb to the charms of Cyprus on a 5-night tour, with hotel accommodation in Paphos or Limassol included. Explore the country’s historical highlights, countryside, and cities on daily tours that include Paphos’ UNESCO-listed archaeological treasures, the divided capital of Nicosia, and the leafy Troodos Mountains. 3-star or 4-star hotel accommodation in Paphos or Limassol is included, as are select meals, return airport transfers, and transport by air-conditioned vehicle on your tours with an expert guide.
Highlights:
5-night tour of Cyprus’ historical and cultural highlights from Paphos or Limassol
Visit the UNESCO-listed Tombs of the Kings and Roman floor mosaics at Paphos
Explore the Troodos Mountains to discover Byzantine churches and the pretty village of Omodos
See the sights of Nicosia, Cyprus’ divided and history-steeped capital
Admire the ruins at Kourion, Kolossi Castle, and Aphrodite’s Rock
Stay five nights in either Paphos or Limassol, with breakfasts and dinners included
Choose from a range of hotel accommodations to suit your budget
Details:
Your 5-night tour introduces you to the delights of Cyprus, including its key classical and medieval archaeological sites, the fascinating divided capital of Nicosia, and the churches and villages of the beautiful Troodos Mountains.
Choose to stay in Paphos or Limassol and enjoy daily tours from your hotel, with an included breakfast and dinner on each day. A range of hotel accommodation is offered, with 3-star or 4-star hotel options in both Paphos and Limassol. Return transfers between Paphos airport and central Paphos or Limassol hotels to your Paphos or Limassol tour hotel are included, as are return transfers between Larnaca airport and your Limassol tour hotel.
Day 1: Paphos or Limassol
Start your tour with an included transfer from your central Paphos or Limassol hotel, or from Paphos International Airport or Larnaca International Airport. Then, check-in at your chosen hotel, where you'll recharge with a delicious dinner.
Overnight: 3-star Kapetanios Odysia or 4-star Mediterranean Beach or Elias Beach hotel or similar in Limassol; or 3-star Aloe or Kissos hotel, or 4-star Aquamare or Athena Beach hotel or similar in Paphos.
Day 2: Paphos or Limassol – Paphos – Paphos or Limassol
After breakfast and a pickup by coach or minivan, enjoy a half-day tour of the UNESCO-listed highlights of Paphos. As you travel, hear about the city’s fascinating past from your guide and how it served as Cyprus’ capital in Roman times.
Make a stop at the Byzantine church of Ayia Paraskevi and then continue to Paphos Archaeological Park to view the stunning mosaics at the House of Dionysos, some of the most beautiful in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Next, head for the Tombs of the Kings, a 4th- and 3rd -century BC burial complex for Paphos’ elite. View the haunting rock-cut tombs and hear how the families of the dead would hold ceremonial meals here, leaving food for the deceased.
Stop for lunch (own expense) and travel to the monastery of Ayios Neophytos, a 12th-century sanctuary founded by the hermit Neophytos. Admire the Byzantine frescoes in Neophytos' hand-cut cave and then continue onward to the 13th-century Church of Panagia Chrysopolitissa, built on the site of an early Christian basilica.
Examine the basilica ruins that surround the church and see St Paul’s Pillar, the relics of a column where it's believed St Paul was flogged by the Romans. Then, return to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at your leisure, with an included hotel dinner in the evening.
Overnight: 3-star Kapetanios Odysia or 4-star Mediterranean Beach or Elias Beach hotel or similar in Limassol; or 3-star Aloe or Kissos hotel, or 4-star Aquamare or Athena Beach hotel or similar in Paphos.
Day 3: Paphos or Limassol – Nicosia – Paphos or Limassol
Following breakfast, travel to the capital, Nicosia. As you drive, hear how when Cyprus was divided in 1974, the city was split into a Greek South (Lefkosia) and Turkish-occupied north (Lefkoşa), making it the world’s only remaining divided capital.
Explore old South Nicosia, with its 15th-century Venetian walls, taking in some of its historical treasures. Visit the Byzantine Museum to see its collection of icons and go inside the 17th-century St John’s Cathedral to marvel at its spectacular frescoes.
Break for lunch (own expense) and after time at the Archaeological Museum, delve into the pretty lanes of the old Laiki Geitonia district before crossing the UN checkpoint into North Nicosia. Amble down the stone lanes to admire the Ottoman Büyük Han caravanserai (caravan staging inn), and take in the Selimiye Mosque, the former St Sophia Cathedral, as your guide recounts its 14th-century origins.
Return to your accommodation in the late afternoon for dinner.
Overnight: 3-star Kapetanios Odysia or 4-star Mediterranean Beach or Elias Beach hotel or similar in Limassol; or 3-star Aloe or Kissos hotel, or 4-star Aquamare or Athena Beach hotel or similar in Paphos.
Day 4: Paphos or Limassol – Troodos Mountains – Paphos or Limassol
Enjoy breakfast, and then travel inland to the Troodos Mountains, whose pine-wooded slopes, stone villages and Byzantine-era churches are all seemingly suspended in time.
Climb the mountain roads through cool, shady forests to your first stop: the Church of Ayios Nicolaos. Cocooned in pines, this 12th-century church is UNESCO-listed for its steep-tiled roof and stunning frescoes. Head inside to behold the paintings that include murals of the crucifixion and life-size depictions of saints.
Continue to the fresco-coated church of Panagia Pothithou and then, after free time for lunch, visit the pretty winemaking village of Omodos. Soak up its cobblestoned streets and look inside its pride and joy, the ornate 4th-century Church of the Holy Cross in its center.
Return to your hotel in time for dinner this evening.
Overnight: 3-star Kapetanios Odysia or 4-star Mediterranean Beach or Elias Beach hotel or similar in Limassol; or 3-star Aloe or Kissos hotel, or 4-star Aquamare or Athena Beach hotel or similar in Paphos.
Day 5: Paphos or Limassol – Kourion – Kolossi – Paphos or Limassol
After breakfast, set off on a half-day tour of Kourion and Kolossi, two of Cyprus’ most important archaeological sites. On route, stop at Aphrodite’s Rock (Petra Tou Romiou), the sea rock where legend says that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, emerged from the waves. Hear the legend as you snap photos and then head for Greco-Roman Curium (Kourion).
Stop to see Curium's 2nd-century BC amphitheater and explore the Villa of Eustolios, a Roman house with relics of baths and floor mosaics. Wonder at the remains and the nearby Christian basilica, and then leave for Kolossi Castle, a well-preserved fortress used by the Knights of St John. Here, climb up the tower and hear stories of how the castle was used to make Commandaria, Cyprus’ sweet wine.
Lastly, visit the Temple of Apollo Ylatis, a Greek sanctuary used to worship Apollo, god of the woodlands. Roam the relics with your guide and later, return to your hotel and spend the rest of the day as you wish.
Overnight: 3-star Kapetanios Odysia or 4-star Mediterranean Beach or Elias Beach hotel or similar in Limassol; or 3-star Aloe or Kissos hotel, or 4-star Aquamare or Athena Beach hotel or similar in Paphos.
Day 6: Paphos or Limassol
Your tour finishes after your hotel breakfast. Check out and relax with an airport drop-off at Paphos or Larnaca International Airport or a transfer to any central Paphos or Limassol hotel where you're continuing your stay.