My Top Things to Do in Cyprus

Really one of the reasons this post has taken me so long to write, is because there is just soooo much to say about Cyprus! It’s such a culturally rich, beautiful island with so many different places to explore. I only spent a week on the island but could easily spend another week there without repeating anything we did! So I’ll try and break down a bit of my trip so anyone planning it can have some tips and ideas 😎 Also, just cause I think it's one of my coolest travel destination facts to date, Cyprus is home to the oldest known pet cat, who was found over 9,500 years ago buried with its owner! Pretty cool!

First off a little bit of background on Cyprus. Usually this is kind of the boring part, but Cyprus has such an incredibly rich history that’s still so relevant today. The possibly most unique thing about the island is that it’s completely split in half. The southern half is Greek-Cypriot controlled, whilst the northern half is Turkish-Cypriot controlled. We stayed in the south and spent most of our time exploring this area, so that’s what this post will focus on. It also tends to be the south that’s most popular with tourists.

The chance to relax

The island’s Mediterranean climate and abundance of luxury hotels and resorts makes it a great place to catch some rays and relax, either by the beach or the pool. Cyprus can be slightly more expensive than other island destinations, but it’s definitely worth paying that extra money for the culture and adventures the island has to offer. We stayed in the Akteon Holiday Village in Paphos. It was a great little 3 star hotel, we stayed all-inclusive and enjoyed making full use of evening entertainment, unlimited food and drink and clean and warm pool. Plus staff were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and the real asset to the hotel. The hotel is also very close to a bus stop and offers lots of tours which makes it so easy to explore all of these places:

Paphos

Home to a beautiful harbour with famous castle, the city of Paphos is well worth a visit for a walk along the sea front. There’s hundreds of cafés, bars and restaurants with beautiful views over the sea front if you need (or want) a cool drink or ice cream. And of course there's also plenty of places to stock up on souvenirs, postcards and other touristy goods. Whilst Paphos is beautiful, it’s definitely a hub for tourists and therefore it can feel like the true culture of Cyprus is lost. If you're not all-inclusive though, it definitely seems like a great place for dinner and a drink over looking the sunset.

The Tomb of Kings

Again, possibly more of a tourist trap, than authentic culture but as far as history and heritage go, this visitor attraction is definitely worth a visit. Especially if you have kids! I could just imagine my sister and me running up and down the many stairways leading to secret passage ways, large chambers and dark tombs. Imagine a massive game of hide and seek! But in all seriousness, located at the top of a hill, the views out onto the ocean are stunning and each tomb comes with its own story that's so interesting to read. Unlike many of the attractions on the island, you do have to pay to enter the tombs with money going towards the conservation and upkeep, but it's not a lot and it's worth it!

The Troodos Mountains

Trips to the Troodos mountains however will not be short on authentic cultural experiences. I would highly recommend spending at least a day, either by hiring a car or by going on one of the many guided tours that will pick you up straight from your hotel. And there’s some great places you should stop at whilst you’re there:

• The Mount Olympus viewpoint: look out over the mountains and Cyprus' highest point: Mount Olympus.

• Kykkos Monastery: again, with plenty of history and definitely no shortage of culture, the paintings and architecture are just one of the reasons the monastery is worth a visit! You can't take photos in the chapel, but I promise it's stunning! Also you can't wear shorts inside, but they have loads of robes you can borrow and in my opinion they just add to the authenticity of the experience!

• Caledonia Waterfalls: just one of the many waterfalls in the mountain region. Each one as stunning as the other. Do you dare climb to the top for a better photo? I did! And wow! What a photo that was! Plus, what a great cool off opportunity!

• Milla Medieval Bridge: at the foot of a waterfall, the bridge is another great photo (and paddling?) opportunity!

Omodos

Probably one of my favourite places we visited on this trip. Omodos was such a cute village stop on our Troodos mountains tour. It had stunning cobblestone streets with traditional doorways either side, perfect for an instagram worthy photo. And then of course there was another monestary open for a short look around before taking a break from the sun at one of the many picturesque cafés. Those of you who know me will know that I’m a huuuuge iced coffee fan and this stop gave me what is possibly still one of the best iced coffees I’ve ever had!

Aphrodite’s Rock

This amazingly clear, blue lagoon is rumoured to be the birthplace of Aphrodite and it’s well worth a visit. The walk from the car park to the lagoon is just a short one, though there are steps! If you’re visiting be sure to take your swimsuit because I promise you won’t be able to resist a swim! The water’s so warm, and apparently if you swim out and touch the rock you’ll be blessed with love. I didn’t think about bringing a swimsuit and ended up swimming out in my playsuit which made for a very uncomfortable drive back to the hotel, but it was so worth it, though I think I’m still waiting for my luck with love….

Wine tasting

Cyprus probably isn't famous for its wine, but it's pretty easy to see why most day trips include a stop at one of the many vineyards! Now I'm no wine expert, but there's definitely something great about sipping different wines in the sunshine, over looking vineyards upon vineyards.

Limassol

This was probably the most disappointing place we visited on our trip. We got the bus out one afternoon in the hope for a traditional Cypriot town with what we hoped would be lots of photo opportunities, traditional buildings and at least a cute cafe. And maybe it was just that we’d been spoiled previously with picturesque villages such as Troodos, Paphos and Omodos, but Limassol just didn’t really cut it for us, and in fact felt a little run down in comparison to other places. We left feeling a bit disappointed, though not regretting our visit, as of course you never know until you try!

Now these of course are only the places I visited on my trip, but there are so many other incredible things to see in Cyprus, including (but not limited to)

• Blue Lagoon (where you can apparently swim with turtles!)

• Ayia Napa

• One of the many waterparks

• Kourion ruins and the Bellapais Monastery, which will definitely be top of my list for my next trip!

The final thing I think is worth a mention is that, whilst we stayed in an all-inclusive hotel, there are also so many villas and apartments available for hire on the island. The massive benefit of these, is that it gives you the excuse to really experience the culture and try out all of the different cafes and restaurants around the island which I would have loved to have tried more of. Being all inclusive we tended to take packed lunches from the hotel, and always make sure we were back in time for dinner.

So, to wrap up what seems like a really long post, I guess my biggest piece of advice for Cyprus would be not to give in to the temptation to stick to your hotel or resort. As nice as relaxing on the beach is, and I’d definitely set aside at least a day for this, because what’s really the point of a holiday if not to relax, also be sure to take time to venture out, explore and of course adventure!

Ready to experience Cyprus for yourself? Drop me a message to book some relaxation and culture all in one place!