Guides · 27 places

History

History across southern Cyprus, written by the club.

Paphos Archaeological ParkPaphos · HistoryPaphos Archaeological ParkThe UNESCO-listed heart of ancient Nea Paphos, famous for the Roman floor mosaics of the Houses of Dionysus, Theseus and Aion, right beside Paphos harbour.
KourionLimassol · HistoryKourionA clifftop ancient city-kingdom above Episkopi Bay, with a restored Greco-Roman theatre, fine mosaics and one of the most dramatic sea views in Cyprus.
Cyprus MuseumNicosia · HistoryCyprus MuseumThe island's oldest and largest archaeological museum, tracing 11,000 years of Cypriot history from Neolithic idols to Roman marble.
Kykkos MonasteryTroodos · HistoryKykkos MonasteryCyprus's richest and most famous monastery, high in the forested western Troodos, home to a revered icon of the Virgin and a remarkable museum.
Church of Saint LazarusLarnaca · HistoryChurch of Saint LazarusLarnaca's landmark 9th-century stone church, built over the tomb of Saint Lazarus, with a richly carved iconostasis and a crypt you can visit.
Hala Sultan TekkeLarnaca · HistoryHala Sultan TekkeA serene Ottoman mosque and shrine among palm trees on the shore of Larnaca Salt Lake, one of the most important Muslim holy sites in the region.
Tombs of the KingsPaphos · HistoryTombs of the KingsA vast Hellenistic and Roman necropolis cut into the seaside rock north of Kato Paphos, with atrium tombs that feel like underground houses.
Paphos CastlePaphos · HistoryPaphos CastleA compact stone fort guarding the end of Paphos harbour, rebuilt by the Ottomans in the 16th century on the site of a Byzantine fortress.
Kolossi CastleLimassol · HistoryKolossi CastleA solid 15th-century keep built by the Knights Hospitaller amid vineyards and sugar-cane fields. It gave its name to the sweet Commandaria wine.
Limassol Castle (Cyprus Medieval Museum)Limassol · HistoryLimassol Castle (Cyprus Medieval Museum)A stout medieval castle in Limassol's old town that now houses the Cyprus Medieval Museum, steps from the old port.
Sanctuary of Apollo HylatesLimassol · HistorySanctuary of Apollo HylatesThe ancient sanctuary of Apollo, god of the woodlands, near Kourion, with a partly re-erected Roman temple among pines and carob trees.
AmathusLimassol · HistoryAmathusThe ruins of one of Cyprus's ancient city-kingdoms on the coast east of Limassol, with a Roman-era agora and an acropolis once crowned by a sanctuary of Aphrodite.
Ayia Napa MonasteryAyia Napa · HistoryAyia Napa MonasteryA Venetian-era monastery at the heart of Ayia Napa, with a cave church, a cloistered courtyard and a centuries-old sycamore tree.
Thalassa Municipal MuseumAyia Napa · HistoryThalassa Municipal MuseumAyia Napa's museum of the sea, telling Cyprus's maritime story from prehistory onwards. Its centrepiece is a full-size replica of the ancient Kyrenia ship.
Makronissos TombsAyia Napa · HistoryMakronissos TombsA small Hellenistic and Roman necropolis of rock-cut tombs on the coast west of Ayia Napa, free to wander and rarely crowded.
Famagusta Gate & Venetian WallsNicosia · HistoryFamagusta Gate & Venetian WallsThe grandest of the three gates in Nicosia's 16th-century Venetian walls, now a cultural centre at the edge of the old town.
Byzantine Museum (Archbishop Makarios III Foundation)Nicosia · HistoryByzantine Museum (Archbishop Makarios III Foundation)One of the finest collections of Byzantine icons in the world, housed beside the Archbishop's Palace in old Nicosia.
Leventis Municipal MuseumNicosia · HistoryLeventis Municipal MuseumNicosia's own history museum, telling the story of the capital from prehistory to today in a beautifully restored old-town mansion. Free entry.
Agios Nikolaos tis StegisTroodos · HistoryAgios Nikolaos tis StegisA UNESCO-listed Byzantine church near Kakopetria, named for its steep protective timber roof and filled with frescoes from the 11th to the 17th century.
Machairas MonasteryTroodos · HistoryMachairas MonasteryA 12th-century monastery on the pine-clad slopes of the Machairas forest, about 40 km from Nicosia, with mountain views and deep historical roots.
Panagia Asinou ChurchTroodos · HistoryPanagia Asinou ChurchA remote UNESCO-listed Painted Church in the northern Troodos foothills, with some of the finest early 12th-century frescoes in Cyprus.
Kamares AqueductLarnaca · HistoryKamares AqueductAn 18th-century Ottoman aqueduct whose stone arches march across the western edge of Larnaca. It is beautifully lit at night.
Choirokoitia Neolithic SettlementLarnaca · HistoryChoirokoitia Neolithic SettlementA UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best-preserved Neolithic villages in the eastern Mediterranean, inhabited from the 7th millennium BC, with reconstructed round houses.
Stavrovouni MonasteryLarnaca · HistoryStavrovouni MonasteryA hilltop monastery founded, by tradition, by Saint Helena in the 4th century, perched almost 700 m up with vast views over the Larnaca plain.
Panagia Angeloktisti ChurchLarnaca · HistoryPanagia Angeloktisti ChurchA Byzantine church in Kiti village that preserves a rare 6th-century apse mosaic of the Virgin and Child between two archangels.
Paphos lighthouse and the archaeological parkPaphos · HistoryPaphos lighthouse and the archaeological parkThe castle and the light at the end of the harbour. Late afternoon is the hour the stone goes warm.
Büyük HanNicosia · HistoryBüyük HanThe old caravanserai inside the walls: a stone courtyard with shade, coffee, and workshops. Go in the morning, before the groups.