The Real Cyprus – Mountain Villages, Local Food and Hidden Places to Explore
Based on my own experience of living and working in Cyprus, this is my personal guide to the places I still love returning to. This is not a “tick off the top 20 attractions” list. These are beaches, restaurants and villages I discovered before Google Maps told us where to go, sometimes by following the road, sometimes by taking a wrong turn and occasionally by wondering where on earth we had ended up.
There is something wonderfully rewarding about stumbling across a quiet beach, a sleepy village or a tiny taverna that wasn’t on your itinerary.
Larnaca
Beyond the City
Larnaca is one of the two cities in the south with an airport. As you leave the airport, keep your eye open for the large salt lake on the left and the dinky Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque. Flamingoes are annual visitors to the salt lake in early spring. After the birds have left, the water also turns pink with the tiny shrimps left in the water.
The Mosque dates from the late 1700s and is allegedly one of the most important Islamic pilgrimage sites outside Mecca. It is open to tourists and has a lovely relaxed vibe inside. You can normally get fabulous photos of the mosque reflected in the lake. There are many cats in the area and an ice cream van may visit if you're lucky.
Hire bicycles and cycle round the generally flat area. Explore the old Turkish quarter and cycle over to Kamares, the historical aqueduct. From here, carry on to the salt lake where you can do a lap of the lake.
Larnaca Old Town
Larnaca currently looks like it has lost a battle with a bulldozer with roadworks and renovations due to finish July 2027. Avoid the main street, (Athenon Avenue) for now, however do visit St Lazarous church in the old square. It was built in the late 9th century during the Byantine period. It is said to be over the tomb of St Lazarous who was raised from the dead and chose to live out the rest of his days in Cyprus. The church is well attended but is open to visitors and well worth a look inside and down to the crypt if you wish.
The square is populated with small restaurants and bars. My favourite is the Secret Garden (not that it will be so now) with a shaded garden at the back. If you can find Kleanthi Kalogera Street (Bar Street) in the old Skala quarter, wander slowly along. Look upwards at the enormous wooden doors. These once allowed heavily loaded camels to enter the warehouses with imported goods.and hence the extra tall doors.
The street is slowly being gentrified with fancy bars but try To Perasma. The owner is friendly and chatty and may tell you a few stories. Or just perch on a stool and watch the world go by.
The old port buildings house an art gallery which may or may not have an interesting exhibition. The building is great to see from the inside and leads to a small, yet interesting museum about Larnaca.
Larnaca Waterfront
Walk along Finikoudis, next to the sea and admire the palm trees planted in 1922. Walk further along the beach side down to the fishing harbour. If you make it there in the morning, buy some of the locally caught fish and enjoy fresh sea bass and sea bream. If you don't cook on your jollies, there are many restaurants where you can enjoy typical cypriot fare.
You can walk down to the Fort and go inside to the small medieval museum. The courtyard comes alive with summer concerts enjoying great acoustics inside the former prison
Other activities in Larnaca are a sunset boat cruise with a glass of bubbly. It sounds tacky and will be swarming with russian tourists, but the views are lovely. For divers, there is Zinobia, one of the world's best wrecks to explore. You can also go out on a fishing boat (lunch provided if you're not an accomplished fisherman).
Then there's the beach. Sunbeds galore and safe swimming at Finikoudes. Or walk westwards, towards the airport to Mackenzies beach with cool night life and trendy restaurants. If you can navigate the bus timetables, go to Connos Beach. However go early in the day. It can resemble a sardine tin at times, but it is lovely.
Troodos
When most visitors imagine Cyprus, they picture sandy beaches and blue seas. Hire a car and travel a couple of hours maximum, inland. There is a completely different world where you will find cool pine forests, stone villages, waterfalls and mornings where the loudest sound might be a church bell.
The Troodos Mountains are the wild, green heart of Cyprus and can be a refreshing contrast to the island’s beach resorts, especially in the summer. Mount Olympus is nearly 2000 metres high and is accessible by a winding road. In the winter, it is fun to come and watch the skiers (yes really) or join in if you are happy with green standard ski slopes.
For a little more culture, there are UNESCO-listed painted churches and historic monasteries like Kykkos, Trooditissa and Agios Neophytis
Best Places to visit in Troodos
There are lots of mountain villages and very little written with the exception of one or two. Many villages are getting smaller as the working population move into the busier areas for jobs. However, there are still interesting places to visit with smaller crowds.
- Kalopanayiotis is one of the prettiest villages in the Troodos with stone houses on the edge of a valley, wooden balconies and churches dotted around. It's in the Marathasa Valley and has been saved from decline by an ambitious local entrepreneur. He bought up the old, derelict houses and turned them into villas/guest rooms in conjunction with the spa complex and good quality cafes and restaurants in the village. You can go wine tasting, see the old venetian bridge by the riverside and relax in the pool overlooking the valley.
- Kakopetria is a lively mountain village built along a river with lovely narrow lanes and and restored stone houses. Visit the old Mill restaurant and go upstairs for the views. If you book into one of the quaint guest houses overnight, take a walk along the river or visit the Unesco Church, Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis and gaze at the frescoes from the 11th Century. Check out the large boulder at the top of the village and discover why it is called 'Bad Stone'.
- Platres is the Troodos’ original hill resort, set high among pine forests. Once a favourite with colonial-era visitors, it still has that slightly dated, old fashioned feel. You can look for the crumbling, fancy old hotels where the British Army enjoyed their summers. Or, the walks and views are good, try Caledonia waterfall. My favourite thing to do here, is to visit the trout farm and restaurant. When you see the local fire brigade eating here, you know it's good. You can buy them to cook at home if you're brave enough (trout, that is).
- You may have heard of Omodos as it your typical picturesque mountain village. It has cobbled streets, a central square, and traditional houses that are great to wander round aimlessly, looking for a shady terrace and a glass of cold white wine. There are a few quirky museums which are more a way for the locals to earn pin money from their old bits and bobs. The best one is the folklore museum, where you will learn a bit about Cyprus history.
- Agros is a small mountain village in the Troodos that’s famous across Cyprus for its rose products, especially rosewater and rose syrup.The village grows Damask roses , prized for their intense fragrance, and has been doing so for over a century. If you visit in the summer, you'll love the views and scent of flowering roses. The tradition started in the early 1900s, when locals began cultivating roses and distilling them into rosewater using simple copper stills. Cypriots love the rose syrup on their blancmange type puddings. The sweet stuff is not for me but the area is pretty and is a relatively busy thriving town with Timios Stavros and Panagia Eleousa Churches, if you haven't yet seen enough frescoes.
Practical Information
Cyprus is best explored by car. Public transport will get you between the main towns, but the magic of Cyprus is found down the little roads where buses don’t go.
Click here for a few more tips on Cyprus
Is it worth visiting (Greek) Cyprus?
Definitely. Divide your time between grilling on the beach and seeing how the locals live in Larnaca all year round. Then book two or three days in the mountains to see the slower pace of life and relax.
What time of year to visit Cyprus?
Roast during July and August with average high temperatures of 33 - 37 °C
Enjoy warm weather during Spring (March to May) 17 - 26 °C when the fields are still green. Or go in Autumn (September to November) 24 - 32 °C with warmer seas and the added bonus of slightly fewer tourists.
I have only listed the minimum of things to do in Cyprus. There are many, many more. So whenever you go and whatever you see, enjoy the different side to Cyprus than just the beaches. Enjoy your exploring
Click here for a guide to northern Cyprus or here for more of a general overview of Cyprus,