Cyprus
Nine UNESCO-listed painted Byzantine churches nestled in the mountains, then Cyprus's last wild coastline, where sea turtles nest
Cyprus
A journey far from Paphos and its archaeological park: the Troodos Mountains, a mountain massif at the island's centre home to nine painted Byzantine churches UNESCO World Heritage listed, whose exceptionally rich interior frescoes deliberately contrast with modest exterior facades of stone or wood meant to conceal their value from successive invaders, then the Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus's last major stretch of coastline to remain free of tourist development, where the beaches of Lara host the nesting of endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles every summer.
When
May to June | Sept to Oct
Price
From 2 100€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
5 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in the Troodos Mountains, a mountain massif at the centre of Cyprus home to nine painted Byzantine churches and monasteries, jointly UNESCO World Heritage listed for their exceptional cycle of religious frescoes spanning a period from the 11th to the 16th century. These buildings deliberately adopt a modest exterior architecture, in raw stone or wood, often covered with an additional sloped roof meant to protect the frescoes from winter snow, a discretion that also aimed to conceal the interior wealth of these sanctuaries from the island's successive invaders.
Day 1
The frescoes of Kykkos Monastery
A visit to Kykkos Monastery, one of Cyprus's richest and most revered, founded in the 11th century and nestled in the heart of the Troodos Mountains.
Day 2
The wine villages of the Troodos
A wine tasting in the terraced wine villages of the Troodos, where vines have been cultivated at altitude since antiquity.
Days 1-2
The road to the Akamas Peninsula, at the island's western tip, Cyprus's last major stretch of coastline to remain free of tourist development and protected since 1989 as a national park, whose gorges, cliffs, and secluded coves harbour exceptional Mediterranean biodiversity. The beaches of Lara, accessible only by an unpaved track, host the nesting of endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles every summer, a local conservation programme monitoring the nests to protect one of the last significant breeding populations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Day 1
A hike through Avakas Gorge
A hike through Avakas Gorge, a narrow limestone canyon carved by erosion at the heart of the Akamas Peninsula.
Day 2
Sea turtle watching at Lara
A guided visit to the beaches of Lara, a protected nesting site for loggerhead and green sea turtles, accompanied by volunteers from the local conservation programme.
Other trips built in the same spirit — more to draw inspiration from.
6 nightsPaphos to Troodos
Roman mosaics and Byzantine monasteries clinging to the Troodos
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4 nightsCyprus: Paphos and Aphrodite's Rock
The mythological shore where Aphrodite is said to have been born from the waves, above Roman mosaics among the best preserved in the Eastern Mediterranean
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