Unique Places in Cyprus

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A site not to be missed by anyone!

Just a few kilometres from the village of Kalavasos one can come to the very popular – Tenta. It provides evidence of the initial establishment (end of the 7th millennium B.C.). The Cypriot Aceramic Neolithic.

The Tenta comprises a small village with houses clustered around the upper part of a small natural hill. All of the architectural elements here are curvilinear, if not circular.

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If you are up the Troodos range don't miss visiting Platres which is one of the most popoular resorts in Cyprus, the whole year round.

There you will have the chance to visit the Most famous Chocolate workshop in Cyprus and not only....

You can even attend a chocolate class where you can make your own chocolates! It's fun.

The chocolates here are of excellent quality and taste and been enjoyed by many Heads of State including the Queen of England.

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The list of places to visit while you are having your holidays in Cyprus can indeed be very long.
I have tried to narrow it down to the most significant and popular sites that one should not miss.

• Paphos Harbour & Castle
• Kourion/Kolossi Castle
• Limassol Castle
• The ruins of ancient Kition
• Nicosia 'within the walls' and the House of Hadigeorgakis Kornesios
• The Paphos mosaics
• Panagia tou Araka
• The nine Byzantine churches in the Troodos Mountains
• Panagia Chrysospiliotissa Church
• Agia Napa and Protaras
• Cedar Valley
• Choirokitia
• Lefkara
• Baths of Aphrodite
• Rock of Aphrodite
• Omodos

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The building itself is originally 15th century gothic with latter additions.
It was originally used as a monastery for the Latin Order of Benedictines and was taken over by the Greek Orthodox Church sometime before the Ottoman occupation in 1571. It went on to become the Archibishop’s Palace prior to the building of the new Archbishopric nearby.

The door is carved stone archway with a 16th century fresco of the Annunciation, and it is supposed to be the oldest fresco of the city.

Exhibits:
What the visitor sees here is a vast collection of everyday items from a forgotten era. The collection is rich and it is split in different rooms. This is where you will find the costumes of the people; the looms used to weave their fabrics; pottery; furniture –often beautifully carved and painted in bright colours; decorative baskets that were used for different things; Jewellery and other metal work including the most intricate filigree work. There are samples of embroidery as well.

A stroll out here makes the guest feel as if he enters a time-machine that takes him back to Nicosia, a century and a half back. You see, 150 years back the people of Cyprus were still under the yoke of Ottoman rule and the majority of them were extremely poor. A completely different picture of what is today.

I highly recommend it. Be sure not to miss it!

Fee is 2 euros for adults,
1 for children, and special discounts for groups.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday- 09:00 to 16:00
Saturday: 09:00 to 13:00
Tel: +357 2243 2578

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The mosque of Paphosis no place that tourists might visit inside, but I think it is also interesting to look at its great architecture from outside. The building was totally closed when I was there and there was nobody around at about lunchtime.
In the back of their premises there is also a small cememtery with a few tombstones.
This mosque is just about 100 meters from the covered market in the centre of the village.

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Orounda monastery was a great surprise for me: an interesting monastery, still inhabited by nons and totally off the beaten path and in a landscape that was totally quiet and without any noises.
I found it accidentally in a sidevalley of the village Orounda / Orounta. I was lucky that there was another family of tourists there and one of them spoke their language,and knew where to ask for the key for the lovely chapel. One of the nons spoke excellent english and explained a lot to us and another non offered us a great fruit-juice and a sweet, that combination was declicious and also very refreshing on that hot day. Its usual to give a donation to the nons then, not directely to them but to the box that is standing in front of the church.
The monastery-church is certainly the most important sight here in the monastery for the ordinary tourists. The door was unlocked, but we were not able to open the door, because we did not take the right handle - one of the nons had to show us how to open the door !
The church-interior was great and photography, even with a flash was no problem there at all.

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Cape Greco is the name of the south-east-end of Cyprus and you get there as a side-step of just a few km from Agia Napa: you have to drive a narrow road to its almost very end untill you get to a gate that will keep you out of the very tip of the cape, obviously it is used by the military. Park your car there and take a walk to the coast, that consists of heavy rocks there. This is a great place for divers with several ships-wrecks in that area and a National Park as well.

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The church of the prophet Elias in Protaras was built on top of a small hill not far from Cape Greco, you will find a small carpark there and hundreds of steps taking you uphill to the tiny chapel, that looks interesting from inside as well. From the church-terrace you will have a great view of the area and you will also see some trees there, decorated in a very special way:
They are "Wishing-trees" ! Take a closer look at these trees and all the things, letters, bottles etc. that were fixed on the branches of these trees. There is even a sandal with some inscriptions about a soccer-event, someof these things might be a joke by tourists, but most of them are certainly ment in a serious way.