Description
Highlights
Explore UNESCO-listed Paphos and its mosaics
Visit the birthplace of Aphrodite, Petra Tou Romiou
Tour the ancient Tombs of the Kings in Paphos
Discover Nicosia, the world’s last divided city
See the Neolithic site of Chirokitia and its ruins
Introduction
Join this four-day comprehensive tour and discover an island rich in history and culture, glorious cuisine, glittering coasts, waterfalls, and sandy beaches. This tour offers a myriad of experiences and change of scenery, from vineyards to the historical places, all surrounded by the beautiful Mediterranean landscape. Explore Petra tou Romiou, the birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love and fertility, the tomb of the Kings from 4thCentury BC and admire the fascinating collection of Cypriot artefacts at the Archaeological Museum in Nicosia.
Itinerary
Day 1 ARRIVAL PAPHOS/LARNACA – LIMASSOL (70km – 1h)
Spend a day sightseeing the wonders of Paphos: the whole town is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. Proceeding westbound along the beautiful coast, we stop at Petra Tou Romiou, where, according to Greek mythology, Aphrodite emerged from the foam of the water.
We will begin our day by visiting the Ayios Neofytos monastery founded at the end of the 12th century by the Cypriot writer and hermit Neofytos. The Engleistra contains some of the most beautiful Byzantine frescoes (12th and 15th centuries).
We will continue to visit the Tombs of the Kings which date back to the 4th century BC, carved into the rock and decorated with Doric columns. Then we will be able to admire the famous mosaics of the house of Dionysus. The floors of these patrician villas date back to a period between the third and fifth centuries AD and are considered among the most beautiful mosaics in the eastern Mediterranean.
The last stop will be at the church of Panagia Chrysopolitissa, built in the thirteenth century, within whose complex you can see the column of St. Paul, where according to tradition the saint was scourged. Overnight in Limassol.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with the guide and departure for Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus outlined by the ancient Venetian walls, known thanks to the wealth of archaeological and artistic finds contained in its museums and above all for being the last city in the world divided by a wall.
Along the way, a stop at the archaeological site of Chirokitia, an ancient Neolithic settlement; the excavations carried out have brought to light evidence of one of the most important Neolithic cultures in the world.
Visit to the Cathedral of San Giovanni in the archbishop’s palace which houses frescoes from 1731.
Passing through the Venetian walls and the Famagusta gate we will arrive at the National Museum where you can admire the fascinating collection of Cypriot finds and treasures of inestimable value.
We continue to the historic center of Nicosia (Laiki Yitonia). Free time and crossing the checkpoint, visit the caravansary, Buyuk Han, one of the most famous architectural works of the Ottoman period. The Buyuk Han is located in the center of the traditional market inside the walls.
We continue to the Saint Sophia Cathedral transformed into a Mosque (visit from outside until the works are finished).
Return to the hotel in the afternoon. Overnight in Limassol.
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