Aphrodite'S Tour

Welcome to Cyprus! Upon landing at Paphos or Larnaca Airport, a tour representative will meet and greet you before guiding you to the transfer to your hotel. Settle in your room before spending the rest of this first day at leisure. Overnight in Limassol.

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.

After breakfast at the hotel meet the guide and depart for Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, whose city centre is hedged by majestic Venetian walls. It is renowned for the archaeological and artistic treasures collected in its museums and, especially, to be the last city in the world divided by a wall. First visit the Archbishopric complex, which hosts the famous Byzantine museum, one of the most important museums in Europe of its kind, featuring the largest collection of icons on the island, and the Cathedral of St. John, the inside contains a fresco cycle dating 1731. Through the Venetian Walls, via Famagusta Gate, we get to the Archaeological Museum where you can admire the fascinating collection of Cypriot artefacts and treasures of inestimable value. We continue to the old town of Nicosia (Laiki Yitonia), across the checkpoint, we will be guided to the Caravanserai, Buyuk Han, one of the best preserved Ottoman architecture. The Buyuk Han stands in the centre of the traditional market, within the walls, nearby the Selimiye Mosque, known formerly as the St. Sophia Cathedral. On our return we will visit the characteristic village of Lefkara, famous for the local lace known as Lefkaritica and for the processing of silver. Return to the hotel in the afternoon. Overnight in Limassol.