Cyprus

Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily and Sardinia, set in the warm eastern part of the sea. It is a member of the European Union, Greek is the everyday language and English is widely spoken, so getting by is easy; traffic drives on the left, which is worth remembering if you plan to explore by car. Limassol on the south coast is the island’s liveliest resort city: a long palm-lined promenade runs beside the sea, yachts fill Limassol Marina, and the restored Old Port is lined with restaurants and cafés. In the old town, among narrow lanes, stands Limassol Castle, while the hills behind the city hold wine villages with family wineries, stone houses and monasteries. The coast on either side keeps traces of antiquity: to the east, the ruins of the ancient city of Amathus sit right by the sea; to the west, Kourion has an ancient theatre on a clifftop above the bay, mosaic floors in its excavated villas and views that are hard to leave. Further west, on the road to Paphos, Petra tou Romiou rises from the water — the rock where, according to legend, Aphrodite was born from the sea foam.

Paphos in the west is almost an open-air museum, and its ancient sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In the Paphos Archaeological Park the floors of Roman villas are covered with mosaics of scenes from Greek myths, among the finest in the eastern Mediterranean, while nearby, close to the shore, the Tombs of the Kings are rock-cut burial courts lined with columns, where local nobles were once laid to rest. By the harbour, where fishing boats and pleasure cruisers bob at their moorings, stands the small Paphos Castle, and the Kato Paphos promenade, with its cafés and tavernas, runs a long way along the sea. In the north-west, on Chrysochou Bay, lie the small town of Polis and the fishing harbour of Latchi — a quieter, greener side of Cyprus. This is where the Akamas peninsula begins: wild hills, gorges and coves of clear water, hiking trails and the Baths of Aphrodite, a shady grotto with a spring where the goddess is said to have bathed. From Latchi, boats run along the coast to the Blue Lagoon, where the water is turquoise and snorkelling is a joy.

At the heart of the island rise the Troodos mountains, with pine forests, cool air even in summer and mountain villages among vineyards and orchards. Byzantine churches and monasteries painted with frescoes are scattered across the range; ten of them are on the UNESCO list, many sheltered by distinctive steep wooden roofs. The southern slopes of Troodos produce Commandaria, a rich sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes and often called the oldest named wine still in production. No Cypriot table is complete without grilled halloumi and meze — a long procession of small dishes, from vegetables and cheeses to fish and meat. Sunny days are plentiful: summers are hot and dry, most rain falls in winter, and the sea is usually warm enough for swimming from around May to November, at its warmest in August. Spring and autumn suit walks in the mountains and on Akamas, and visits to ancient sites without the summer heat. Cyprus suits beach and sun lovers, families with children, couples, food and wine lovers, and travellers drawn to history and hiking — all across a long season from spring into late autumn.