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Costumed dancers, traditional musicians, and lots of eating and drinking help celebrate the olive harvest. Most events are held in and around the floodlit Kyrenia Castle (see Kyrenia Castle).

The Kyrenia Oscar Resort offers spacious rooms and suites, a pool and a location near one of the region’s best beaches.

Toppled ramparts mark the site of this Crusader keep.

Not for those on a tight budget, this French restaurant has a claim to be the best eating place in Limassol, and perhaps Cyprus, and has received international acclaim. The menu is a gourmet’s delight.

Delicate hand-made lace from Lefkara and Omodos has been famous for centuries.

Purportedly named after a colonial cavalry officer’s favourite mare, this long stretch of gently shelving sand only a short drive from Limassol is surprisingly undeveloped, with just one small restaurant-bar which also rents out sun-loungers.

In southern Cyprus almost everyone speaks Greek, with only a handful of Turkish speakers. In the North, it’s the reverse. Cypriot Greek is a broad dialect that even native Greek speakers from Greece itself sometimes have trouble understanding. Mainland Turks have the same problem with Cypriot Turkish. In both communities, English is a widely spoken, semi-official language – southern road signs are in English and Greek.

The lemon-growing village of Lapta throws a lively annual party in honour of the yellow citrus fruit that has been emblematic of Cyprus for centuries

Super beaches lie on each side of Cape Lara. South of the cape, there’s almost 2 km (1 mile) of uncrowded sand, while to the north there’s a shallow bay frequented by loggerhead turtles (see Lara Bay).The turtle protection group arranges occasional night-time walks along the beach in egg-laying season, when you can see the turtles struggling ashore. After laying, the eggs are carefully removed to a protected area on the beach where they are safe from dogs, foxes and other predators (see Lara Bay).