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Visit the highest peak of the Troodos range for fantastic views over the mountains and down to the sea. It’s a welcome breath of cool mountain air in summer and, from January to early March, a skier’s delight. The 1,950-m (6,400-ft) peak shares its name with the much higher mountain that was the legendary home of Zeus and the rest of the Greek gods on mainland Greece, and with other summits in the Greek islands and Asia Minor. It is also known as Chionistra or “the snowy one” (see Mount Olympus).

Traditional Cypriot music uses instruments unchanged since Byzantine times, such as the long-necked lute (laouto ) and reed pipe (avlos ) used by the Greeks and the Turkish short-necked lute (ut ), finger-cymbals (kasat ) and Turkish oboe (zorna ).

Cyprus’s capital city is a mélange of medieval, colonial and modern influences. Within the brooding ramparts built by the Venetians are the narrow pedestrian streets and prettily restored buildings of the Laiki Geitonia pedestrianized district, full of souvenir shops and cafés. But the city also offers more than a day’s worth of museums and heritage sites celebrating every aspect of the Nicosia’s history, from its ancient past to its traditional crafts (see Nicosia Walled City).

Pafos is really two towns in one – Kato (“lower”) Pafos and Ktima (“upper Pafos”). Kato Pafos was one of the island’s most important seaports during the Middle Ages, then fell into decline and languished for centuries until tourism and the rediscovery of its famed mosaics turned it into a burgeoning resort town. Today, luxury hotels spread along the coast, east to west, and a modern centre is packed with souvenir shops, bars, cafés, nightspots and restaurants. Ktima, only 3 km (2 miles) inland, seems a world away from the tourist hype, being traditionally Cypriot, with authentic cafés and tavernas that cater to local tastes. Three museums in Ktima – ethnographical, archaeological and Byzantine – are well worth making time to see, each reflecting different eras on the island. Midway between the two are the eerie Tombs of the Kings, carved into a rocky hillside. Wealthy residents of the ancient city were entombed in these stone chambers from around the 3rd century. Despite their name, there’s no evidence that Pafian royalty is buried here (see Kato Pafos Archaeological Park).

Archaeological Museum, Pafos

Byzantine museum, Pafos