DK Travel : Cyprus : Places of interest

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Northern Nicosia

Crumbling old houses and a cheerful clutter of bazaars surround the medieval monuments of the Turkish half of the divided city. The Selimiye Mosque – a picturesque hybrid of medieval Christian and Islamic architecture – is the city’s most prominent landmark.
Ocean Aquarium, Protaras

It may be difficult to tear the kids away from this cool cavern full of tanks housing scary piranhas and sharks, menacing morays, stingrays and hundreds of other fascinating denizens of the underwater world. It may be even more difficult to persuade them to go back in the water after they have seen what may lurk beneath. In the aquarium gardens there are also crocodile and turtle ponds and a penguin house.
Ostrich Park, Malounda

Flocks of long-necked ostriches roam in the fields of Europe’s largest ostrich ranch. A mini-train carries families around the park to admire these eccentric flightless birds in a safari-style habitat. There’s also a restaurant serving ostrich burgers and steaks for lunch, after which you can browse in the entertaining on-site shop, where you can buy gigantic ostrich egg ornaments or fresh eggs to cook a family-size omelette.
Pafos

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
Pegeia

Pegeia’s buildings are set among fields and farmland inland of Coral Bay (see Coral Bay). Between the cobbled central square, with its fountains, and the former fishing harbour are foundations of two early Christian churches, with fine mosaic floors.
Pierides Foundation Museum, Larnaka

The Pierides Museum was founded by a wealthy collector and philanthropist, and displays as its most colourful and interesting exhibits village costumes and old-fashioned tools and farm implements that, astonishingly, only ceased to be in everyday use as recently as a decade ago. There’s also a huge collection of delicate Roman glass and some fine old embroidery, lace and silver jewellery. In addition, this well laid-out collection features some fascinating ancient relics, most notably the famous “Howling Man”, a 5,000-year-old terracotta figure. Red-and-black bowls and vases and terracotta figures excavated from archaeological sites all over Cyprus have found a home here, as well as a collection of medieval maps, weapons and armour. The Pierides Foundation also sponsors Larnaca’s fossil museum (see Pierides Foundation Museum, Larnaka).
Pissouri

A hilltop location above a beach lapped by clear blue water makes Pissouri one of the most sought-after addresses on the south coast for expats. A great combination of peace and quiet, choice of places to eat and drink, and low-key nightlife.
Platres

Situated above a mountain stream that becomes a fierce torrent in winter and spring, Platres is the southern gateway to the Troodos ranges and the most popular spot in the region, with restaurants, souvenir shops and places to stay. It is also the ideal base for exploring the region, with walking and biking trails branching off in all directions, trout fishing available and a cool climate even in high summer. The village is divided into two districts: Pano (Upper) Platres, the main resort area, and traditional Kato (Lower) Platres.
Potamia

If you want to see the effects of the division of the island since 1974 on a rural community, Potamia is a good place to start. Until 1974, it was approximately half Greek and half Turkish Cypriot, but today only a handful of Turkish Cypriots remain, while exiled Greek Cypriots have moved into properties abandoned by those who left. The village overlooks the “buffer zone” that divides the south of the island from the occupied North. Potamia was also the site of a fortified royal villa, built in the 14th century for the Lusignan King James I but destroyed by Ottoman invaders 1426. A ruined shell on the outskirts of the modern village is all that now remains.
Potamiou

Tumbledown old houses with overhanging balconies grace the narrow streets of this village in the Troodos foothills.