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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

Start the day in Ktima, or upper Pafos, with a visit to the Covered Market (see Covered Market, Ktima Pafos), where you’ll find lace, embroidery, ceramics and leather goods on sale and an array of open-air stalls selling everything the Cypriot housewife could wish for, from kebab skewers to fresh fruit and vegetables. From here, walk up to the town’s only relic of its Ottoman past, the Cami Kebir (Grand Mosque), standing desolate and padlocked in the heart of Ktima’s oldest quarter.

A stroll back along Makariou, Ktima’s main street, takes you through the Central Park with its fountains and cafés to the unassuming Ethnographical Museum and, within sight of it, the much more imposing Byzantine Museum, guarded by a bust of Archbishop Makarios. The highlight of its collection is the icon of Agia Marina, dating from the 8th century AD – one of the oldest in the world.

To avoid a long, hot walk, return to the taxi stand on the town’s main square, close to the corner of Makariou and Evagora Pallikaridi streets, and take a five-minute ride to view the Archaeological Museum’s collection, which spans the millennia between the Bronze Age and the Byzantine era. Then, having whetted your appetite for ancient arcana, take another cab to Kato Pafos (see Kato Pafos Archaeological Park) to see the preserved mosaics of this Roman villa complex.

Continue the Roman theme with lunch at the Roman Restaurant (see Roman Restaurant, Pafos).

The superb mosaics that adorned the floors of lavish villas built at Pafos in its Roman Imperial heyday are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today they are one of the island’s top historical attractions (see Kato Pafos Archaeological Park).

Legend claims that Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, was born from the sea-foam on this pebbly bay, which is dominated by rugged limestone crags rising from the sea. Other myths say these boulders were hurled at the ships of Saracen corsairs by Digenis Akritas, the paladin of the Byzantine frontier.

Starting by the harbour, take in Pafos’s main sights in a 5-km (3-mile) ride.

Kolpos ton Koralion, only 8 km (5 miles) north of Pafos, is called Coral Bay by everyone. The sweep of fine sand, covered by rows of sunbeds all summer, is popular with young Cypriots from Larnaca and Limassol. It also hosts live pop concerts on summer evenings (see Coral Bay).

The hillsides and headlands of the Akamas form the island’s last undeveloped frontier. Here, on Cyprus’s only uncrowded beaches, turtles come each year to nest (see Akamas Peninsula).

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).

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.

The towering cedars with their spreading green boughs give this valley high in the Tripylos mountain forest its name and aromatic scent. They are the same as the “cedars of Lebanon” mentioned in the Old Testament and prized by the shipbuilders of the ancient world. They grow at altitudes above 900 m (3,000 ft) and are only found here, in the Lebanon, Morocco and the Himalayas.

This tiny fishing haven served as the seaport of nearby Polis in bygone days, but is beginning to be discovered by holidaymakers, with a scattering of small hotels and tavernas on the harbour and along the sand.

A long sand-and-pebble beach stretches eastwards along Chryssochou Bay (see Chryssochou Bay, Polis), a 15-minute walk from the centre of Polis – the fastest-growing little resort in western Cyprus. There are less crowded stretches of sand and shingle to the west of the village too. If you’re hungry there is a pleasant open-air bar-restaurant and a picnic area beneath eucalyptus trees.

This visitor attraction has dozens of different thrills, spills, chutes and pools (see Aphrodite Waterpark, Pafos).

Cyprus has perfect golfing weather for much of the year, though some may find July and August uncomfortably hot. Courses on the island, all 18-hole, include the international standard Aphrodite Hills, as well as the Tsada, the Secret Valley and the Elias Country clubs.

You don’t have to be superfit to explore Cyprus by mountain bike. Around the resorts there is plenty of fairly flat farmland, and it doesn’t take long to find yourself among rolling fields and woodland. With its network of rugged tracks – suitable only for mountain bikes or 4WD vehicles – the Akamas Peninsula is ideal territory. Cyprus hosts two annual mountain bike races, the Afxentia International each spring and the Agia Napa International each November.

This is a fairly gentle amble in the woods, from the Presidential Forest Lodge (where Cypriot presidents come to cool off and think things over) to the famous waterfall in its wooded ravine (see Kaledonia Falls). Following the course of the aptly named Kryos Potamos (“Cold River”) which never dries up and is perfect for cooling hot feet, look out for birds, butterflies and abundant wild flowers in spring and early summer. Expect to complete the walk in less than two hours at an easy pace.

A breathtaking panorama rewards walkers on this circular trail, which passes through forests of black pine and centuries-old juniper on its way around the slopes of Mount Olympus, the highest summit of the Troodos massif. Starting and finishing in the square at the centre of the Troodos Resort, the 12-km (7.5-mile) walk takes around five hours.

Although the summit of Mount Olympus can be reached by car, hiking to the peak on foot offers a greater sense of achievement. Start from the Troodos resort car park and follow the signposted Atalante Trail, which is waymarked by strategically positioned red dots. Following the 1,750-m (5,750-ft) contour, this is an undemanding walk for most of the way, through pine and juniper woods, where birds and butterflies flit and with glimpses of the sea and the plains far below. Covering a little over 16 km (10 miles) and only 200 m (650 ft) in altitude, this walk can be completed in a morning by anyone of reasonable fitness, but comfortable trainers or walking boots, water and – especially in summer – a hat and sunblock are musts.

After around three hours, the so-called Atalante Trail connects with the Artemis Trail (see Artemis Trail) and a detour upward to the summit (you can’t miss the giant radar masts and telecom towers) then loops back down to the Troodos resort. En route you will pass mineral formations and information markers supplied by the tourist office that point out the indigenous plants and wildlife of the region.

At the summit are the ruins of a 16th-century Venetian fortress, built in a vain attempt to defend the island against the invading Ottomans.

Your walk completed, enjoy a lunch of fresh trout in Pano Platres.

Cyprus owes most of its favourite dishes – from meze to baklava to doner kebab – to the Turks, who also introduced coffee to the island. Other empires contributed to the wine list: Commandaria was first made at Kolossi for the crusader Knights of St John. Red wines were introduced by the Lusignans, while fruity white hock and dry sherry were 19th-century British innovations.

Meze is the keynote of Cypriot cooking – not a single dish, but a massive medley of little samples including delicious dips; tasty prawns, whitebait, squid and other fish; sausages; grilled cheese; and fruit or vegetables that are in season. It’s all accompanied by local wine, beer or ouzo .

Grilled halloumi cheese has a chewy texture and is strongly flavoured. It usually accompanies smoked pork, sausages or meat rissoles.

Lean cubes of tender pork, marinated overnight in red wine and flavoured with cumin, cinnamon, coriander and pepper are the mainstay of this quintessentially Greek Cypriot casserole dish.

Bite-sized smoked sausages are a must with virtually every meze meal.

KEO brews the island’s favourite lager beer and a wide range of red, white and sherry-style wines, as well as dessert wines and local versions of international fizzy drinks and mixers. The tour of KEO’s modern winery and brewery in Limassol takes about 30 minutes, followed by a tasting session, and is a great way to get to know Cypriot vintages.

Brewed in Cyprus are KEO, Carlsberg and Five Beer, plus Leon – first produced in 1937 and recently reintroduced. Most foreign beers are also available everywhere.

Drunk on its own or in a variety of cocktails. The brandy sour is the island’s own cocktail and very palatable.

Beneath the jagged sierra of the Kyrenia range, this city is home to a pleasant collection of shops, restaurants and hotels around and above a superb natural harbour. It is dominated by the battlements of a massive Venetian sea-fort that withstood every assault for centuries until, in 1570, its defenders surrendered to the Ottomans. The North’s best hotels arefound either side of the city (see Northern Cyprus Resorts; also see Northern Cyprus Hotels).

The peninsula’s salt lake is a refuge in winter for bright pink flamingoes and other migrant birds.

A jagged and often snow-capped massif, Olympus shares its name with the home of the gods on the Greek mainland. At 1,950 m (6,400 ft), its highest summit, Chionistra, can be seen all over the island (see Mount Olympus).

This resort has a reputation as the liveliest spot in Cyprus, with great beaches, water sports and a huge number of bars, cafés and restaurants catering to every taste (see Agia Napa).

Within Venetian ramparts, Famagusta conceals a wealth of Gothic and Islamic architecture. At its heart is the Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque, originally the cathedral of St Nicholas, with its graceful Gothic porticoes and sixpaned rose window. Huge stone cannon-balls, relics of the eight-month siege of the city in 1570, lie in the streets, while overlooking the harbour is the “Othello Tower”, so called because Famagusta was the main setting for Shakespeare’s play.

Pretty plates, bowls and pitchers in traditional patterns make great gifts, and there are plenty of imaginatively-painted modern pieces too.

Now almost extinct in the wild, this rare native sheep can be seen in sanctuaries.

Makarios (1913–77) led the independence campaign and was Cyprus’s first president.

In 1983 the northern part of the island declared itself independent as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). It was, and continues to be, recognized only by Turkey.