Cyprus mountains. Let’s explore Troodos!

Vedere din satul Kalopanayiotis ce vizitezi în munții din Cipru

Summer is perfect for hiking and visiting villages, wineries, monasteries and waterfalls and winter for skiing. Don’t expect to find in Cyprus mountains resorts like in the European mountains around here, but for the locals it’s enough to enjoy a sleigh ride and some skiing.

I liked to explore the villages of Troodos, some almost deserted, I also looked for the beautiful Venetian bridges, I also checked monasteries and waterfalls. It is also worth visiting the dams at the base of the mountains.

***

TOP destinations

Troodos Square and the monasteries

📌I think that Troodos means primarily The Square – with shops, restaurants and some accommodation. It is the point of attraction for both tourists and Cypriots. On days off, it’s hard to find a place to park in the area… From what I’ve seen there, the prices are higher than in the seaside areas. But, what I like to try there are the traditional sweets, especially caramelized hazelnuts.

📌Then, if you still got there, you only have about 30 km to the most famous monastery on the Island – Kykkos. It is a must see and the route is beautiful to get there.

Cyprus mountains Kykkos monastery
Cyprus mountains Kykkos monastery

If you get there, don’t miss going up to the tomb of Makariou III, the archbishop (1950-1977) but also the president of Cyprus (1960-1977). I think there is no town on the island that does not have a street named after him.

📌Another super famous monastery and sought after by tourists is Machairas.

 

Cyprus mountains Machairas monastery
Cyprus mountains Machairas monastery

***

Cyprus mountains have storytale villages

Cyprus has beautiful villages. And there are so many that are worth exploring that it is difficult for me to make a ranking.

📌 Kakopetria – it is the best known and the most sought after I think by the locals. It is a mountain resort with many modern accommodations. The main attraction is the old village and the restored and well-maintained houses there.

Cyprus mountains Kakopetria village
Cyprus mountains Kakopetria village

📌 Omodos – The village on the wine route. The narrow streets are a pleasure to explore and the wine shops are not to be missed.

📌 Agros – Tourist village, famous for the rose festival and for the beautiful landscape. And for the bottled water you’ll find everywhere.

Cyprus mountains Agros village
Cyprus mountains Agros village

📌 Platres – It was once a famous resort and now there are some plans to revive the area. It is a beautiful village worth visiting.

📌 Lefkara – It is the village with embroidery. 🙂 Kato Lefkara and Pano Lefkara are both worth visiting.

📌 Fikardou – Village with 6 inhabitants. A gorgeous village, frozen in time, very well maintained, where every minute spent is worth it.

Cyprus mountains Fikardou village
Cyprus mountains Fikardou village

📌Kalopanayiotis – Here the visiting route starts from Kalopanayiotis and continues with the rest of the villages lined up on the way up to the Troodos Square.

Most of the mountain villages are beautiful and have a history that is waiting to be discovered!

Usually it’s worth leaving the car parked somewhere and walking along the old stone streets. Even if you often feel like you’re walking into their homes, the locals are used to tourists and I’ve never seen them bothered by me taking pictures of their yards.

In general, the villages are not very big, so they can be covered on foot in about an hour, an hour and a half.

***

Waterfalls and venetian bridges in Cyprus mountains

The most famous waterfall in Troodos is Kalidonia. But, on the same route you can also reach Millomeris and Chantara.

🚩📽 A short video from Kalidonia to convince you how beautiful it is 👉 Waterfalls in Cyprus

From Limassol – Troodos route we only did the Kalidonia waterfall. The climb is not difficult and takes more than half an hour. The waterfall is not big, but it is pleasant to walk along the stream, in the shade of the trees.

Cyprus mountains Kalidonia waterfall
Cyprus mountains Kalidonia waterfall

📌The only Venetian bridge we have reached so far is Tzelefos. It’s easy to reach by car and with how much green you have and how well maintained the bridge is, it’s worth putting it on the must see list in Cyprus.

Two other Venetian bridges worth seeing are Elia Bridge, Paphos/Limassol district and Akapnou Bridge, in Limassol district.

Cyprus mountains Tselefos Medieval bridge
Cyprus mountains Tselefos Medieval bridge

***

INFO Troodos

📌The most frequently used access to Troodos is the one from Limassol. It is approximately 43 km from Limassol to the plateau in Troodos.

After another 4 km you reach Olympus Peak.

📌There is no highway, but the road is easy to travel. At the end of the week and on public holidays, expect it to be crowded because the locals also go out for a ride.

📌You can gt there with a car or book an excursion.

📌In the winter time some of the roads migh be closed for one or two days because of the snow.

📌Troodos is the mountain range of Cyprus with a maximum height of 1,952 – Mount Olympus.

📌Troodos was formed 90 million years ago, but saw the light of day underwater 20 million years ago. This is if you find seashells on a mountain top and you’re curious about how old they are.

***

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *