7 Perfect Road Trips
The spring entices us to visit the mountains and enjoy the unparalleled marvel of Cypriot nature during the most beautiful time of the year.
We here at MyCyprusTravel.com have curated a few special routes for your very own unique road trips to various destinations around Cyprus that will both impress and help you relax with your friends.
NICOSIA DISTRICT
Farmakas
Farmakas is an idyllic Cypriot village located in the Troodos Mountains, only a forty kilometre journey from Nicosia. Once in the village, you will find ample parking next to the village church, the Community Council and Farmakas’s two traditional cafes.
What to See:
Visit the main village church dedicated to Ayia Irini, a domed church built in stone with a three-aisled Basilica, one of the few buildings of its kind on Cyprus. Then enjoy a coffee at the nearby coffee shop known as the ‘kafeneio’. Near Farmakas, the villages of Palaichori, Kampi, Gourri, and Fikardou can also be found as well as the Machairas Monastery, which you can visit.
Machairas Monastery
Where to Eat:
> Ierampelos, Farmakas
The Santa Irene winery’s restaurant deserves a stop to sample their abundant Sunday buffet (€17 per person) inspired by the flavours of Cypriot, Greek and international cuisines and prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Save your appetite for the amazing homemade Greek-style sweet ‘galaktobourekko’ – phyllo dough with cream and syrup. Note that for every four people, the restaurant offers a free bottle of Santa Irene wine (22515515).
> Potamos, Kampi
Pass by Palaichori village and make a left turn at the Farmakas sign; a little further down, you will find the village of Kampi and the Potamos restaurant (22643315). This restaurant is built above the river with huge glass windows where you can enjoy the idyllic view while dining, and there’s a fireplace for added cosiness! Its meze are delicious (€14 per person) and you will be delighted with the pickled quail eggs. At the end, the owner, Soteris, will serve you honeyed pishies, a traditional Cypriot dessert.
The Famed Kalopanayiotis
The village of Kalopanayiotis is located in the Troodos mountain range within the Marathasa Valley in the Nicosia district. It’s one of the most beautiful villages on the island, featuring thermal springs, traditional architecture and panoramic views of the valley. Kalopanayiotis is ideal for agro-tourism as it is situated in a peaceful natural landscape.
What to See:
The Monastery of Ayios Ioannis the Lampadistis is located on the eastern bank of the Setrahos River, opposite the old neighbourhood of the village. It is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site along with nine other frescoed Byzantine churches located in Troodos. Other interesting sights to visit in the village are the Venetian Bridge and the Kykkos watermill. The village also has hot springs, which are located near the banks of the Setrahos River next to the Venetian Bridge. The healing properties of the sulphurous waters of Kalopanayiotis have been known since ancient times.
Ayios Ioannis Lampastitis
Where to Eat:
Visit the Palio Cinema tavern (99130275 & 99191026, Markou Drakou 44Α, Kalopanayiotis) where you can enjoy Cypriot meze and delight in Angie’s ‘makaronia tou fournou’. With a rich béchamel sauce that does not scrimp in the filling, generous portions are served in clay dishes. You’ll love it! Alternatively, you can go to Tsimpimatouthkia, a purely Cypriot delicatessen where you can enjoy endless authentic meze meant to be shared with your friends and family, all made with locally sourced ingredients and products! For a chilled coffee or drinks after your meal, you may visit the retro café-bar KafeOinos (99789331). If, however, you crave something more substantial than meze, you can go to one of the two Casale Panayiotis restaurants, the Vyzantino or the brand new Loutraki, which offer amazing views and creative cuisine with a Cypriot twist on international gastronomy.
LIMASSOL DISTRICT
Discover Anogyra
If you are in Limassol, take the opportunity to visit to the beautiful, traditional village of Anogyra, where the Cypriot pastelli is made from carob. On location there is the Anogyra Carob Museum.
What to See:
The impressive Timios Stavros Monastery gracing the lovely village is worth a visit. Next to the village square there is an old olive press where you can see the millstone that they used to grind olives and the clamp used to extract the oil from crushed olives.
Where to Eat:
The traditional tavern Anogyra (99 795468) offers Cypriot meze, while Nikolas’s Restaurant offers traditional cuisine (25221584) and is located just outside the village.
Let’s Go to Platres for Fresh Trout
Platres is perhaps one of the most famous Cypriot villages and one of the most popular destinations for mini-excursions. What better than a village in the foothills of Troodos with hospitable residents, a wonderful climate, and places to stay and eat, all amid a dreamy natural environment with forest scents everywhere? Even the famous Greek poet Seferis said: ‘The nightingales don’t let you sleep in Platres.’
What to See:
There are many things to do and see in the village, from the Caledonia and Millomeris waterfalls to the chocolate factory and numerous hotels that many famous people have visited over the years!
Where to Eat:
There are four taverns that operate year-round in Platres as well as all the hotels which also provide coffee and food. You may go and eat with a view of the verdant village landscape while listening to the river’s gargling waters. The village restaurants are The Anoi (25422900), Mimis Tavern (25421449), Pigasos (25421744) and the Skylight (25422244). Enjoy the meze and grilled dishes as well as the famed trout served in all the restaurants in the village. Additionally, you should pay the Forest Park Hotel a visit for your dessert and try its unique lavender-flavoured ice cream, the only place you can find such a delicacy in the whole of Cyprus.
LARNACA DISTRICT
A Trip to Lefkara, Kato Drys, Tohni and Psematismenos
As you travel the main road from Larnaca to Limassol, you will come across the beautiful villages of Lefkara, Kato Drys, Tohni and Psematismenos which are full of local tradition and wait for you to discover them on a walk through their stone-paved alleys.
Kato Drys Village
What to See:
Walk up to the top of the Sotira hill in Lefkara to enjoy the fantastic views that reach all the way to the sea. If Kato Drys is the place that ends up winning you over—which it is sure to do—then visit the Museum of Folk Art (24342833) and learn about the history of the village. The Ayia Marina Church in Psematismenos, with its ancient roots, dates to the sixteenth century. And since you happen to be in the area, make sure you pass by the Ayios Andronikos and Ayia Athanasias chapel, a truly wonderful Byzantine masterpiece that is approximately 600 years old.
Where to Eat:
> Elli’s Jar, Kato Drys
Gather a party of six people or more and make a reservation a week in advance to enjoy the best breakfast at Elli’s Jar, which will open its doors just for you. Drink coffee, try homemade bread, cheeses, eggs and much more and of course do not leave without first having tried Elli’s fantastic homemade marmalades which she makes with her mum (€10 per person). Simple, charming and private. On your way out, buy some of their homemade marmalades and chutneys.
(96476265)
> Tasties, Pano Lefkara
In the heart of Pano Lefkara lies an amazing house with a blooming garden and a hospitable hostess who awaits you with coffee and food. Its menu includes a few choice dishes from international cuisine all made with the freshest ingredients, from salmon with vegetables all the way to the traditional roast. When the weather starts getting chilly, enjoy a vegetable soup served with rustic sourdough bread (€8).
(24343411)
> Vavatsinia Tavern, Vavatsinia
In this tavern at the centre of the village, Mr. Takis has been serving tasty Cypriot meze for the past twenty-two years. He opens every day except Wednesdays, and he is famous for his koupepia, fried taro and of course his meze (€15 per person).
(99342780)
> Tohni Tavern, Tohni
With a view towards the sea and the church of Ayia Eleni in the picturesque village square, enjoy a traditional meze cooked on the grill (€19.50 per person). In this special tavern, you can adapt the menu to your taste.
(24332998)
PAFOS DISTRICT
Miliou Is Wonderful!
The village is small but gorgeous and provides an insight into natural landscapes and history.
What to See:
The thirteenth-century chapel Ayii Anargyri is located in the garden of the Ayii Anargyri Natural Healing Spa Resort. There is also the circular nature trail Anerades, beginning and ending at the village entrance.
Chapel of Ayii Anargyri
Where to Eat:
Visit one of the two restaurants in the hotel; Kava is open only for dinner and serves gourmet dishes while Amaroula is open all day long and serves international and Cypriot cuisine. In the village square you will find the renowned Pagkratios tavern (70003757), which is housed in a restored building from 1847. It offers traditional meze as well as grilled dishes and various other dishes such as kleftiko. Additionally the Kafeneio i Miliou also serves traditional meze and grilled dishes.
Lysos is Magical
Beautiful Lysos is located approximately 40 kilometres northeast of Paphos. The village seems small and almost abandoned, but in past decades it was a bustling town with beautiful stone-built houses, many of which were two stories. Lysos is located very near Stavros tis Psokas and is territorially the largest village in the Paphos district.
What to See:
Driving through the villages of Tsada, Stroumpi, Kathika and Miliou and up the hill passing through the neighbouring villages of Meladia, Peristerona and Steni, the route to Lysos is scenic and beautiful. In the northwest, it connects with the village Pelathousa and from there on to Poli Chrysochous. In the northeast, it connects with Stavros tis Psokas, the Kykkos Monastery and the Troodos Mountains resorts. The villages are full of churches and chapels, most notably the church of Panayia Chryseleousa in Empa, which was built at the end of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth centuries.
What to Do:
Lysos has two nature trails for hiking or cycling; one route is six kilometres long and the other twelve kilometres.
Lysos also has a beautiful ranch located towards the Stavros tis Psokas forest station which belongs to Caroline, a British citizen who decided to relocate to Cyprus and create a horse ranch here. There you can ride for an hour at 40 euros per person, or for two hours at 70 euros per person. For more information 99777624, Caroline / www.rideincyprus.com.
Where to Eat:
Lysos has a small café-restaurant called the Lysos Tavern located in the centre of the village. It offers Cypriot meze at 12.50 euros per person. You can eat tasty souvlaki, sheftalies and grilled dishes. (99876916), Mondays to Sundays 07.00-23.00.
Very near Lysos you can also find very good taverns that are all located in the surrounding villages, only a few kilometres away.
> Giannis Tavern, Kathikas (26633353)
> Petradaki Tavern, Kathikas (26814191)
> Pagkratios, Miliou (70003757)
> Letympou, Letympou village (26642614)
