Nicosia

Tours

Begin with a hotel pickup and start your journey with a visit to Lefkara village, famous for its lace and silver-making traditions. Stroll along the picturesque stone-paved streets and take beautiful pictures. Next, stop at one of the most scenic places in Larnaca: a famous salt lake. Visit Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, then navigate Finikoudes Promenade and discover the Church of Saint Lazarus, where you can touch holy relics, wash your face with holy water, and pray for the cure from various diseases. Conclude your trip with a visit to the old part of Nicosia, the only capital city in the world divided by the ‘Green Line’. Finally, be dropped off back at your accommodation.

A guide will pick you up from a location of your choice and you’ll be driven around carefully selected villages to visit locals making traditional products and taste Cypriot delicacies. One of these stops will be an award-winning winery where you'll try a selection of wines and discover a variety of indigenous grape varieties. You’ll learn about the ingredients, the making process, and the traditions linked to the products. Part of the touring will be visiting villages where you’ll have time to explore and see the sites. Along the way, the group will stop at a local tavern to feast on a selection of Cypriot dishes with a full meze lunch. We keep our tours authentic by visiting true locals and because these local villagers are busy with every day life – we cannot guarantee which stops we’ll be including… However, here’s an example list of products which are likely to be included – Halloumi Cheese, Honey, Olive Oil, Village Breads, Traditional Sweets, Wine etc. We guarantee a great day out and you can be sure that you’ll visit 5 fantastic places within the Troodos mountain villages and experience a foodie day tour like no other!

Heading toward Nicosia making a convenience stop at Choirokoitia on the way. Arriving in Nicosia we will first visit the Cathedral of St John and then proceed on foot (weather permitting) through the narrow streets of the old quarter until we reach the “Laiki Yitonia” with its colourful cafes, tavernas and shops. There will 2 hours free time for lunch (not included), shopping or visiting the museum. If you bring your passport, it is also possible to cross the green line to visit the occupied part of Nicosia (optional).

Embark on a full-day food and wine adventure in the scenic Troodos Mountains designed to showcase Cypriot food and wine. With roundtrip transportation included, visit remote villages, taste regional products, and try delicious local wines. Begin with pickup from a location of your choice and head to the Troodos Mountains. Visit villages and carefully selected wineries, stopping for lunch to feast on a selection of Cypriot dishes and enjoy a full meze spread. At 3 family-owned wineries, learn all about the wine-making process and Cypriot indigenous grape varieties. There are many different wines for tasting including the world-famous Commanadaria.

Enjoy the convenience of being picked up from your accommodation. Meet your local guide and learn about the local food and wine offerings. Drive to a Troodos mountain village and visit a family-owned boutique winery. Take a tour of the facility and enjoy a wine tasting. Continue to a quaint village where you’ll have a chance to wander the cobbled streets and take in the picturesque scenery. Visit the local church, monastery, and local craft shops. As you explore the village, stop for a food tasting. After exploring the village, sit down for a trqditional meze lunch and drinks. Relax and watch the world go by.

Gain insights into the current situation in Nicosia's Buffer Zone (Green Line) as you explore streets that are hard to discover without the experience of a local guide. You will see the Venetian walls and how they form a border around the old city, so unusual that once seen on a map will never be forgotten as a design synonymous with the unique shape of this ancient fortification. Our meeting point is located in a central location in the west of Nicosia and close to the old city. We will meet at a convenient parking lot where facilities are available, just before the Ledra Palace Hotel Checkpoint. The main bus station is an 8-minute walk from our meeting point. We shall commence our walk inside the buffer zone and then explore the south side of the city and follow the infamous “Green line” that cuts through the center, separating the city into southern and northern sections. This division has kept the two major communities of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots apart for more than four decades. Our journey begins at the Ledra Palace Hotel, known in its era as the largest and most majestic hotel in the capital. You will witness life having evolved along either side of this schism, something once impossible to do until recent agreements between the two sides to open border crossings. We will explore Ledra Street located at the heart of the aforementioned walled city now, once again rekindled to one of the most popular pedestrian commercial streets. See abandoned buildings reclaimed by nature through decades of lost time and scarred by bullet holes, military outposts, and barricades. We end our walk in the old quarter of the City by the Ledra Street checkpoint, where I will guide you if you want to explore the North side of Lefkosia.

Travel through the Troodos region for a traditional cheese-making workshop in a local village on this full-day trip. Make some additional stops to taste some local products along the way. Choose from pickup in Ayia Napa, Protaras, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos, and Larnaca. Be picked up from your accommodation and sit back and relax on the scenic trip into the Troodos villages. Stop at a local village for a hands-on workshop in cheesemaking. Listen as you learn about Cypriot food and history from locals.  Taste fresh cheeses and have a delicious traditional brunch. Continue your journey with a trip into the Troodos countryside. Enjoy the mountain scenery as you explore with 3 bonus stops along the way. Return to your accommodation at the end of your tour. 

Visit the fairytale fortress of Saint Hilarion Castle in the Kyrenia mountain range of Cyprus and get 1.5 hours to explore the former monastery, named after a monk who chose the location for his hermitage in the 10th century. Move on to the ruins of 13th-century Bellapais Abbey in the Five Fingers Mountains region of Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus. Enjoy a 30-minute coffee break before driving to the harbor town of Kyrenia on the northern coast visitong Kyrenia Castle. Get some time to explore the town, founded by the Achaeans tribe after the Trojan War.  Next, explore the divided capital city of Nicosia and enjoy lunch in the Ottoman-era Great Han. Experience both the Greek and Turkish areas of the walled city at sites such as the large caravanserai of the Büyük Han and the amazing Selimiye Mosque, converted from a Catholic cathedral following the Ottoman siege of the city in 1570. 

Explore the captivating narrative of Nicosia, the captivating capital of Cyprus, which stands as one of the last cities in the world that remains divided. As you embark on this journey, your guide will accompany you through the southern part of Nicosia, sharing intriguing insights about the city. Prepare to be enchanted as you discover Nicosia's Old Town, where notable landmarks like the Monument to Liberty and St. John's Cathedral reside. Despite its unassuming exterior, the interior of St. John's Cathedral will amaze you. Immerse yourself in a delightful walking tour of the historic old town, enclosed within the Venetian Walls and primarily designated as a car-free zone. Venture towards the Leventis Museum before crossing the green line, where you'll explore the fascinating St. Sophia Cathedral. Ample leisure time will be offered for shopping or enjoying a delicious lunch at your own pace.

On our way from Paphos we will visit the Ayia Paraskevi Church in Yeroskipou. This church is worldwide recognized as an extremely significant example of Byzantine architecture. In Yeroskipou we will have the opportunity to sample and buy the local made delights. We will then discover the archaeological remains of Kourion - which was one of the island’s most important city-kingdoms in antiquity - are of the most impressive on the island, and excavations have unearthed many significant finds, which can be viewed at the site. The tour will continue to the Omodos village where we will have a lunch in a traditional Cyprus tavern. Wine tasting in a traditional winery will follow. On the way back we will stop at the Aphrodite’s Rock - Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite. Lunch is included in the price.