Cyprus, the island of Saints and Gods

Day 1: Italy - Paphos

 

Meeting of the Participants and departure for Paphos. 

Upon arrival, meeting with the guide, transfer to Limassol, accommodation in reserved rooms, dinner and overnight.

 

Day 2: Limassol - Omodos, The Wine Village

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel, lunch at a restaurant during the visit.
 

      Limassol City Tour (Old Town, Old Port, Marina)

      Kolossi Castle

      Curium Archaeological Site

      Omodos Village

 

Our Limassol city tour will take you to the old city where the ancient medieval castle, the old port and the modern marina are located. We will then reach the castle of Kolossi, dating back to the 15th century and located a few kilometers from the city of Limassol. We continue to the ancient city-kingdom of Curium, with its well-preserved mosaics in the house of Eustolios, its amphitheater and its basilica. After visiting Curium we head to the picturesque village of Omodhos, which is located in the area of "Krasochoria" (the wine villages).

 

Day 3: Troodos - Kikkos 

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel, lunch at a restaurant during the visit.

 

      Kykkos monastery

      Kakopetria Village and Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis Church

      Galata churches of Unesco heritage (Church of Michael the Archangel and Church of Panayia Podithou)

 

We will spend a full day in the Troodos Mountains, home to one of the largest clusters of churches and monasteries in the former Byzantine Empire. We will cross the Marathassa valley and visit the Kykko monastery, the most famous of the island. In the surroundings of the village of Galata we will visit the painted post-Byzantine church of the Archangel Michael and finally the church of Panagia Podithou, dating back to the 15th century and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

 

Day 4: Nicosia - Kyrenia

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel, lunch at a restaurant during the visit.

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      Famagusta Gate

      St. John's Cathedral

      Laiki geitonia neighborhood

      Pedestrian border crossing at Ledra Street (on foot) between Northern Cyprus (Turkish part) and Republic of Cyprus (Greek part)

      Bellapais Abbey/ Kyrenia (castle and port)

      Border crossing at Agios Dometios (by bus): Border with Northern Cyprus, the most important crossing between the two states

 

Nicosia, the capital of the island and the last metropolis in the world to be divided: a green line that separates "the two Nicosias", the Turkish and the Greek. The heart of Nicosia is surrounded by 16th century Venetian walls. Stop at the Famagusta Gate, one of the three that gave access to the city and the only one well restored. Visit the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. We will stroll through the inviting narrow streets of Laiki Yitonia, the restored traditional quarter of old Lefkosia. After crossing the Green Line at the Ledra street checkpoint, we will continue with a walk through the picturesque and narrow streets of the old Turkish part of Lefkosia. 

We will admire Ayia Sophia (only seen from the outside), considered one of the most beautiful churches in the Middle East and crossing the plain of Mesaoria ("in the middle of the mountain ranges"), we reach the Bellapais Abbey. Leaving Bellapais, we reach the picturesque town of Kyrenia.

 

Day 5: Paphos

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel, lunch at a restaurant during the visit.

 

      Patra Tou Romiou (Birthplace of Aphrodite)

      Tombs of the Kings

      St. Paul's Pillar

      Mosaics

      Free time in the Port

      Church of Aya Paraskevi and Monastery of Ayios Neophytos

 

On the way to Paphos we make our first stop at Petra Tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, where the goddess emerged from the waters. We visit the Tombs of the Kings, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will visit the Chrysopolitissa Church built on the ruins of a Christian basilica. Next to the church is the "pillar of St. Paul", where according to tradition the apostle was imprisoned before the conversion of the Roman proconsul Sergio Paulo. We will see the splendid mosaics of the house of Dionysus, considered among the most beautiful in the eastern Mediterranean. We will then continue to the Monastery of Ayios Neophytos and a visit to the church of Ayia Paraskevi. We end the day in Paphos with the discovery of the monastery of Ayios Neophytos. 

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