Eleven thousand years, one island

The Roman villas of Dionysos, Theseus, Aion and Orpheus with the finest floor mosaics on the island, plus the Odeon, agora and the Saranta Kolones fortress, all inside one park inscribed by UNESCO in 1980.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; last ticket 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 4.50 EUR; Tombs of the Kings is a separate 2.50 EUR ticket; 1, 3 and 7 day cards 8.50, 17 and 25 EUR
• Phone: +357 26 306 217
• Address: Kato Paphos harbour, Paphos

Tip: Go straight to the House of Dionysos when the gate opens, before the coach groups. Partly wheelchair accessible with staff directions; ask at the ticket office.

Rock cut Hellenistic and Roman tombs with Doric columns and underground courtyards, part of the Paphos World Heritage property. Nobody royal was buried here; the name comes from the grandeur.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; last ticket 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 26 306 295
• Address: Tombs of the Kings Avenue, Kato Paphos

Tip: Steps and uneven rock throughout; wheelchairs can see the tombs from above only. Flat shoes and a hat, there is no shade in the courtyards.

The old city of Paphos and the sanctuary where Aphrodite was worshipped for over a thousand years, with the Lusignan manor house holding the local museum. Part of the 1980 UNESCO inscription.

• Hours: Tue to Sun 08:30 to 17:00 all year; closed Mondays since July 2024; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 4.50 EUR, one ticket for the site and the museum
• Phone: +357 26 432 155
• Address: Kouklia, Paphos district

Tip: Combine with Aphrodite's Rock, 5 minutes down the hill, and lunch in Kouklia square. Do not come on a Monday.

One of the best preserved Neolithic villages in the eastern Mediterranean, occupied from the 7th millennium BC, with round stone houses climbing the hill and five reconstructed dwellings at the bottom. UNESCO since 1998.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; last ticket 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 24 322 710
• Address: Choirokoitia, Larnaca district, 32 km from Larnaca and 48 km from Nicosia

Tip: The path up the hill is steep and not wheelchair accessible; the reconstructed huts by the entrance are. Allow an hour and pair it with Lefkara or Tenta.

St Nicholas of the Roof, an 11th century domed church wearing a second pitched timber roof, with wall paintings from the 11th to the 17th century. The only surviving monastery church of its type in Cyprus.

• Hours: 16 Apr to 15 Sep Tue to Sat 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; 16 Sep to 15 Apr Tue to Sat 10:00 to 16:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 484 423
• Address: Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, Kakopetria

Tip: The number is the custodian's mobile. Wheelchair accessible. No flash inside.

Three churches under one enormous timber roof, with frescoes from the 13th to the 16th century and a Latin chapel from the Venetian years, plus a small icon museum in the old school by the gate.

• Hours: Church Sep to Apr daily 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00, May to Aug daily 09:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 18:00; museum Mon to Sat 10:00 to 15:30 (Oct to Feb), 09:30 to 17:00 (Mar to May and Sep), 09:30 to 18:00 (Jun to Aug), closed Sundays; closed public holidays
• Prices: Church free; museum 1 EUR
• Phone: +357 22 953 460
• Address: Kalopanagiotis, Nicosia district

Tip: Museum enquiries on +357 22 932 414. Entrance ramp. Kalopanagiotis has cafes and a spa hotel, so it is the natural lunch stop on a Marathasa day.

Built in 1099 as a monastery church and painted over the following six centuries, Asinou has the most complete cycle of Byzantine wall paintings on the island and the most famous.

• Hours: 16 Apr to 15 Sep Tue to Sat 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; 16 Sep to 15 Apr Tue to Sat 10:00 to 16:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 830 329
• Address: Asinou, Nikitari, Nicosia district

Tip: The number is Father Kyriacos; the Nikitari community office is +357 22 852 534. Wheelchair accessible. There is a taverna beside the church.

A single aisled 12th century church whose frescoes are dated 1192 and signed by Theodoros Apsevdis, painted in the Constantinople style in the year Cyprus passed to the Lusignans. A 700 year old oak stands at the door.

• Hours: Winter Mon to Sat 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:30; summer Mon to Sat 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00; Sun 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:30; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 557 369
• Address: Lagoudera, Nicosia district

Tip: One of the few painted churches that opens on a Monday. Wheelchair accessible.

A tiny 13th century chapel whose frescoes are dated 1280, the only precisely dated 13th century cycle in Cyprus, with the donors Ioannis and Irene painted holding a model of their church.

• Hours: Winter Tue to Sun 08:00 to 15:00; summer Tue to Sun 08:00 to 17:30; also on request; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 97 733 480
• Address: Moutoullas, Nicosia district

Tip: The number is the custodian, Mrs Constantinidou; phone ahead if you are coming outside the posted hours. It is a five minute drive from Pedoulas and Kalopanagiotis.

Built and painted in 1474 by the local painter Minas, with the priest who paid for it shown with his wife and daughters above the door and the original wooden templon still in place.

• Hours: Winter daily 07:00 to 17:00; summer daily 07:00 to 19:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 953 636
• Address: Odos Archangelou Michail, Pedoulas

Tip: The longest hours of the ten. The village Byzantine Museum across the road (summer 11:00 to 17:00, winter 10:00 to 16:00, closed Mondays) holds Minas' icons; ask the price at the door as it is not published.

The Church of the Holy Cross, the only one of the ten in Limassol district, with apse frescoes dated 1171 to 1172 under a main cycle from the second half of the 14th century in the Palaiologan style.

• Hours: 16 Apr to 15 Sep Tue to Sat 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; 16 Sep to 15 Apr Tue to Sat 10:00 to 16:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 395 039
• Address: Pelendri, Limassol district

Tip: The number is the custodian, Mrs Georgiou. Easiest painted church from Limassol: about 40 minutes up through the wine villages.

A 1502 monastery church with Italo Byzantine paintings, one of four painted churches in Galata. The same custodian holds the keys to Agios Sozomenos and Archangelos Michael in the village, both by appointment.

• Hours: 16 Apr to 15 Sep Tue to Sat 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; 16 Sep to 15 Apr Tue to Sat 10:00 to 16:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 671 776
• Address: Galata, Nicosia district

Tip: Ring Mr Polyvios on the same number to see the other Galata churches in one visit. Entrance ramp and disabled toilets.

A 15th century church with a portico on all four sides, unique in Cyprus, and the most complete late 15th century painted cycle on the island, finished in 1494.

• Hours: By appointment only, all year; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 652 090
• Address: Platanistasa, Nicosia district

Tip: Phone Father Georgios Kourris a day ahead (mobile +357 99 677 216). The church is out on its own, so agree a meeting point in the village.

The Transfiguration chapel, an early 16th century timber roofed church with one of the most complete post Byzantine painting cycles in Cyprus. Added to the World Heritage list in 2001 as the tenth church.

• Hours: 16 Apr to 15 Sep Tue to Sat 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; 16 Sep to 15 Apr Tue to Sat 10:00 to 16:30, Sun 11:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Address: Palaichori, Nicosia district

Tip: Ask for the custodian, Mrs Riga, in the village square; the published phone number is misprinted, so we have left it out. The village Museum of Byzantine Heritage on the square (Tue to Fri 10:00 to 13:00, 2 EUR) includes a short tour.

The fortified headland where Mycenaean Greeks first settled in Cyprus around 1200 BC, with a small museum on the arrival of the Greeks built into the site.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 16:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 09:30 to 17:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 26 652 761
• Address: Coral Bay, Peyia

Tip: Not wheelchair accessible. Twenty minutes is enough; the reason to come is the view over Coral Bay.

Three Early Christian basilicas with mosaic floors and a bath house above the fishing harbour, beside the modern pilgrimage church of St George.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 16:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 09:30 to 17:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 26 812 301
• Address: Agios Georgios, Pegeia

Tip: Not wheelchair accessible. Fish tavernas by the harbour below make it a good lunch stop on the way to Lara Bay.

The grandest ancient site on the island: a Greco Roman theatre on a cliff above the sea, the House of Eustolios with its 5th century mosaics under a shelter, baths, a forum and an early basilica. Destroyed by earthquake in 365 AD.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00 (last ticket 16:30); 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30 (last ticket 19:00); closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 4.50 EUR; groups over 10 get 20% off; 1, 3 and 7 day cards 8.50, 17 and 25 EUR
• Phone: +357 25 934 250
• Address: Kourion, Episkopi, Limassol district

Tip: Almost fully wheelchair accessible via bridges and walkways, with a guarded side entrance for the western part; free wi-fi at the visitor centre. The Kourion Museum in Episkopi village is closed for works since August 2026.

The sanctuary of Apollo of the Woodland, one of the main religious centres of ancient Cyprus, with the partly restored temple, priests' quarters and a small palaestra in pine woods.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Address: Episkopi, Limassol district

Tip: Do it straight after Kourion; the road passes the Kourion stadium on the way. Shade under the pines makes it the better midday option of the two.

One of the ancient city kingdoms of Cyprus, spread over a hill and a lower town by the sea with an agora, baths, a sanctuary of Aphrodite on the acropolis and an early Christian basilica. The submerged harbour is visible from the beach.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30 (last ticket 19:00); closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 25 635 226
• Address: Amathous, Agios Tychonas, Limassol

Tip: Only the lower town is wheelchair accessible. Walkable from the tourist area hotels along the seafront path.

The remains of the ancient city under modern Larnaca: Late Bronze Age temples, the city wall and workshops that show Mycenaean Greeks arriving in the 13th century BC and the Phoenicians after them.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr Mon to Fri 08:30 to 16:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep Mon to Fri 09:30 to 17:00; closed weekends and public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR; pensioners 1.25 EUR
• Phone: +357 24 304 115
• Address: Leoforos Archiepiskopou Kyprianou, Larnaca

Tip: The entrance has moved to the south side of the site on Archbishop Kyprianou Avenue. Weekdays only, so pair it with the district museum round the corner.

The copper kingdom of Homer's Odyssey: two royal tombs of the 6th century BC with carved stone doors, and the remains of a sanctuary of Aphrodite and Kybele, beside Agios Irakleidios convent.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr Mon to Fri 08:30 to 16:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep Mon to Fri 09:30 to 17:00; closed weekends and public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 22 622 619
• Address: Politiko, Nicosia district

Tip: Not wheelchair accessible. Agios Irakleidios convent next door (weekdays 08:00 to 12:30 and 15:30 to 18:00, weekends 06:00 to 18:00, free) makes it a proper half day.

The administrative centre of a Bronze and Iron Age city kingdom on a hill above Dali, with a modern museum inside the site that doubles as the visitor centre and holds the finds.

• Hours: Site Mon to Fri 08:30 to 16:00 all year; museum Mon to Thu 08:30 to 16:00, Fri 08:00 to 16:00; closed weekends and public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR for the site including the museum; museum alone free
• Phone: +357 22 444 818
• Address: Dali, Nicosia district

Tip: The museum has a ramp and marked parking; the site's main area is wheelchair accessible. Fifteen minutes from the Nicosia ring road.

The largest ancient city on the island, with a gymnasium, baths, theatre and basilicas among the dunes. It lies in the area under Turkish military occupation, outside the control of the Republic of Cyprus, so read our crossing notes above before you go.

• Hours: Not published by any source we accept; check locally
• Prices: Paid at the gate; check locally
• Address: North of Famagusta, occupied area

Tip: Cross at Deryneia or Strovilia with your passport or EU ID card; Ledra Street and Ledra Palace are pedestrian only. Check your hire car agreement first.

A Byzantine fort rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, dismantled by the Venetians and rebuilt again by the Ottomans, now the backdrop to the harbour and the stage for the Aphrodite opera festival each September.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; closed public holidays
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Address: Kato Paphos harbour

Tip: Not wheelchair accessible. It closes for a few days in early September for the festival; in 2026 that was 2 to 6 September.

A three storey keep built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 15th, headquarters of the Knights of St John after the fall of Acre in 1291 and the home of Commandaria wine. The sugar factory ruins stand next to it.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 25 934 907
• Address: Kolossi, Limassol district

Tip: Spiral stairs only, not wheelchair accessible. Climb to the roof for the view over the citrus groves to Akrotiri.

The castle where, by tradition, Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre in 1191, now housing the island's medieval museum: Byzantine silver plates, tombstones, armour, pottery and coins.

• Hours: Mon to Fri 09:00 to 17:00; Sat and Sun 10:00 to 17:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: 4.50 EUR
• Phone: +357 25 305 419
• Address: Richardou and Berengarias, Limassol

Tip: Not wheelchair accessible. The Carob Mill and the Molos seafront are steps away; the roof has the best view of the old town.

A small Ottoman era fort on the seafront with a museum on its upper floor covering finds from Kition and Hala Sultan Tekke and the island's medieval centuries. The courtyard hosts summer concerts.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00, Sat and Sun 09:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep Mon to Fri 08:00 to 19:30, Sat and Sun 09:30 to 19:30; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: 2.50 EUR; pensioners 1.25 EUR
• Phone: +357 24 304 576
• Address: Leoforos Athinon, Larnaca

Tip: One of the few Department of Antiquities museums open on most public holidays. Not wheelchair accessible upstairs.

A 16th century Venetian castle built over a Crusader fort at the mouth of Kyrenia harbour, with a 12th century chapel inside and the museum of a Greek merchant ship that sank around 300 BC. In the occupied north, outside the Republic's control.

• Hours: Not published by any source we accept; check locally
• Prices: Paid at the gate; check locally
• Address: Kyrenia harbour, occupied area

Tip: From Nicosia the Agios Dometios crossing is the road route. Remember that time in the north counts towards the 90 day limit for non EU passport holders.

The best preserved of the three Crusader castles on the Kyrenia range, climbing a rocky peak in three wards. In the area under Turkish military occupation, outside the control of the Republic of Cyprus.

• Hours: Not published by any source we accept; check locally
• Prices: Paid at the gate; check locally
• Address: Kyrenia range, occupied area

Tip: Hundreds of steps to the upper ward; not one for pushchairs, and take water.

A Byzantine and Frankish ruin on a summit of the Kyrenia range, abandoned by the 14th century and reached by a long climb. In the occupied north, outside the Republic's control.

• Hours: Not published by any source we accept; check locally
• Prices: Check locally
• Address: Kyrenia range, occupied area

Tip: A steep hike from the car park; boots, water and a morning start.

The easternmost of the mountain castles, probably Byzantine in origin with Frankish additions, derelict from 1525 and dismantled in 1560. In the occupied north, outside the Republic's control.

• Hours: Not published by any source we accept; check locally
• Prices: Check locally
• Address: Kantara, occupied area

Tip: Usually combined with Salamis on a long day from the Deryneia or Strovilia crossings.

Finds from Palaipafos, Nea Paphos, Marion and the district from the Neolithic to 1700 AD across five rooms, including Hellenistic and Roman tomb goods and wall paintings from the House of Aion.

• Hours: Tue to Sun 09:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 26 955 801
• Address: Griva Digeni Avenue 43, Paphos

Tip: Ramps, accessible toilets and marked parking. It is in the upper town, a ten minute drive from the harbour sites.

The private collection of George Eliades, open since 1958, in a family house with folk costume, pottery, farm tools and a carved tomb in the garden.

• Hours: Winter Mon to Sat 10:00 to 17:00; summer Mon to Sat 10:00 to 18:00; Sun 10:00 to 14:00 all year; closed public holidays
• Prices: 3 EUR
• Phone: +357 26 932 010
• Address: Exo Vrisis 1, Paphos

Tip: The Thursday free walking tour of Paphos ends near here; do the two together.

Antiquities from Amathous, Kourion and the district from the 9th millennium BC to the end of the Roman period, in a purpose built museum from the 1970s.

• Hours: Mon to Fri 08:00 to 15:30; closed weekends and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 25 305 157
• Address: Byron and Anastasi Sioukri Street, Limassol

Tip: Conservation works since May 2025 mean some rooms are shut at times. Ramp and lift; paid parking beside it, free municipal parking 350 m east at Enaerios.

The story of the town from the 19th century onwards in the old District Officer's residence, with photographs, documents and objects from Limassol's carnival, port and commercial past.

• Hours: Tue to Sat 09:00 to 15:30; closed Sundays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 25 763 755
• Address: Lordou Vyronos 5, Limassol

Tip: Two doors from the district archaeological museum and the zoo; a compact rainy day trio.

The history of winemaking on the island from the Bronze Age jars found nearby to Commandaria, with a film, old presses and tastings in the courtyard.

• Hours: Daily 09:00 to 17:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Entry 5 EUR; entry with a glass of wine or Commandaria 10 EUR; entry with a tasting of four wines, Commandaria, zivania and a platter 15 EUR; children 2 EUR, 3 EUR with grape juice
• Phone: +357 25 873 808
• Address: Pafos Street 42, Erimi

Tip: Five minutes from Kolossi Castle and Kourion, so it is the natural end to a west Limassol day. Under 18s must be with an adult.

The oldest private museum in Cyprus, in the Pierides family's 1815 house, with antiquities from 4000 BC to the medieval period gathered by five generations of collectors.

• Hours: Mon to Thu 09:00 to 16:00; Fri and Sat 09:00 to 13:00; closed Sundays and public holidays
• Prices: 3 EUR; students 1 EUR; groups over 10 2 EUR per person
• Phone: +357 24 145 375
• Address: Zinonos Kitieos 4, Larnaca

Tip: Forty five minutes is enough. It is three streets from Agios Lazaros.

Finds from Kition, Choirokoitia, Tenta and the district in a modern building near the ancient city, from Neolithic figurines to Phoenician and Roman pieces.

• Hours: Tue to Sun 09:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 24 304 169
• Address: Plateia Kalograion, Larnaca

Tip: Chair lift, accessible toilet and parking. Open at weekends when the Kition site next door is not.

The national archaeological museum, founded in 1888: Neolithic figurines, the terracotta army from Agia Irini, the Aphrodite of Soli, Mycenaean gold and Roman bronzes, in fourteen rooms from the Neolithic to the 7th century.

• Hours: Tue to Fri 08:00 to 18:00; Sat 09:00 to 17:00; Sun 10:00 to 13:00; closed Mondays; first Wednesday of the month 08:00 to 20:00; most public holidays 10:00 to 13:00 unless they fall on a Monday; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 865 854
• Address: Mouseiou 1, Nicosia

Tip: Ramp at the entrance and chair lifts between rooms. The new museum across town is not due before the end of 2027, so this is still the one to visit.

The history of the capital from the Chalcolithic to today across three restored houses, opened in 1989: Lusignan and Venetian rooms, Ottoman costume, British era photographs and a good children's trail.

• Hours: Tue to Sun 10:00 to 16:30; closed Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: Free, donations welcome
• Phone: +357 22 661 475
• Address: Ippokratous 15 to 17, Laiki Geitonia, Nicosia

Tip: Two minutes from Ledra Street, so it fits between the walls walk and lunch.

Three collections in one building: Cypriot art of the 20th century, Greek painting, and the Paris collection of European masters from El Greco to Renoir and Chagall.

• Hours: Wed to Sun 10:00 to 17:00; Wednesdays until 20:00; closed Mondays and Tuesdays
• Prices: 5 EUR; 7 EUR with audio guide; 3 EUR for over 65s, students 18 to 26 and groups of 10 or more; free under 18 and for disabled visitors with one companion
• Phone: +357 22 668 838
• Address: Anastasios G. Leventis 5, Nicosia

Tip: Step free entrance, lifts to every floor, wheelchairs to borrow and a basement car park. Photography without flash is fine.

The Severis collection: paintings, prints, costume and travel memorabilia showing how visitors saw Cyprus from the 1700s to the 1950s, with a research library and a rooftop cafe.

• Hours: 15 Oct to 15 May Tue to Sun 09:30 to 17:00, closed Mondays; 15 May to 15 Oct Mon to Sat 09:30 to 17:00, closed Sundays; closed public holidays and usually the first two weeks of August
• Prices: 5 EUR; students and children free
• Phone: +357 22 300 999
• Address: Ermou 285, Nicosia

Tip: Fully accessible. The roof terrace looks over the buffer zone and the north; go up before you leave.

The richest collection of Byzantine art in Cyprus, reopened in March 2025 after a five year renovation: over 200 icons from the 9th to the 19th century, wall paintings, and the 6th century Kanakaria mosaics recovered from the north.

• Hours: Tue to Sat 09:30 to 17:00; closed Sundays, Mondays and public holidays
• Prices: 7 EUR; 4 EUR per person for groups over 10; reduced for under 18s and over 65s
• Phone: +357 22 430 008
• Address: Plateia Archiepiskopou Kyprianou, Nicosia

Tip: The renovated displays are chronological with holograms of the key pieces; allow 90 minutes. The National Struggle Museum on the same square is free, weekdays 08:00 to 14:30.

The museum of the sea, built around a full size replica of the Kyrenia ship, a Greek merchant vessel of about 300 BC, with marine life, fossils and the island's maritime story from prehistory to today.

• Hours: Mon 09:00 to 14:00; Tue to Fri 09:00 to 17:00; Sat 09:00 to 14:00; Sun closed; closed public holidays
• Prices: Adults 4 EUR; children 1.50 EUR; student and group rates
• Phone: +357 23 816 366
• Address: Leoforos Kryou Nerou 14, Ayia Napa

Tip: Wheelchair and pushchair accessible. Visit Cyprus lists summer Sunday afternoons as open; the museum's own site says closed, so ring before a Sunday.

The monastery's treasury laid out as a museum: icons, gold and silver vessels, vestments, manuscripts and Cypriot antiquities, presented as part of the living worship of the richest monastery on the island.

• Hours: Daily 10:00 to 17:00 in winter, 10:00 to 18:00 in summer; closed 1 and 6 January, Green Monday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, Whit Monday, 15 August and 25 December
• Prices: 5 EUR; groups 3 EUR
• Phone: +357 22 942 736
• Address: Kykkos Monastery, Nicosia district

Tip: Knees and shoulders covered, no flash. The monastery itself is free and opens 10:00 to 16:00 from November to May, 10:00 to 18:00 from June to October.

A whole 18th century mountain village declared an Ancient Monument, with the restored Houses of Katsinioros and Achilleas Dimitri open as a museum of rural life, looms, wine press and all. On the UNESCO tentative list.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr 08:30 to 16:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep 09:30 to 17:00; Tue to Sun per Visit Cyprus, Mondays listed as open only on the Department of Antiquities page, so phone before a Monday; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 634 731
• Address: Fikardou, Nicosia district

Tip: Partly wheelchair accessible. Combine with Machairas Monastery, 15 minutes further up the road.

Finds from the ancient city kingdom of Marion and its successor Arsinoe, which lie under modern Polis: Archaic and Classical pottery, jewellery and tomb goods in two rooms.

• Hours: Mon to Fri 08:00 to 16:00; Sat 09:00 to 15:00; closed Sundays and public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 26 322 955
• Address: Archiepiskopou Makariou III Avenue 26, Polis Chrysochous

Tip: Ramp at the entrance. Also the contact point for visiting the Agios Andronikos mosque church in Polis on weekdays.

A village run museum of how people lived in Steni from about 1800 to 1945: loom weaving, bread ovens, farm tools and the schoolroom, set up by the community itself.

• Hours: Daily 10:00 to 16:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 99 625 004
• Address: Steni, Paphos district

Tip: Small and honest; half an hour. Good with a lunch stop in Steni or Peristerona on the way to Chrysorrogiatissa.

Founded in the 12th century by the hermit and writer Neophytos, who cut his cell, chapel and tomb into the cliff: the Enkleistra, painted in the 1180s and again in the 1500s. The monastery below has a church, a museum of icons and a shop.

• Hours: Museum and Enkleistra Apr to Oct daily 09:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00; Nov to Mar daily 09:00 to 16:00; closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Green Monday, Easter Sunday and 15 August
• Prices: 2 EUR, one ticket for the museum and the Enkleistra
• Phone: +357 26 652 481
• Address: Agios Neophytos, Tala, Paphos district

Tip: The Enkleistra is up a flight of steps and closes for lunch in summer. Shoulders and knees covered, no flash.

Our Lady of the Golden Pomegranate, founded in 1152 on a ridge above the Paphos forest, with a treasury of icons and vessels, a monastery winery and one of the best terraces in the district.

• Hours: May to Aug daily 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 18:30; Sep to Apr daily 10:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:00; treasury on request, closed public holidays
• Prices: Free, donations welcome
• Phone: +357 26 722 457
• Address: Panagia, Paphos district

Tip: It shuts for an hour at lunch every day. Pair with Panagia village, birthplace of Archbishop Makarios.

An abandoned Venetian era monastery on the riverbed below Pentalia, in use until 1927 and restored by Kykkos Monastery between 1994 and 1997, which earned it a Europa Nostra award. The 16th century church with its octagonal dome is intact.

• Hours: Open site, no ticket office and no published hours; daylight only
• Prices: Free
• Address: Pentalia, Paphos district (GPS 34.836407, 32.639144)

Tip: Reached on unsurfaced tracks down to the river; ask in Pentalia about the state of the road before you drive down, especially after winter rain.

One of the oldest monasteries on the island, on a 700 m peak with views to the sea, said to have been founded by St Helena with a fragment of the True Cross. It keeps the strict Athonite rule: no women are admitted, and no cameras.

• Hours: Men only. Sep to Mar 07:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 17:00; Apr to Aug 07:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 19:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 533 630
• Address: Stavrovouni, Larnaca district

Tip: Women can drive up for the view and visit Agia Varvara monastery at the foot of the hill, which is open to everyone and known for its icon painting. Men: long trousers, no photography or video.

A Venetian monastery of about 1500 built like a small castle, partly cut into the rock around a courtyard with an octagonal fountain, dedicated to Our Lady of the Forests. A calm ten minutes in the middle of the resort.

• Hours: Nov to Apr daily 09:30 to 14:30; May to Oct daily 09:30 to 19:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free, donations welcome
• Phone: +357 23 722 584
• Address: Plateia Seferi, Ayia Napa

Tip: Cover shoulders and knees even in August; wraps are not lent at the door. Best early morning before the square wakes up.

The wealthiest and most visited monastery in Cyprus, home to an icon of the Virgin attributed to St Luke, with cloisters covered in modern mosaics and frescoes, a museum, and the tomb of Archbishop Makarios at Throni above.

• Hours: Nov to May daily 10:00 to 16:00; Jun to Oct daily 10:00 to 18:00; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free; museum 5 EUR
• Phone: +357 22 942 742
• Address: Kykkos, Nicosia district

Tip: Dress rules are enforced at the gate: no shorts, no bare shoulders. Come for opening at 10:00 or after 15:00 to miss the coaches, and drive up to Throni for the view.

One of the three royal and stavropegic monasteries of Cyprus, on the slopes of Kionia, keeping the icon of Panagia of Machairas. The EOKA hideout of Grigoris Afxentiou is a short walk below.

• Hours: Mon to Fri 09:30 to 18:00; Sat and Sun 06:30 to 18:00
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 22 359 334
• Address: Machairas, Nicosia district

Tip: No photography or video inside at all. Wear long trousers or a long skirt; it is a working monastery, not a museum.

A 13th century church standing among the mosaic floors and columns of the largest early Byzantine basilica in Cyprus, with the pillar where tradition says St Paul was flogged before converting the Roman governor. Still used by Anglican and Catholic congregations.

• Hours: Open site in daylight; church hours not published
• Prices: Free
• Address: Chrysopolitissa, Kato Paphos

Tip: Walk here from the harbour in ten minutes; the catacomb of Agia Solomoni is on the same road.

Built in the 9th century by Emperor Leo VI over the tomb of Lazarus, who by tradition became the first bishop of Kition after his resurrection. The crypt with the tomb is under the altar and the gilded iconostasis is the finest baroque woodcarving on the island.

• Hours: Church Mar to Oct Mon to Sat 08:00 to 18:30, Sun 06:30 to 12:30 and 15:30 to 18:30; Nov to Feb Mon to Sat 08:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:30, Sun 06:30 to 12:30 and 15:30 to 17:30. Museum Mon to Sat 08:15 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 17:30, closed Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, Sundays and public holidays
• Prices: Church free; museum 1 EUR, groups of 10 or more 10 EUR
• Phone: +357 24 652 498
• Address: Plateia Agiou Lazarou, Larnaca

Tip: Entrance ramp. Avoid Sunday mornings unless you are attending the service. The Wednesday free walking tour of Larnaca includes the church.

An 11th century church on a 5th century basilica whose apse keeps a rare 6th century mosaic of the Virgin and Child between the archangels Michael and Gabriel, one of only a handful of its date outside Ravenna and Sinai. On the UNESCO tentative list.

• Hours: May to Sep Mon to Sat 07:00 to 18:00, Sun 09:30 to 18:00; Oct to Apr Mon to Sat 07:00 to 16:45, Sun 09:30 to 16:45; closed public holidays
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 24 424 646
• Address: Kiti, Larnaca district

Tip: Wheelchair accessible. Ask the custodian to light the apse; the mosaic is hard to see in the gloom. Ten minutes from Hala Sultan Tekke.

The mosque and tomb of Umm Haram, built between 1760 and 1817 among palms on the edge of the salt lake, one of the most revered Islamic sites in the world and still used for prayer. Flamingos on the lake in winter. On the UNESCO tentative list.

• Hours: 16 Sep to 15 Apr daily 08:30 to 17:00; 16 Apr to 15 Sep daily 08:30 to 19:30; closed 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December
• Prices: Free
• Phone: +357 24 643 618
• Address: Larnaca Salt Lake, Dromolaxia

Tip: It is a working mosque: dress modestly, take your shoes off at the prayer hall door and keep quiet inside. Partly wheelchair accessible. Five minutes from the airport, so it works as a last stop before a flight.