The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has picked nine villages for this year's Christmas Villages: Agros, Deryneia, Fikardou, Kakopetria, Kalopanagiotis, Kyperounta, Lefkara, Lofou and Statos-Agios Fotios, with at least one in each of the Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta districts. They run from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027. The ministry announced the list in September 2026, after judging grant applications from community and municipal councils on its Heartland of Legends route, and promises festive decorations, wooden huts selling local products and handicrafts, hands-on craft, wine and food workshops, nature walks and cycling, and guided tours of each village. Our kids guide has more ideas for the holidays.
When they open
Until 20 December the villages open at weekends and on two Fridays: Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, 28 and 29 November, 5 and 6 December, Friday 11 December, Friday 18 December and the weekend of 19 and 20 December. From Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027 they open every day. For the weekend in between, Visit Cyprus's list prints 14 and 15 December, which are a Monday and a Tuesday; the weekend itself is 12 and 13 December, so ring the village before going on any of those four dates. Opening times and the 2026 programmes had not been published when we checked on 2 November. Each village's Visit Cyprus page carries its programme once it is out, and the phone numbers below are the ones those pages give.
In the Troodos: Agros, Kyperounta, Kakopetria and Kalopanagiotis
Agros sits at about 1,100 m in the Pitsilia area of Limassol district and is known for its roses and its cured meats: the village distils rose oil and makes sausages, lountza and hiromeri, preserves and sweets, in workshops Visit Cyprus says visitors can see. Christmas village: +357 25521333.
Kyperounta, also in Pitsilia, is higher still at about 1,300 m and is known for its apples, wine and cold meats. Its small chapel of Timios Stavros, a few steps from the village square, has wall paintings dated 1521 and has housed the village's ecclesiastical museum since 1995. The Kyperounda Winery and two nature trails, Doksa soi o Theos and Teisia tis Madaris, are close by. Christmas village: +357 25813204.
Kakopetria, at about 670 m in Nicosia district, is built between the Karkotis and Garillis rivers and is known for its apples. Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, one of the ten painted churches of the Troodos on UNESCO's World Heritage List, is just outside the village, and Panagia Podithou is on the edge of neighbouring Galata. Visit Cyprus gives no phone number for Kakopetria's Christmas village.
Kalopanagiotis, in the Marathasa valley, has the Monastery of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis, another of the ten UNESCO painted churches, a 16th-century stone bridge that was long the only way from the village to the monastery, and the Kykkos watermill, which the Department of Antiquities has declared a monument. Christmas village: +357 22952297.
Fikardou and Lefkara
Fikardou, at about 900 m on the Nicosia district side of Pitsilia, is a village the Department of Antiquities declared a monument in 1978; its restoration won a Europa Nostra award in 1987. Its 18th-century houses keep their woodwork, cars are not allowed in, and two of the houses, the House of Katsinioros and the House of Achilleas Dimitri, are museums of rural life. Christmas village: +357 22023330.
Lefkara, at about 650 m in Larnaca district, is the home of lefkaritika, the lace on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list since 2009, and of filigree silverwork. Visit Cyprus points visitors to the Lefkara Handicraft Centre, the Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmithing and the village's workshops to see both being made. The village's own site, lefkara.travel, gives its Christmas village a longer run, to 10 January 2027. Christmas village: +357 24342422.
Lofou and Statos-Agios Fotios
Lofou is a small village of cobbled lanes at 780 m, 26 km from Limassol, among vines and almond trees. Its 19th-century church of the Annunciation (Evangelismos Theotokou) stands on a small hill on the west side of the village, and the old Elitji water fountain dates from 1842. Visit Cyprus lists no phone number for Lofou's Christmas village, only a Facebook page.
Statos-Agios Fotios, at about 950 m in the hills of Paphos district, grows apples, grapes, cherries and walnuts and makes its own wine, and the Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery is nearby. Christmas village: +357 26722758.
Deryneia, in the east
Deryneia, a small town in Famagusta district, is one of the red-soil Kokkinochoria villages and the island's main strawberry grower; its 15th Pancyprian Strawberry Festival was held on 29 May 2026. It is the only one of the nine in Famagusta district. Christmas village: +357 23811000.
Before you go
Kyperounta and Agros are the highest of the nine, and December evenings in the Troodos are cold, so take warm layers, and after heavy snow check the police road updates before driving up. Fikardou is closed to cars, so park outside and walk in. If village life like this appeals all year round, our relocation help is here when you need it.
