Guides ·Day trips

Getting up the mountain

The Troodos massif fills the middle of the island and is closer to the coast than it looks. From Limassol, Troodos Square is 55 km via the B8 through Trimiklini, about an hour. From Paphos, the B7 through Panagia and Kykkos takes 1 hour 45 minutes but is the more scenic approach. From Nicosia it is 75 km and about 1 hour 15 minutes on the B9 via Kakopetria. Public transport is thin: a Limassol to Troodos bus runs a couple of times daily in summer for around €5, which is not enough to build a day around.

Hire a car or a driver. Roads are sealed and well maintained but narrow, with tight hairpins, and Cyprus drives on the left. Fuel is around €1.50 a litre and there are stations at Platres, Kakopetria and Pedoulas but almost nowhere between them, so fill up before you climb. In January and February snow closes sections above 1,600 m and chains are occasionally required. Temperatures at Troodos Square sit roughly 10°C below the coast year round, so carry a layer even in July.

The painted churches of the Troodos

Ten small Byzantine churches in the range are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and they are the region's real treasure. Their barn-like timber roofs hide interiors frescoed from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries. The easiest three to combine are Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis near Kakopetria, Panagia tou Araka at Lagoudera and Asinou near Nikitari, whose cycle of 1105 is the finest of the lot. Entry is generally free or by donation of €2 to €3, and most keep a keyholder in the village.

Practicalities matter here. Almost all close for a long lunch, roughly 12:00 to 14:00, and some open only on request; at Asinou the priest in Nikitari holds the key and posts his mobile number on the door. Photography inside is usually forbidden, cover shoulders and knees, and expect no lighting beyond a few bulbs, so bright midday is actually the best time to see the paint. Two churches is a realistic target on a day trip that also includes a walk and lunch.

Kykkos, Pedoulas and the monastery road

Kykkos Monastery, founded in 1100 and rebuilt after successive fires, is the wealthiest and most visited religious house in Cyprus. Its courtyards are covered floor to ceiling in modern gold mosaic and it holds an icon of the Virgin attributed by tradition to St Luke. Entry to the monastery is free, the museum around €5, and hours are 10:00 to 16:00 in winter and to 18:00 in summer. Dress code is enforced: no shorts, shoulders covered, and wraps are lent at the door.

A kilometre and a half up the ridge is Throni, the hilltop tomb of Archbishop Makarios III, first president of the republic, with a 360-degree view over the western Troodos. On the road down, Pedoulas is a cherry-growing village at 1,100 m with the UNESCO-listed Church of the Archangel Michael from 1474, and Kalopanayiotis in the Marathasa valley below has the Agios Ioannis Lampadistis monastery complex plus sulphur springs and a restored village of stone guesthouses.

Walking: Caledonia Falls and Mount Olympus

The Caledonia Trail is the standard first walk: 3 km one way from the Psilo Dendro trout restaurant above Platres up the Kryos Potamos to a 13 m waterfall, or 2 km down from the Presidential Cottage road. It is signposted, shaded by pines and plane trees, crosses the stream a dozen times on stepping stones and climbs about 300 m. Allow two hours return. The Millomeris Falls trail, also from Platres, is shorter at 1.5 km and reaches a taller 15 m fall.

Higher up, the Artemis Trail circles the summit of Mount Olympus at 1,952 m, a nearly flat 7 km loop through black pine and juniper with views to both coasts on a clear day, and the shorter Atalante Trail runs 9 km around the mountain from Troodos Square. Both start near the square, where there is a visitor centre, parking and a handful of kiosks. In January to March the two ski lifts on the north face operate when snow allows, with day passes around €30.

Villages, wine and lunch

Kakopetria's restored old quarter, on a spur between two branches of the Karyotis river, is the most photogenic village in the range: stone houses with timber balconies, a mill hotel and trout tavernas grilling at €14 to €18 a plate. Omodos, at 810 m on the southern slopes, has a cobbled square, the Timios Stavros monastery and small wineries pouring Xynisteri and Maratheftiko for €5 to €8. Lofou and Vouni nearby are almost entirely restored stone villages with a handful of tavernas each.

Eat the mountain food. Trout from the Platres and Kakopetria farms, kleftiko baked overnight in a clay oven at €14 to €18, afelia, pork braised in red wine and crushed coriander, and loukoumades with local honey. A full village meze runs €30 to €40 a head with wine. Bring cash for the roadside stalls selling soutzoukos, the string of almonds dipped in grape must, at €3 to €5 a piece, and jars of rose products from Agros, the village that grows damask roses for its May festival.

Planning the loop and getting home

Two loops work well. From Limassol: up the B8 to Platres, walk Caledonia, lunch in Kakopetria, see Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, descend via Omodos for a tasting, home by 19:00. From Paphos: up the B7 to Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery, on to Kykkos and Throni, down through Pedoulas and Kalopanayiotis, back via Polis or the same road, around 200 km round trip. Either fills nine hours comfortably without ever feeling rushed.

A few final rules. Petrol stations and cash machines are scarce above 800 m. Mobile signal drops in the valleys, so download maps before you leave the coast. Many village tavernas stop serving lunch at 15:30 and do not reopen until 19:00. And do not attempt the whole range in one day: Kykkos and Kakopetria are 50 twisting kilometres apart, which is well over an hour of driving. Pick one valley, and let the mountain do the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

Rooms worth pairing with this guide.

Troodos Troodos Hotel

3.8/5 €78/ night

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