Troodos
The island's high point at 1,700 m — pine forest, four ski runs in winter, and cool air when the coast hits 38C
Black pine forest and ski runs on Mount Olympus above Troodos Square
Why people stay in Troodos
Troodos is not a village. It is a square at 1,700 m on the shoulder of Mount Olympus with a police post, a visitor centre, a few souvenir kiosks, a couple of hotels and a car park that fills with day-trippers between eleven and three. Above it Chionistra tops out at 1,952 m, the highest point in Cyprus, with a radar dome on the summit and four ski runs cut through black pine on the north and south faces. This is where Cypriots come to escape: when Nicosia reads 40C in August, Troodos reads 25C, and that difference is the entire economy.
Winter is the surprise. From roughly January to March, when there is snow, the Cyprus Ski Club runs lifts on the Sun Valley and North Face slopes; a day pass is modest by Alpine standards, around €20 to €30, and hire kit is available on the mountain. The runs are short and the season is unreliable — some years give six good weeks, some give ten days — but skiing in the morning and swimming at Limassol in the afternoon is a genuine, doable Cyprus stunt. Bring chains or accept that the police close the summit road when it ices.
The rest of the year Troodos is a trailhead. Four waymarked nature trails leave from within two kilometres of the square: Artemis, a 7 km loop around the Olympus summit at treeline; Atalante, a longer contour route starting by the square itself; Persephone, an out-and-back to the Makria Kontarka viewpoint above Platres; and Caledonia, which drops through the ravine to the falls and on to Psilo Dendro. The Leventis Botanical Garden below the square explains the endemic flora, which is genuinely unusual — Troodos has plants that exist nowhere else on earth.
At nine in the evening there is nothing here. The kiosks shut at dusk, the coaches have gone, and the square is dark, cold and smells of pine resin and woodsmoke. The two hotels serve dinner to their own guests, and that is the extent of it. Book Troodos if you want the summit trails from your door, cold nights in August, or the ski runs in February. Skip it if you want a village atmosphere, restaurants to choose between, or anything at all after dark — for that, drop 500 m and 20 minutes to Platres.
There is a very small supply here — a handful of properties at or immediately around the square, plus the forest lodges and campsite scattered along the B8 and B9 — so book early for February half-term, Easter and the whole of August, which are the three periods everything sells out. Expect €80 to €130 a night for a comfortable double, rising towards €160 to €200 in ski weeks and peak August, and note that heating quality varies wildly in the older stone buildings; ask specifically what kind of heating is in the room, because nights hit freezing from December to March. If the square is full, base yourself in Platres or Kakopetria and drive up — both are 20 to 30 minutes away, cheaper, and have somewhere to eat at night.
Things to do in Troodos
The circular route starts from the Chionistra summit road about 2 km above Troodos Square and contours the mountain at roughly 1,850 m for 7 km. It is nearly flat, shaded by black pine and juniper, and passes the old chromium mine workings and the 800-year-old junipers. Allow two and a half hours; there is no water on the route.
In a snow year the Cyprus Ski Club opens lifts on Sun Valley, north of the square off the summit road, and on the North Face towards the ridge. Day passes around €20 to €30 with hire kit on site. Check conditions the same morning — the season is short, unreliable and generally January to mid-March.
Start at the trailhead below the square near the presidential summer residence and follow the ravine down 3 km, crossing the stream a dozen times, to the 12 m Caledonia Falls and out at Psilo Dendro above Platres. It drops 400 m, so arrange a lift back or walk it uphill in reverse.
A short walk below Troodos Square on the Platres road, the A. G. Leventis garden lays out Cyprus's mountain endemics — the Troodos golden drop, the Cyprus crocus — in labelled beds with a small visitor centre. Free or near-free, best in April and May when the alpine flowering is under way.
About an hour west along the ridge road through Pedoulas and Prodromos, the richest monastery on the island: gold mosaics, a museum of Byzantine treasure, and the tomb of Archbishop Makarios at Throni a kilometre above. Go early; coach parties arrive from 10.30am and the mountain road is slow and narrow.
Twenty minutes down the B8 towards Platres, the trout farm restaurant grills fish raised in the stream tanks beside the tables. A whole trout with salad and potatoes runs about €14 to €18. It is a lunch place — service is chaotic on Sundays — and it doubles as the lower trailhead for Caledonia.
What to see
Hotels near Troodos
No hotels are listed in Troodos yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Troodos
- Troodos Hotel 2★ · 3.8/5
- House on a Hill with Stunning Views near Troodos 4★
- Legacy 1930s 3★
Getting around Troodos
There is no useful public transport up here — one infrequent bus a day from Limassol via Platres is not a schedule you can plan a holiday around, so hire a car. From Limassol take the B8 north through Trimiklini and Platres, about 50 minutes and 45 km of continuous climbing; from Nicosia the B9 through Kakopetria and the Karvouna junction, roughly 1 hour 15. From Larnaca Airport allow two hours. In winter the police close the summit road when it ices and may require snow chains on the approaches, so check before setting out. Once here, the trailheads are all within two kilometres of the square and everything else needs the car.
Questions about Troodos
Yes, on four short runs on Mount Olympus, usually from January to mid-March in a decent snow year. The Cyprus Ski Club operates the lifts, day passes are around €20 to €30, and equipment hire is on the mountain. The runs are beginner-to-intermediate and the season is unreliable — check the same morning rather than booking a week around it.
Nights drop below freezing regularly from December to March, and daytime highs in January sit around 4 to 8C. In August, days reach 25 to 28C and nights fall to 14 to 16C, which is why Cypriots book here. Pack a proper jacket even in summer; the temperature difference from Limassol is often 12 to 14 degrees.
Stay if you want the trails at first light or the ski lifts at opening. Day-trip if you mainly want to see the square, the botanical garden and one monastery. Bear in mind there is essentially no evening life at Troodos itself — most people who overnight in the mountains sleep at Platres, Kakopetria or Omodos and drive up.
About 50 minutes down the B8 to the Limassol coast, or an hour to Governor's Beach east of the city. The classic Cyprus day is snow or trail in the morning and sea in the afternoon, and in February it genuinely works. Pissouri Bay is around an hour and ten minutes via Limassol.
