Sightseeing in Limassol

Limassol stands exactly between the two chief ancient sites of Cyprus, and that determines the routes here. Thirteen kilometres west lies Kourion — a city with a theatre cut into the slope above a cliff and mosaic floors in its villas. A little further stands Kolossi castle, from which the Knights Hospitaller ran their vineyards; it is from their Grande Commanderie that the wine commandaria takes its name.

Past Kourion the road reaches Aphrodite's Rock — the very one where by myth the goddess rose from the foam. Paphos is a short way on, and day programmes often join the two towns. A second line leads upward into Troodos: Omodos, the Kykkos monastery, the waterfalls. A third goes east and north: Larnaca, divided Nicosia, Famagusta with Salamis and the sealed quarter of Varosha. The format is nearly always private — a car with a guide, or a taxi for half a day or a full one.

Practical notes. At Kourion the mosaics sit under open canopies with no shade, so morning is the better time. A passport is needed for trips to the north. A private tour is priced per car rather than per person, so four people work out noticeably better value. Monasteries require covered clothing: shoulders and knees.