Regions & cities
From the harbours of the north coast to the painted churches of the Troodos, Cyprus packs a lot into a small island. Here is where to go, on both sides.
The capital
TRNC (KKTC)
Kyrenia
A horseshoe harbour under a Byzantine castle, with a Gothic abbey and mountain-top ruins a short drive above it.
Famagusta
A Gothic cathedral town inside Venetian walls, with the ruins of ancient Salamis on the beach just to the north.
İskele
Miles of sand along the east coast, fish restaurants at Boğaz harbour and a castle on the last peak of the Kyrenia range.
Karpaz
The island's long, empty finger to the north-east: dunes, wild donkeys, nesting turtles and a monastery at the very tip.
Güzelyurt
Orange groves, a monastery museum and two ancient sites on the quiet western coast of the north.
South Cyprus
Limassol
A busy seaside city with a medieval castle, a clifftop Greco-Roman theatre at Kourion and wine villages in the hills behind.
Paphos
A whole town on the World Heritage list: Roman mosaics, rock-cut royal tombs, a harbour fort and the rock where Aphrodite rose from the sea.
Larnaca
A palm-lined seafront, a 9th-century church, flamingos on the salt lake and one of the world's best wreck dives just offshore.
Ayia Napa
White sand and clear water at Nissi and Fig Tree Bay, sea caves and cliffs at Cape Greco, and a Venetian-era monastery in the middle of town.
Troodos
Pine-forested mountains with painted Byzantine churches, a great monastery, waterfalls and wine villages, cool when the coast is hot.