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Chapelle Royale
An unassuming little church is just off the Lefkosia-Lemesos motorway (A1), and close to the village of Pyrga. Named Chapelle Royale, this is a small Lusignan shrine dedicated to Agia Ekaterini (St Catherine). Established by the Latin king Janus in 1421 (the last of Cyprus' crusader kings), it has an interesting set of French-influenced wall frescoes, not all of which are in good condition.
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Choirokoitia
Archaeology buffs and early-history lovers should make the trip out to the fascinating Neolithic site of Choirokoitia, 32km southwest of Larnaka. It is perhaps best combined with a day trip to either Lemesos or Lefkara. Dating from around 6800 BC, this Unesco World Heritage site is perhaps one of the earliest permanent human settlements in Cyprus. The original Choirokoitians lived in round stone huts and practised a relatively sophisticated lifestyle for the time.
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Fatsa Wax Museum
The second museum in Lefkara, and new at the time of research, is the very strange Fatsa Wax Museum. This extortionately priced museum is hilariously touted as 'Cyprus' answer to Madame Tussauds' (which is how the admission price is justified). The amusing wax figures illustrate a Greek Cypriot propagandist's view of the island's history, with bad sound effects and all.
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Hala Sultan Tekkesi
Possibly one of the first things you will see on your way from the airport, this most important of Islamic pilgrimage sites in Cyprus looks like an oasis next to the snowy mirage of the adjacent dry salt like. Surrounded by date palms, cypress and olive trees, the Hala Sultan Tekkesi was founded in 674 when Umm Haram, the reputed aunt of Prophet Mohammed, fell from a mule, broke her neck and died.
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Larnaka Salt Lake
Shimmering like an ice-skating rink in the height of the summer heat, and housing flamingos and various migratory birds in autumn, is Larnaka's salt lake. The lake fills up with winter rains and slowly dries up as summer approaches, leaving a thin film of salt. In the Middle Ages, salt mining was carried on here, but pollution from aircraft exhaust in modern times has rendered the salt commercially useless.
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Makenzy (McKenzie) Beach
The best beach is Makenzy (McKenzie) Beach.
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Museum of Traditional Embroidery & Silver-Smithing
Cyprus' best-known export (except for haloumi cheese, of course) is its exquisite lace, and most of it comes from the pretty mountain villages of Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara. The wonderful Lefkara Museum of Traditional Embroidery & Silver-Smithing is in the former house of one of Lefkara's richest families.
Read more about Museum of Traditional Embroidery & Silver-Smithing
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Panagia Angeloktisti
In Kiti village, 7km southwest of Larnaka, you will find the domed, cruciform 11th-century church of Panagia Angeloktisti. Literally meaning 'built by angels', the church's highlight is the wonderful 6th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary, standing on a jewelled pedestal with a doll-like baby Jesus in her arms, surrounded by the archangels Gabriel and Michael.
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Stavrovouni Monastery
The impressive Stavrovouni Monastery, high up in the hills (668m), is the oldest monastery in Cyprus. Legend tells that in AD 327 St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, brought a fragment of the Holy Cross here on her way back from Jerusalem. She then erected the cross and founded the monastery (the name means 'cross mountain'). A small piece of St Helena's cross is now preserved in a silver one inside the church.
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Showing 1-9 of 9 results
