PROPOSED EXCURSIONS
1. LIMASSOL: Past & Present
- • Half day excursion
- • Visits:
- - Kolossi Castle
- - Kolossi Castle
- - Kolossi Market
This morning the participants will discover the past and present of Limassol.
The excursion begins with a visit to Kolossi Castle; the fort which was once the headquarters of the Knights of St. John and a major sugar cane producing centre.
The excursion continues with a visit to Limassol Castle, which today houses the Cyprus’ Medieval Museum with a complicated architectural history.
Thereafter a visit to the local market in Limassol, a brilliant experience to catch the local colour and flair. Here the participants will discover the locals selling merchandises and they will have the possibility for a walk around the area and also for any shopping.
PRICE: €30,00 per person
The following services are included in the above price:
- • Private coach transfers
- • Licensed English speaking Guides
- • All relevant entrance fees for archaeological sites
- • Organisation, assistance and escort by Smart Events
2. KOURION – PAPHOS: "Footprints in Cypru"’ Ancient Cities
- • Full day excursion
- • Visits:
- - Kourion Royal Tomb
- - Kourion Theatre
- - Kourion House of Eustolios
- - Kourion Basilica
- - Petra tou Romiou
- - Paphos Mosaics
- - Tombs of the Kings
On the outskirts of Limassol an ancient kingdom awaits you: an ancient monumental royal tomb from 6th century BC boasts interesting architecture and takes you back in time. Kourion founded by the Achaeans in 12th century B.C. comes alive with a Greco-Roman theatre offering panoramic views over the south coast and is very much in use today throughout the year. Once the Roman buildings fell due to an earthquake in 4th century AD, Kourion bloomed again as an early Christian city: Visit the House of Eustolios with its floor mosaics and therms as well as the ruins of the 5th century basilica with baptistery.
Your journey along the south coast continues with views of Kourion beach, where the ancient harbour sank and past the Kourion Olympic Stadium of Roman days and on to Paphos. The breathtaking coastline of Petra tou Romiou awaits you: the legendary birthplace of the goddess of fertility, Aphrodite. A stop here is without any doubt a must. This has been regarded as the gateway to Paphos for centuries!
Paphos founded in 4th century B.C. by the last king of the city kingdom of Palaepaphos thanks to its natural harbour. It soon became the capital of Cyprus during the Hellenistic and Roman periods and is featured on the World Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO since 1980. The visit begins in Paphos next to the picturesque harbour, where the residences of the Roman capital were located including that of the Roman Proconsu l with their outstanding floor mosaics recounting the stories from Greek Mythology: The House of Dionysos, Aion, Orpheus and the Villa of Theseus. Thereafter on to the impressive necropolis, the so-called Tombs of the Kings, with its most interesting architecture evoking and element of mysticism.
PRICE: €45,00 per person
The following services are included in the above price:
- • Private coach transfers
- • Licensed English speaking Guides
- • All relevant entrance fees for archaeological sites
- • Organisation, assistance and escort by Smart Events
3. NICOSIA: A divided capital
- • Full day excursion
- • Visits:
- - Handicraft Centre
- - Archaeological Museum
- - Byzantine Museum and Art Galleries
- - Laiki Gitonia & Green Line
A visit to any capital is a must, but Nicosia unique in that it is the only remaining divided capital in the world today.
The contrast of the old and new is most evident in Nicosia, with its modern architecture and old city within the Venetian ramparts of 16th century. Nicosia is a city boasting many important historical monuments and interesting museums.
The first stop will be the Handicraft Centre. The centre aims to promote and enrich the traditional fold art and craft skills. It has various workshops and a showroom/shop at its premises, as well as shops in Laiki Gitonia.
The excursion will continue with a visit to Nicosia’s Archaeological Museum; here there are artefacts going back to 7000 years BC.
The next visit will be the Byzantine Museum and Art Galleries, an Archbishop Makarios III Foundation Cultural Centre with the largest collection of icons on the island, covering the period from the 9th to 18th century. The Art Galleries contain oil paintings, maps and lithographs.
The excursion will end at the ‘Laiki Gitonia’ the restored commercial quarter of the old city, where all the participants will be able to have a stroll and visit the picturesque shops which sell traditional items. Here we will also have the possibility to visit the “Green Line”, the area which presents the last divided capital of the world.
PRICE: €40,00 per person
The following services are included in the above price:
- • Private coach transfers
- • Licensed English speaking Guides
- • All relevant entrance fees for archaeological sites
- • Organisation, assistance and escort by Smart Events
4. The Green Heart of Cyprus: The Troodos Mountains
- • Full day excursion
- • Visits:
- - Kykkos Monastery
- - Platres
- - Omodhos village
A day spent far away from the coast in the green heart of Cyprus where everyone will discover that the island is one full of contrasts!
The excursion will take everyone up to the pine-clad Troodos Mountains through wine country and mountain villages offering them panoramic views out to the north-west coast. It is a most exhilarating experience! Highlight of the day is a visit to Cyprus’ most famous and richest monastery Kykkos founded in 12th century, which houses a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary apparently painted by St. Luke. The monastery also produces its own wines and spirits and is in fact a world in itself, being a very significant place of pilgrimage for the Greek Orthodox world.
A downhill drive will follow through a shaded forest area and across a beautiful brook, ending at a trout farm just outside the resort of Platres. The coach will drive through Platres, one of the most famous mountain resorts of the island.
Next visit will be that to Omodhos Village, a traditional wine producing village of Cyprus, at approx 700m high. St. Helen founded a monastery here in 4th century, where she left pieces of the Holy Cross. As you walk through narrow streets of this picturesque village, you will visit this former monastery and old wine press, now a historical monument.
PRICE: €40,00 per person
The following services are included in the above price:
- • Private coach transfers
- • Licensed English speaking Guides
- • Organisation, assistance and escort by Smart Events
