Treasured island
Telegraph "Escorted Travel" supplement
Published on Saturday February 14, 2009
Cyprus offers mountainous heartlands, beaches, historical sites – and a traditional cocktail known as a brandy sour. Chris Alden reports.
Here’s a recipe for a refreshing drink on a sunny winter’s day. Take a largeish measure of Cyprus brandy, mix well with plenty of fresh lemon juice, soda, sugar and bitters, and pour over ice into a long glass. Enjoy in a glass-walled café, looking out over one of the island’s hundreds of beaches.
The “brandy sour” – a traditional cocktail of Cyprus – is one of life’s many little pleasures in this most laid-back of holiday islands, where even in winter you’ll get temperatures over 15C and see sun most days. Like most Cypriot traditions, a brandy sour can be enjoyed all over the island, whether you visit the Greek Cypriot south or the Turkish Cypriot north.
Like the cocktail, of course, the political situation in Cyprus is bittersweet. The island remains divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974 – and there are, as yet, few escorted tours that cover both parts of the island in depth.
But there is a climate of reconciliation, and since 2003 there has been relatively free movement between south and north. Indeed, some tours of northern Cyprus begin at Larnaca in the south, to which it is possible to fly directly on an internationally recognised flight. Flights to Ercan in north Cyprus, by contrast, must touch down in Istanbul en route, and are considered illegal by the Greek south.
Happily, the principal pleasures of Cyprus – the love of food and drink, the mountainous heartlands, the beaches and the historical sites – can be enjoyed whether you visit south or north.
History stalks you everywhere you go. From Greeks to Franks, Phoenicians to Venetians, Ottomans to Romans, Byzantines to colonial Brits, nearly every major European empire of the past three millennia has left its mark on Cyprus, leaving a mosaic of cultural influences – including more than the occasional minaret in the south or Byzantine dome in the north.
The key sites of the south include the Roman remains at Curium and the archaeological riches of Paphos – which was famous even in ancient times as the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, worshipped as a fertility goddess here by ancient Greeks. A local beauty spot, Petra tou Romiou, is now considered the place where the goddess rose from the waves.
The nearby village of Kouklia is the spot where Aphrodite was worshipped; and where, according to Herodotus, every local woman would have to sleep with a stranger at least once in her life.
Further down the coast, Paphos archaeological park boasts a series of Roman mosaic floors, still in situ on a dramatic headland. Nearby, you can explore the Tombs of the Kings, a series of underground chambers cut into the stone, once the resting place of Ptolemaic lords, but long ago looted for their riches.
Salamis, at the opposite end the island in Turkish north Cyprus, was a Greek city state which allied with Alexander the Great – and is now an impressive and extensive Roman site, worth visiting for its evocative columns and theatre. Enjoy it in winter or spring and you’ll miss the crowds.
Although Cyprus’ oldest treasures are on the coast, the soul of the island is its mountainous heartland. The Troodos mountains in the south of Cyprus, in particular, boast snow-capped peaks and Byzantine monasteries, while its lower slopes are famous for their abundant vines.
The main mountain range of northern Cyprus is the Pentadaktylos, or “five-finger” mountain – so-called because the depressions in the rock are arranged like a handprint – on whose slopes are the main sights of the north, including two medieval castles and the Gothic ruins of Bellapais Abbey, near which Lawrence Durrell stayed when writing his classic travel book, Bitter Lemons of Cyprus.
The strained politics of the island mean maps are hard to come by – so walkers, in particular, can benefit from escorted tours in Cyprus.
In north Cyprus, walkers in the Pentadaktylos can enjoy views of the coast sweeping round from the pretty harbour of Kyrenia toward Karpas – the “panhandle” of this curiously shaped island, with its isolated beaches and end-of-the-world feel. Or in the south, the isolated Akamas peninsula is a joy to walk in spring, and has a network of nature trails.
If you have time or your tour allows it, make sure you devote a day to the old town of Nicosia. Although divided between north and south, it’s possible since 2008 to cross the border at the main thoroughfare, Ledra Street – where the barbed wire has been torn down in anticipation of a day when Cyprus is reunited. Raise a brandy sour to that.
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Voyages Jules Verne offers a seven-night “Cyprus: the Southern Tour”, including Paphos, Curium and the Troodos mountains, departing Mar-Oct. From £725pp, including flights and transfers. (0845 166 7003; www.vjv.co.uk)
Explore offers a nine-day Walking in Cyprus tour including Akamas, the Troodos mountains and Nicosia, departing Feb-Dec. From £755pp, including flights and transfers. (0845 013 1537, www.explore.co.uk)
Travelsphere offers an eight-day Walking in North Cyprus tour including Kyrenia, the Pentadaktylos mountains, Famagusta and the Karpas peninsula, departing Jan 26, Mar 2 and May 11. From £669pp, including flights to Larnaca and transfers. (0870 240 2426; www.travelsphere.co.uk)
Page and Moy offers an eight-day Northern Cyprus tour including Kyrenia, Buffavento castle, Salamis and Karpas, departing Apr and Jun. From £924pp, including flights to Larnaca and transfers. (0870 833 4012, www.pageandmoy.com)
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