15 Most Beautiful Places To Visit In Cyprus

I took the 25-minute drive from Paphos and found the site to be well-signposted, with a designated parking area (there was also the option of a direct bus service). When here I swam in the sea, relaxed on the scenic Petra tou Romiou beach, explored the nearby hiking trails along the dramatic coastline, and then dined at the laid-back beach café which overlooked the stunning rock.

Location: Petra tou Romiou, southwest coast | Size: large sea stack | Vibe: myth-soaked and windswept, with crashing waves, pale pebbles, and a timeless, cinematic romance feel

My favourite highlights…

• Locals telling me about the famous legend — you take three swims around it for beauty, love, fertility, and luck — but one look at the surging water and the fierce rip curling around the rock told me why in reality it’s strongly discouraged!

12. Caledonia Falls

This was a proper hidden-gem waterfall — small, pristine, and beautifully tucked away in a shaded mountain gorge, with cool clear pools, mossy rocks, and thick greenery all around. It did attract crowds at busy times, but visiting midweek kept that peaceful, storybook-quiet vibe intact.

After driving to Platres, I left the car at Psilo Dendro Trout Farm and hiked the 3 km Caledonia Trail to the waterfall (around an hour, moderate effort). Some stretches were a little steep and rocky, but reaching the falls — with mist drifting through the trees, birds singing, and that clear-cool pool waiting at the bottom — made it all worth it!

Location: Troodos Mountains, near Platres, central Cyprus | Size: 12-metres | Vibe: peaceful mountain-escape feel

My personal highlights…

• Passing smooth-barked strawberry trees, rock roses, and black poplars on the hike – the air sweet with pine resin and wild thyme, oregano, and sage and the steady hush of falling water drifting through the gorge.

13. Cape Greco

This is one of those places that quietly steals your heart: an enchanting headland with jewel-bright turquoise water, powerful cliffs, fresh green backdrops, and a chilled-out, adventure-ready vibe all rolled into one.

From Ayia Napa it was a breezy 10-minute drive, then a dream lineup: kayaking the sea caves, hiking the Aphrodite and Adonis trails for those big coastal panoramas, snorkelling in the Blue Lagoon’s clear-as-glass water, visiting the sweet little Chapel of Agioi Anargyroi with its steps into the sea, and ending the day cliff-side as the sky turned full Instagram gold!

Location: southeastern tip | Size: around 385 hectares | Vibe: dramatic end-of-the-island feel

My personal highlights…

• Climbing to the whitewashed Agioi Anargyroi Chapel, high above the sea, with salt in the air, waves lapping below, and endless turquoise views!

14. Akamas Peninsula National Park

This protected reserve felt like Cyprus at its wildest and most beautiful — pristine turtle beaches, hidden pebble bays, glowing blue-green water, rugged gorges, soft green hills, and scattered old villages, all stitched together by a peaceful, off-grid atmosphere.

I made a 45-minute drive from Paphos (I found the roads were rough!), entered near Latchi (there’s another access at Neo Chorio), and ticked off everything from the spectacular Avakas Gorge and a rugged walk to Cape Arnaoutis to and lazy time on Lara Beach’s turtle-nesting sands!

Location: northwest Cyprus | Size: ~230 km² | Vibe: nature-first Mediterranean wilderness feel | Activities: Hiking, snorkelling, nature trails, and turtle spotting

My favourite highlights…

• The 7.5-km Aphrodite Trail (3.5 hours) where I saw wide views over the Bay of Polis and Paphos Forest, Queen’s Tower ruins, and a majestic 500-year-old oak, surrounded by buzzing cicadas and warm pine-and-thyme air!

15. Kalopanayiotis

This was such a unique tucked away find — a 200-person mountain village complete with stone houses, wooden balconies, cobbled lanes, and Byzantine chapels, surrounded by beautiful Troodos valleys and thermal springs, with a very tranquil, stuck-in-time feel that felt very traditional Cyprus! 

A 1.5-hour mountain drive from Nicosia brought me to one of my most memorable Cyprus weekends – the UNESCO-listed Agios Ioannis Lampadistis Monastery with its beautiful frescoes, natural sulphur springs, riverside hikes in the Setrachos Valley, a medieval Venetian bridge crossing, and a seriously relaxing spa session at Casale Panayiotis (pictured above)! Evenings were especially quiet this is very far from a party resort!

Location: Troodos Mountains, central Cyprus | Size: small village | Vibe: stone-built and storybook-pretty, with cobbled lanes, river valleys, cool mountain air, and a peaceful, slow-life retreat feel | Activities: Spa visits, hiking, visiting monasteries, and exploring traditional Cypriot villages.

My personal highlights…

• Staying at the unique 4-star former monastery Casale Panayiotis – I adored the spa which was home to a hydrotherapy pool, a mud cabin, a stream room scented with wild thyme, bay leaf and rosemary, a snow cabin, and even a chromotherapy suite!
• Trying the Mosaic Rasul Mud Chamber at Myrianthousa Mountain Spa Retreat – I coated my skin in warm, mineral-rich Kalopanayiotis mud as the eucalyptus-and-mint herbal steam drifted through the tiled room!