A Troodos Mountains tour climbs from the coast of Cyprus into the pine forests of its central range, to Mount Olympus, Kykkos Monastery, painted Byzantine churches and stone villages. Discover more destinations on Greece Tours.
Here we set out the tours you can book, the peaks, monasteries, villages, waterfalls and bridges, the food, the seasons and how to plan the day.
What is a Troodos Mountains tour?
A Troodos Mountains tour is a guided day trip from the coast of Cyprus into the island’s central range. It climbs through pine forest to Mount Olympus and Troodos Square, visits Kykkos Monastery and the painted Byzantine churches, and stops in stone villages for lunch.
The range sits in the heart of Cyprus, far from the beach resorts. Love Protaras, a local guide, sums it up as peaks, pine forests, small churches, old villages and fresh mountain air.
Visitors arrive on a Troodos Mountains tour by coach, minibus or jeep. A TUI Troodos Mountains tour with Kykkos Monastery and lunch runs for more than 8 hours, and the jeep day described by the Mummy Travels blog lasted around eight hours, with pick-ups between Paphos and Coral Bay.
The contrast with the coast is the point. TUI describes leafy valleys against the dry shore, and the Mummy Travels writer recorded temperatures above 30C in the mountains in August, against close to 40C on the coast.
Each operator builds its own route. One Troodos Mountains tour heads for the monasteries, another for the waterfalls and Venetian bridges, a third for the wineries of the foothills, and a fourth combines the mountains with Nicosia.
Our Cyprus tours page compares this day with the boat trips and wine routes of the island.
Which Troodos Mountains tour options can you book?
On GetYourGuide, the choice runs from a guided day trip to the Troodos villages from Paphos to a tour to the highest peaks, a Kykkos and Omodos day, jeep safaris and a private waterfall tour. Viator adds village and waterfall days, a Limassol day, a monasteries day and a 4×4 day with meze.
The Troodos Mountains and villages guided day trip from Paphos leads the GetYourGuide sales for the range. A tour to the highest peaks of the Troodos follows, then a day trip from Paphos to the monastery of Chrysoroyiatissa, Kykkos and Omodos.
Jeeps form the second group of Troodos Mountains tour products. GetYourGuide lists a classic Troodos jeep safari from Ayia Napa, a Troodos and Kykkos Land Rover safari, a guided safari to Kykkos Monastery, and a Troodos and Kykkos jeep tour that picks up in Paphos and Limassol.
Smaller formats fill the gaps. A private tour from Limassol visits a waterfall and villages with lunch, a full-day tour covers the Troodos, Omodos and Kykkos Monastery, and a day trip to the mountain towns adds cheesemaking and brunch.
Viator lists a full-day tour of villages and waterfalls, a tour of the Troodos Mountains and villages from Limassol, a Mount Olympus and monasteries tour from Paphos, and a 4×4 Troodos Mountains tour with a meze lunch from Limassol.
Coach operators add combinations. EMAN Travel from Ayia Napa runs a weekly Troodos and Nicosia day on Tuesdays, with stops in the capital, Kakopetria, Troodos Square and Omodos.
Why is Mount Olympus the high point of a Troodos Mountains tour?
Mount Olympus, also called Chionistra, is the highest point of Cyprus at 1,952 metres. A Troodos Mountains tour drives close to its summit, which carries a British radar station, and stops at Troodos Square just below. Its slopes hold the island’s ski runs.
The peak and Troodos Square belong to the community of Platres in the Limassol District. The Mummy Travels blog points out that the summit stands higher than Ben Nevis, the top of Britain.
A British long-range radar station works on the summit, so the very top stays a military site above the tour stops.
Ancient writers knew the mountain. Strabo, writing around the turn of the first century, reported a temple to Aphrodite Acraea, Aphrodite of the Heights, on one of its promontories, and he said women were barred from it.
Winter changes the scene. The mountain holds the ski slopes of Cyprus, and Prodromos, the highest village of Cyprus at 1,380 metres, serves as the main base for winter sports.
The rock itself is unusual. Mount Olympus is built of ultramafic rock, mainly serpentinized harzburgite, part of the Troodos ophiolite that the next sections explain.
What is Troodos Square?
Troodos Square is the small resort centre near the top of Mount Olympus, with picnic areas, shops, a café and a hotel. Coach tours stop there for free time or lunch, and it lies about 5 km from Platres and about 160 km from Protaras.
The square works as the hub of a Troodos Mountains tour in the high ground. Love Protaras calls it a popular stopping point close to the summit, and EMAN Travel gives its guests free time there for an optional lunch.
Distances shape the day. From Protaras, Troodos Square is around 160 km away, just under 2 hours by road, while the villages of the lower foothills sit a little over an hour away.
From the western coast the climb is shorter. Platres lies about 5 km from the square and 25 km north-west of Limassol, so a Troodos Mountains tour from Limassol reaches the high ground quickly.
Walks start in the high ground. Love Protaras lists the Caledonia trail and waterfall and the forest walks of Cedar Valley among the highlights of a Troodos Mountains tour.
Bring a layer even in summer. The air at the square is cooler than on the coast, and in winter the roads can lie under snow, so a Troodos Mountains tour in the cold months needs warm clothes.
Why do Troodos Mountains tours stop at Kykkos Monastery?
Kykkos, one of the wealthiest monasteries of Cyprus, stands high on Mount Kykkos. It guards an icon of the Virgin Mary kept covered for centuries, golden icons and frescoes, and lies close to the hilltop tomb of Archbishop Makarios III at Throni.
The monastery stands on the north-western slopes of the range, about 20 km west of Pedoulas. Love Protaras calls it the jewel of the Troodos, a sprawling complex known for its wealth.
The icon is the heart of the Kykkos stop on a Troodos Mountains tour. TUI guide Alexia explains that Cypriots hold the icon of the Virgin Mary to be miraculous and try to visit at least once a year. The icon stays under a cover, and TUI notes that the last known viewing took place hundreds of years ago.
Fire destroyed the monastery again and again, so no remains of the original buildings survive. The golden icons and frescoes on view today fill the church and its courtyards. TUI describes the monastery as laden with religious treasures, gives guests free time to walk the grounds and enjoy the mountain views, and notes that each visit helps preserve the site.
Makarios III started out as a monk here before he became the first president of Cyprus. His tomb lies on Throni Hill above the monastery, and TUI stops there for wide views over the mountains.
Dress for the visit. TUI asks guests to cover shoulders and knees in religious buildings, and a Troodos Mountains tour gives free time to walk the grounds after the church.
Which painted churches can you see on a Troodos Mountains tour?
UNESCO lists ten painted Byzantine churches and monasteries in the Troodos. Tours visit the monastery of Saint John Lampadistis in Kalopanagiotis, the church of Panagia tis Podithou in Galata and Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis near Kakopetria, among others.
The churches earned their listing for their murals and for what they show of Byzantine rule in Cyprus. Builders raised them in the mountains, away from the threatened coast, and the range became a centre of Byzantine art.
Saint John Lampadistis is the main sight of the Marathasa valley. A musement Troodos Mountains tour makes it the highlight of the day, and its description dates the refined, well-preserved murals as far back as the 14th century. The site holds three churches, monks’ cells, side rooms and an oil press.
Panagia tis Podithou, an early 16th-century church, stands in Galata, a village of the Solea valley at 620 metres, about 60 km west of Nicosia. Locals know Galata for its fruit and for its cooler summers.
Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis lies near Kakopetria, the town of the Solea valley about 55 km south-west of Nicosia, with about 1,200 permanent residents. Its church dates from the 11th century.
Respect the rules inside and cover shoulders and knees. At Lampadistis the admission fee goes to the upkeep of the monastery, and the musement Troodos Mountains tour includes it in the price.
Which monasteries besides Kykkos can you visit?
Chrysoroyiatissa, the monastery of Our Lady of the Golden Pomegranate, the Holy Cross in Omodos, Saint John Lampadistis in Kalopanagiotis and the churches of Pedoulas, Lagoudera, Platanistasa and Pelendri all welcome visitors on a Troodos Mountains tour.
Chrysoroyiatissa stands 1.5 km from Panayia, the birthplace of Archbishop Makarios. The monastery holds its main feast every year on 15 August in honour of the Virgin Mary, and GetYourGuide pairs it with Kykkos and Omodos on a day trip from Paphos.
Pedoulas keeps the church of Archangel Michael, a late 15th-century building on the UNESCO list. Lagoudera has the 12th-century church of Panagia tou Arakou, and Platanistasa the 14th-century church of the Holy Cross of Agiasmati.
Pelendri, in the Pitsilia region, keeps the church of Timios Stavros with its own 14th-century wall paintings. Palaichori Oreinis adds a 16th-century church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour.
Agros takes its name from a monastery, Megalos Agros, and Kalopanagiotis holds a whole group of chapels around the Lampadistis monastery, from Saint Marina to Saint Sergios and Bacchus.
A Troodos Mountains tour visits two or three of these sites in a day. Ask which ones your route includes, since each operator picks its own mix of monasteries and villages.
Which mountain villages does a Troodos Mountains tour visit?
The village stops include Kakopetria in the Solea valley, Pedoulas and Kalopanagiotis in the Marathasa valley, Platres on the southern slopes, Prodromos as the highest village of Cyprus, Agros in Pitsilia and Omodos in the foothills.
On the TUI Troodos Mountains tour, Pedoulas is the lunch village. It sits at 1,100 metres in the Marathasa valley, and its name joins the Greek words for valley and people. TUI serves its Troodos Mountains tour lunch here, in a family restaurant with local produce, and offers a walk up to a richly decorated church.
Kalopanagiotis lies 3 km north of Moutoullas, spread over a remote valley cut by a stream. On the way, the musement Troodos Mountains tour stops in Platanisteia, a small village known for its printmaking museum. Cobbled streets, tiled roofs, courtyards and vines fill the village, the green Setrachos valley surrounds it, and the Kykkos watermill stands among its Byzantine monuments.
Platres is the main hill resort of Cyprus. Fewer than 300 people live there all year, but the population can rise to 10,000 in the tourist season, and Mummy Travels notes a nearby waterfall, a chocolate workshop and an adventure ropes course.
Prodromos, at 1,380 metres, is the highest village on the island, with only 123 permanent residents at the 2011 census. Agros climbs in an amphitheatre at 1,100 metres in Pitsilia, about 20 minutes from Troodos Square, and takes its name from the monastery of Megalos Agros.
Kakopetria is known for its running waters and a small waterfall in the village, and EMAN Travel gives guests time to walk its lanes and meet the locals.
What do you see in Omodos on a Troodos Mountains tour?
In Omodos you see the monastery of the Holy Cross, which keeps a relic said to be a piece of rope that tied Christ to the cross. Small museums on church treasures and lace, a folk house and liqueur shops fill the lanes around it.
Tradition links the monastery to Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, who is said to have brought part of the cross to Cyprus. The monastery is an important site for Orthodox Christians.
The museums of Omodos are small but rich for a Troodos Mountains tour stop. One holds old church regalia and icons, and another shows the traditional lace of the village, so the visit works for guests who come for history rather than faith.
Guests in shorts or with bare shoulders can borrow robes at the door of the monastery church. EMAN Travel goes further and bans tank tops and shorts for men and women at the monastery, so dress for it before your Troodos Mountains tour.
EMAN Travel calls the Holy Cross one of the oldest monasteries on the island and Omodos a famous wine village full of small shops. The lanes around the square hold souvenir shops, a converted house that shows traditional daily life and a shop that sells local liqueurs. Mummy Travels adds that Omodos gets busier at weekends, when Cypriots come to visit the monastery.
Lunch fits here too. The Mummy Travels group ate at the Katoi restaurant in the village, with kleftiko, souvlaki and charcoal-grilled lamb on the menu.
Which waterfalls can you visit in the Troodos?
The Caledonia waterfall on its forest trail, the Chantara waterfalls with pools for a cold dip, and the small waterfall in Kakopetria are the main stops. Viator sells a full-day tour of villages and waterfalls, and a private tour adds a waterfall and lunch.
The Chantara falls show the cool side of a Troodos Mountains tour. Mummy Travels describes how the air turns cool as soon as you arrive, with photos at the lowest fall and dips in the cascades above.
The water is cold even in August. The writer found it breathtakingly chilly at first and then refreshing, and recommends water shoes or waterproof sandals for climbing between the pools.
The Caledonia trail leads through the forest to its waterfall, and Love Protaras lists it among the top sights of the range.
Waterfall days need the right timing. Mummy Travels notes that winter snow fills the rivers and reservoirs, and that a dry winter leaves them far below normal, so the flow in late summer depends on the year.
A Troodos Mountains tour with waterfalls suits families. Pack a towel, a change of clothes and grippy shoes, and keep children close on the wet rocks.
What are the Venetian bridges of the Troodos?
The Venetian bridges are stone arches over the mountain rivers, built about 500 years ago. The Tzelefos bridge stands in the forest over a stream, and other high, steep arches cross the dry river beds below the range.
The Tzelefos bridge is the famous one. A musement Troodos Mountains tour stops there for photos, deep in woodland, where the medieval arch spans a stream.
The shape tells a story. Mummy Travels describes a bridge about 500 years old that slopes steeply up to its high point, a sign of how high the rivers rose and still rise in storms and flash floods.
The jeep day described by Mummy Travels paired a bridge with a dam. The group stopped at the Asprokremmos dam, the second biggest in Cyprus, whose waters drowned a medieval village built by the Franks.
Viator also sells a jeep safari to Kykkos Monastery with a waterfall and a Venetian bridge from Paphos, so the bridges fit into a Troodos Mountains tour of almost any style.
Can you hike on a Troodos Mountains tour?
Yes. Short walks to the Caledonia waterfall, forest paths in Cedar Valley, river-bed walks to Venetian bridges and climbs between the pools of the Chantara falls fit into a Troodos Mountains tour. Wear grippy shoes and carry water.
The Caledonia trail is the classic forest walk. Love Protaras calls it a beautiful forest walking area with its own waterfall.
Cedar Valley adds a quieter walk among the rare Cyprus cedars of the Paphos forest, with wide views.
The jeep day described by Mummy Travels mixed short walks into the drive: a stroll along a dry river bed to a Venetian bridge and a walk along a mountain road scented with pine, silent but for the wind in the trees.
Waterfall pools need care. The writer climbed between the Chantara pools with mossy grass for handholds and recommends water shoes or waterproof sandals.
A guided Troodos Mountains tour keeps the walks short. For longer hikes, plan a separate day with a map and enough water.
What is Cedar Valley?
Cedar Valley is a forest valley in the Paphos State Forest where the Cyprus cedar grows, a tree native only to the Troodos. The cedars stand between 800 and 1,400 metres, and the species is listed as vulnerable.
The Cyprus cedar is a variety of the cedar of Lebanon, a conifer of the pine family. Botanists still debate whether it is a variety, a subspecies or a species of its own.
It grows in only five natural stands: Tripylos, Mavroi Kremoi, Sellae tis Ellias, Throni and Exo Milos. The largest, at Tripylos, covers 2 square kilometres and holds about 16,000 mature trees.
The cedars share the slopes with Calabrian pine, golden oak and oriental plane, and on the mountain tops they form pure stands of their own. The IUCN Red List rates the variety as vulnerable.
Love Protaras lists Cedar Valley as a forest walking area with wide views, and a Troodos Mountains tour with a walking stop can include it.
Walk quietly in the valley, stay on the paths and take your litter home.
Can you see the Cyprus mouflon in the Troodos?
Yes, with luck. The Cyprus mouflon, an endangered wild sheep and the national animal of Cyprus, lives only in the mountains of the Paphos district. It stands about a metre tall at the shoulder and is the largest animal on the island.
The mouflon is endemic to Cyprus, which means it lives nowhere else in the wild. Its rarity and its link to the island made it the national animal.
Its home lies in the mountains of the Paphos district, so a Troodos Mountains tour on the western side of the range passes through its territory.
Respect the animal if you see it. Keep your distance, stay quiet and never feed it, since the subspecies is endangered.
Which jeep safaris run in the Troodos?
Jeep safaris run to Kykkos Monastery from Paphos and Limassol, Land Rover safaris follow the Troodos and Kykkos route, a classic safari leaves Ayia Napa, and 4×4 tours add a meze lunch from Limassol. Jeeps leave the main roads for tracks too rough for a small hire car.
The jeep format trades comfort for reach. Mummy Travels describes off-roading through the mountains away from the main roads, on tracks too rough for the writer’s small hire car.
Expect a bumpy ride. That jeep held a maximum of eight people, and the writer advises the forward-facing seats, especially for taller guests. Lunch and coffee were not part of the price.
The routes of a jeep Troodos Mountains tour vary. GetYourGuide sells a guided safari to the Troodos and Kykkos Monastery, a Troodos and Kykkos Land Rover safari, a jeep tour from Paphos and Limassol and a classic Troodos jeep safari from Ayia Napa. Viator adds a 4×4 Troodos Mountains tour with a meze lunch from Limassol.
A jeep Troodos Mountains tour suits families with older children and anyone who wants rivers, bridges and waterfalls rather than coach stops. Bring motion-sickness tablets if winding roads trouble you.
Is a coach, jeep or private Troodos Mountains tour better?
A coach tour suits first-time visitors with a guide, lunch and the big sights. A jeep tour suits active guests who want rivers, bridges and tracks. A private tour suits families and groups who want their own pace and stops.
Coach tours cover the classics. The TUI Troodos Mountains tour runs for more than 8 hours with a local guide, Kykkos Monastery, the Throni tomb, lunch in Pedoulas and a coffee stop in Platres. Guests praise their guides and the views, and one noted that the road climbs in switchbacks.
Jeep tours go further into the hills. The group stays small, with a maximum of eight people on the Mummy Travels jeep, and the route reaches places that coaches cannot, at the cost of a bumpier ride.
Private tours follow your wishes. GetYourGuide sells a private Troodos tour from Limassol with a waterfall, villages and lunch, and Love Protaras builds custom itineraries on request by email.
Weigh the trade-offs. A coach is the easy choice for a first visit, a jeep adds adventure, and a private Troodos Mountains tour gives full freedom at a higher price per person.
What food do you taste on a Troodos Mountains tour?
Village halloumi, sweet anari cheese with grape juice, Cypriot coffee, rose and bergamot loukoumi, kleftiko and grilled lamb fill the day. Lunch stops in Pedoulas, Kalopanagiotis or Omodos serve local dishes made with village produce.
Mid-morning brings coffee. The Mummy Travels group drank Cypriot coffee made in a special machine and stirred with an olive stick, with a plate of village halloumi that needs no grilling.
Anari came next, a sweet, creamy cheese from an earlier stage of cheesemaking, served with grape juice. Pita, cucumber, tomatoes in olive oil and black olives completed the plate.
Sweets follow the route of a Troodos Mountains tour. The group stopped at a family business that makes loukoumi in rose and bergamot flavours, a process that takes well over a day, and tasted samples.
Lunch is the main event of a Troodos Mountains tour. TUI eats at a family restaurant in Pedoulas, musement at a family taverna in Kalopanagiotis, and the Mummy Travels group in Omodos.
A cheesemaking day trip on GetYourGuide builds a whole Troodos Mountains tour around dairy, with a brunch in the mountain towns.
Can a Troodos Mountains tour include wine?
Yes. The musement Lampadistis tour ends with a tasting at a Troodos winery, the Mummy Travels jeep day stopped at the Linos winery for blue wine and Commandaria, and the Chrysoroyiatissa monastery runs its own winery.
The Linos winery is a talking point. The Mummy Travels writer calls it one of only six wineries in the world that make blue wine, coloured with red grape skins but tasting much like a white.
The same cellar pours white, rosé and red wines, including a vegan red, plus Commandaria, the sweet dessert wine that dates back to the Crusades.
Chrysoroyiatissa, the monastery of Our Lady of the Golden Pomegranate, stands at about 820 metres, about 40 km north-east of Paphos. A monk called Ignatius founded it in the 12th century, the present building dates from 1770, and its old winery reopened in the mid-1980s to make wine from the monastery’s vineyards.
For a full day among the cellars, our Troodos wine tour page covers the wine villages and their wineries in detail.
How did the Troodos Mountains form?
The Troodos Mountains are a piece of ancient ocean floor. The Troodos ophiolite formed at a mid-ocean spreading ridge in the Late Cretaceous and was later pushed up above the sea, and the range is known for its copper mines and rare rock types.
Geologists see the range as a textbook example. The ophiolite marks an old spreading axis, a mid-ocean ridge, that rose because of its position on the Anatolian Plate at the Cyprus arc, with subduction still going on to the south.
The rocks explain the history. The mountains held mines that, for centuries, supplied copper to the entire Mediterranean.
The summit shows the deep layers. Mount Olympus is built of ultramafic rock, mainly serpentinized harzburgite, which once lay far below the sea floor.
The name of the range has two possible roots. One reads it as “three roads”, after the routes that lead to the mountain, and the other as “the mountains of Adonis”.
Every Troodos Mountains tour climbs across this old ocean floor on its way to the summit.
Can you ski on a Troodos Mountains tour?
Yes, in winter. Mount Olympus holds the ski slopes of Cyprus, and Prodromos is the main centre for winter sports. Snow covers the high ground for months in a normal year, and the roads can lie under snow, so winter tours need care.
Love Protaras counts 4 ski slopes on Mount Olympus for winter skiing, and Prodromos, the highest village on the island, serves as the base. Mummy Travels notes that winter brings enough snow for skiing in a normal year.
Snow also shapes the roads. Outside summer, the writer warns, the roads can lie under snow, so only drive if you are prepared, and a guided Troodos Mountains tour takes that worry off your hands.
Winter snow matters beyond skiing. It fills the reservoirs and rivers for the rest of the year, and in a dry winter the dams and waterfalls run low in summer.
A snowy Troodos Mountains tour shows Cyprus in a different light. Pack boots, gloves and a warm coat, and check the weather before you set off.
Which season suits a Troodos Mountains tour?
Each season works. Summer brings cool air and shade compared with the hot coast, spring and autumn bring mild days that call for a light jacket, and winter brings snow and skiing. EMAN Travel runs its Troodos and Nicosia day every Tuesday in season.
Summer is the classic escape. Galata and the other villages draw Cypriots in the hot months for their cooler climate, and Pedoulas is a popular summer resort.
The mountains are still warm in August. Mummy Travels measured above 30C in the hills against close to 40C on the coast, so bring water and sun protection on a summer Troodos Mountains tour.
Spring and autumn are gentler. Temperatures drop in the mountains in those seasons, so pack a light jacket for a Troodos Mountains tour.
Winter belongs to the snow. The ski slopes open on Mount Olympus, and the roads need care, so join a guided Troodos Mountains tour rather than driving alone.
Can a Troodos Mountains tour start from Nicosia, Larnaca or Ayia Napa?
Yes. EMAN Travel runs a Tuesday day from Ayia Napa that joins Nicosia with the Troodos, and Viator lists a villages and waterfalls tour from Larnaca. Kakopetria lies 55 km from Nicosia, and Agros about 80 minutes from the Larnaca and Paphos airports.
The EMAN day starts in the capital. Guests get free time in Nicosia to stroll the walled old town or walk to the Green Line, the border that has divided the city since 1974.
The coach then heads for the mountains. It stops in Kakopetria for a walk among its running waters, climbs to Troodos Square for free time and an optional lunch, and ends in Omodos with time to taste and buy wine.
From Larnaca, the Viator villages and waterfalls tour covers the range in a full day. The east coast is the farthest base from the mountains, so expect around 2 hours each way from Protaras.
A Troodos Mountains tour from the east trades time on the road for the chance to see Nicosia and the mountains on the same day, a good fit for guests based in Ayia Napa, Protaras or Larnaca.
Can children join a Troodos Mountains tour?
Yes. Families join coach and jeep tours alike, and the mountains offer waterfalls to splash in, a chocolate workshop and an adventure ropes course in Platres, and village restaurants with dishes children like. Pack water shoes and snacks for the long day.
The Mummy Travels blog took its Troodos Mountains tour with a child and called it a different side of Cyprus, away from the sun, sea and sand of the resorts.
Waterfalls are the hit with young guests. At the Chantara falls the writer’s daughter, in waterproof sandals, picked a drier route around the pools while her mother climbed between them.
Platres adds family attractions. Mummy Travels points to its nearby waterfall, a chocolate workshop and an adventure ropes course for a stop on a self-drive day.
Food is easy. The restaurant in Omodos served large portions with plenty of choice for children, and the halloumi and loukoumi tastings along the way keep small travellers happy.
Plan for the length of the day. A Troodos Mountains tour lasts 8 hours or more, so bring snacks, water and something to do on the winding roads, and book a family tour or a private one if your children tire easily.
How do you plan a Troodos Mountains tour?
Book a full-day guided tour with hotel pick-up, allow 8 hours or more, and dress for churches with covered shoulders and knees. Bring water, comfortable shoes, a light jacket and water shoes for the waterfalls, and check whether lunch is included.
Distances decide the start time. Troodos Square lies about 160 km from Protaras, just under 2 hours by road, while Platres sits 25 km from Limassol and Agros about 45 minutes from Nicosia and Limassol.
Lunch varies by tour. TUI includes a lunch in Pedoulas, and the musement Lampadistis tour includes a taverna lunch and a wine tasting, while the jeep day described by Mummy Travels left lunch and coffee to the guests.
Plan for a long day. The TUI tour runs for more than 8 hours, and the Mummy Travels jeep day ran over its 8 hours and returned around 6pm, so keep the evening free.
Mind the access. The musement Lampadistis tour is not suitable for wheelchairs, and the churches require covered shoulders and knees. Both TUI and musement refund the full price when you cancel at least 24 hours ahead.
Pick the base. A Troodos Mountains tour from Paphos reaches Kykkos and the western valleys, while Limassol sits closest to Platres and Troodos Square, and tours from Ayia Napa or Protaras combine the range with Nicosia.
What do travellers ask about a Troodos Mountains tour?
How long is a Troodos Mountains tour?
A full day of 8 hours or more, with pick-up and drop-off at your hotel.
Is lunch included on a Troodos Mountains tour?
On the TUI and musement tours, yes. Jeep tours can leave lunch to the guests, so check before you book.
What do you wear to Kykkos Monastery?
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees. Omodos lends robes at the church door.
How far is Troodos Square from Protaras?
About 160 km, a drive of just under 2 hours.
Do you need a 4×4 to drive in the Troodos?
Not on the main roads in summer, which are good if twisty. A 4×4 or a guided jeep is needed for the off-road tracks.
Can you see Nicosia on the same day as a Troodos Mountains tour?
Yes. EMAN Travel combines Nicosia, Kakopetria, Troodos Square and Omodos in one day from Ayia Napa.
Is a Troodos Mountains tour suitable for wheelchair users?
Ask the operator. The musement Lampadistis tour states that it is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Can you swim on a Troodos Mountains tour?
Yes, in the cold pools of the Chantara waterfalls, and the Mummy Travels jeep day ended with a sea swim at Aphrodite’s Rock.