A Circuit Designed as a Journey Through Time
With “Roundtrip Cyprus Without Borders,” Creative Tours Cyprus — a French-speaking inbound operator in Cyprus from Limassol — has crafted a circuit that spans nearly the entire island in eight days and seven nights. The concept is that of a Regrouped Individual Circuit (CIR): our clients travel autonomously while enjoying a shared programme, an air-conditioned coach, a French-speaking guide certified by the Cyprus Tourism Office, and departures guaranteed every Saturday during the season. This format enables individual travelers — couples, families, solo explorers — to access a complete circuit, typically reserved for organized groups, while preserving flexibility and comfort. Our objective is simple: to tell Cyprus in its full depth, from UNESCO-listed ancient sites to mountain villages, passing through mythology, gastronomy, and the successive heritages that have shaped the island.
From Limassol to Paphos: tracing the sources of Cypriot antiquity
The circuit opens in Limassol with the medieval citadel of Lemesos, built in the 13th century by the Lusignans, where tradition places the marriage of Richard the Lionheart to Berengaria of Navarre in 1191. The day continues with the donjon of Kolossi, the ancient city-kingdom of Curium, the Greco-Roman theatre, the basilica, the baptistery, and the mosaics of the house of Eustolios, before visiting the sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. The village of Lefkara, renowned for its Lefkaritica embroidery and filigreed silverware, rounds out the day. The next leg takes us to Paphos by Aphrodite’s Rock, Yeroskipou and its Paraskevi church, the Monastery of Saint Neophytos, and the Baths of Aphrodite. In Paphos itself, the circuit explores the Tombs of the Kings, the Pillar of Saint Paul, the Church of Chrysopolitissa, and the famous mosaics of the houses of Dionysos, Aion, and Theseus — all UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites.
Troodos, Kykkos and Byzantine villages: Cyprus of the mountains
Leaving the coast for the heights of the Troodos is one of the circuit’s most remarkable moments. The itinerary passes through the village of Omodos, its wine press “Linos,” and the Church of the Holy Cross, with a tasting of local wine. The next day leads to Kykkos Monastery, the island’s most famous, which houses the icon of the Virgin attributed to the Evangelist Saint Luke, then to the tomb of Archbishop and first President of Cyprus, Makarios III. The route then winds through a succession of mountain villages and Byzantine churches listed by UNESCO: Saint Nicholas of the Roof in Kakopetria, famed for frescoes from the 10th and 17th centuries, then the church of Asinou, dating from the 12th century. These stops reveal another Cyprus, a more contemplative one, where sunlit landscapes and the quiet of the upland plateaus offer a new perspective on the island.
Nicosia, Kyrenia and Bellapais: crossing the line to understand the island
The capital, Nicosia, sits at the heart of the circuit. Since the Middle Ages it has been alternately governed by the Templars, the Lusignans, and the Ottomans, and a visit to the ancient Cathedral of Saint Sophia bears that memory. The journey continues to the north with Saint Hilarion Castle, a fortified refuge perched at 732 metres, then Kyrenia and its Venetian fortress-palace, at the foot of which stands the small Byzantine church of Saint George. The visit to Bellapais Abbey, founded in the 12th century by the Premonstratensian order, ranks among the most striking moments of the itinerary. It is precisely this borderless passage that gives the circuit its strength: it allows Cyprus to be read in the continuity of its history, without truncating the tale of its great Venetian, Lusignan and Byzantine chapters.
Flavors and the art of living: the circuit’s guiding thread
Beyond the sites, this circuit places significant emphasis on the human and gastronomic dimension of Cyprus. Tasting loukoum in Yeroskipou, local wine in Omodos, lunches en route in chosen tavernas, and above all a tavern evening in Larnaca with a dinner featuring traditional Cypriot flavors: meze, grilled halloumi, Koupepia, and kleftiko. The circuit concludes in Larnaca with visits to Saint John, the Byzantine Museum, the Cyprus Archaeological Museum — the island’s richest museum — the village of Kiti and its Angeloktisti church, the salt lake with its view of the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque, and the Church of Saint Lazarus. At every step, guidance is provided in French by our Cypriot guides certified by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, ensuring a fluent, structured, and immediately comprehensible experience for French-speaking clients — which, on the Cypriot market, is our distinctive feature, as highlighted in our recent press release published on TourMaG.
