Politically and culturally, Cyprus is part of Europe, but geographically the third largest island in the Mediterranean belongs to Asia. It is only a hundred kilometres from its easternmost tip to the Syrian coast. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with around two thirds - the southern part of the island - belonging to the Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus. The northern part of the island, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is not recognised under international law (except by Turkey), but its inhabitants have been EU citizens since 2004. The border runs through Nicosia (Lefkosía), among other places, and the divided capital has a population of 290,000. In autumn 2016, both sides, together with the EU and the UN, held promising talks about a possible reunification.
You can find the entire article and the GPS data for these tours in the download area below:
- TOUR 1: Up Mount Olympus (132 kilometres, 3,000 metres in altitude, max. 12 % gradient)
- TOUR 2: Tour of contrasts (89 kilometres, 1,500 metres in altitude, max. 11 % gradient)
- TOUR 3: National Forest Park (101 kilometres, 2,300 metres in altitude, max. 13 % gradient)
- TOUR 4: To the floating cross (121 kilometres, 1,600 metres in altitude, max. 9 % gradient)
Our four tours run exclusively on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. One of them leads through the Troodos Mountains, whose highest peak is the 1,950 metre high Olympos. The south coast of Cyprus is partly built up with large hotels, the area around Agia Napa in the south-east has the most beautiful beaches on the island, but it's like the Ballermann. The ruins of Páfos and the Aphrodite sanctuary near Kouklia, a total of twelve so-called barn-roof churches in the Troodos Mountains and the excavations of Choirokoitía are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Left-hand traffic prevails in Cyprus. The road surface is generally good, only a little rough and potholed in places, especially on the numerous tiny roads that wind their way through the hills. In the villages, you sometimes rumble over cobblestones. In addition, some Cypriot transport minister obviously had a great fondness for speed bumps to calm traffic; you have to hop over them in almost every village. The gradients are mostly moderate, with ramps beyond the 10 per cent mark rarely in the way. Be careful on the descents: there are often stones on the road. There is virtually no traffic on many of the side roads. We encountered two cars on the almost 30 kilometres from Kouklia near the coast to the vineyards near Vasa.
Downloads:
GPS data: Cyprus
PDF: Trip Cyprus
