11 Best Sights in Cyprus

Outside the city walls stands the Cyprus Museum, the world's largest collection of Cypriot antiquities and arguably the most interesting museum on the island. It houses archaeological displays ranging from Neolithic to Roman times, including a fascinating display of 2,000 votive clay figures from the 6th and 7th centuries BC, excavated by the Swedish Mission in 1929, as well as three limestone lions and two sphinxes from the "royal" tombs of Tamassos. Other highlights include a famous statue of Aphrodite of Soli and beautiful mosaics. This stop is essential to an understanding of the island's ancient sites.

The Larnaca District Archaeological Museum displays treasures, including outstanding sculptures, pottery, and other architectural fragments from the ancient city of Kition and the neolithic settlements of Khirokitia and Tenta-Kalavassos. Re-opened in 2022 after the construction of two new wings, Wing 1 traces a course from 8000 BC until the 12th century BC, and Wing 2 is dedicated to the Iron Age.

Relocated to an old school building in Yeroskipou, the former Byzantine Museum houses notable mosaics, icons, and sacred books and artifacts collected from churches and monasteries throughout Paphos and dating from the 7th through the 18th centuries. The collection includes one of the oldest icons discovered in Cyprus, the Agia Marina, thought to be from the 8th or 9th century. The 9th-century Byzantine church of Agia Paraskevi is in the square nearby and is worth a detour.

The Ethnographic Museum, located in the 14th-century part of the Archiepiscopal Palace, has demonstrations of ancient weaving techniques and displays of ceramics, pottery, glassware, and Cypriot folk costumes that showcase Cypriot life over last 150 years.

This museum traces the city's history from 3000 BC to the present through exhibits on crafts and daily life. The permanent exhibition includes important artifacts, as well as an impressive collection of medieval and modern maps illustrating Nicosia's progression, dating from the birth of the region to now.

Browse interesting archaeological finds from the Limassol area, including pottery, coins, jewelry, tools, and sculptures, from the Prehistoric period (10,000 BC) up to the Late Roman period (AD 327). The collection also contains many items related to Aphrodite, including ancient terracotta figures.

In the House of Patsalos, named after its previous owners who were one of the village's richest families, is a folk museum dedicated to the handcrafts that Lefkara is famous for. Three rooms on the upper floor contain rural furnishings from the 19th century alongside traditional costumes, silverwork, intricate jewelry, and a large collection of lacework and embroidery. On the ground floor, large jars and agricultural tools further the depiction of traditional rural life.

For a glimpse of Cypriot folklore, visit the Municipal Folk Art Museum. The collection includes national costumes and fine examples of weaving and other crafts, from the 19th and 20th centuries. Porcelain, agricultural tools, furniture, and decorative artifacts help to explain how people lived in previous centuries.

The National Struggle Museum displays photographs, personal possessions, and documents from the 1955 to 1959 Cypriot campaigns against the British. The call for union with Greece grew louder in the 1950's and many on both sides lost their life.

The Paphos District Archaeological Museum displays pottery, jewelry, and statuettes in five exhibition rooms. They represent all the prehistoric and historic periods through which the region passed, from the Neolithic Age to AD 1700.

The oldest private museum in Cyprus houses an assemblage of some 2,500 pieces ranging from Bronze Age terracotta figures to Roman and Byzantine-era art. The museum is housed on the ground floor, and the family still lives on the first floor of a colonial style building from 1825.