The prettiest villages in Cyprus, from the Troodos to Lefkara

Ask me what I love most about Cyprus and I won’t name a beach. I’ll name a stone village in the Troodos late in the afternoon. Of the 410 localities CYSTAT counted in 2021 in the government-controlled area, these ten are my favourites, picked because each one has something an official source supports, a World Heritage church, a craft listed by UNESCO or a place among the Christmas villages. For something to take home from them, see souvenirs from Cyprus, and if you’re bringing a pet, read Cyprus with a dog, as the mountains have many of the places that accept them. To stay in them, see Troodos hotels.

Kakopetria and Solea, where to start

Kakopetria comes first for good reason. Set in the Solea valley, with 1,255 residents in 2021, it has Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, one of the World Heritage painted churches, close by. The tourism ministry has also chosen it as one of nine Christmas villages for 2026. For me it’s the best base in the mountains, and there’s more in Kakopetria.

Over the ridge in the Marathasa valley, Kalopanayiotis has St John Lampadistis Monastery, another of the ten churches, and it’s a Christmas village too. Pedoulas and Moutoullas, close by, complete the valley with the Church of the Archangel Michael and the Church of Panagia. All ten are in the painted churches of Troodos.

Why is Fikardou so special?

Because it’s a whole village that UNESCO added to its tentative list, the list of World Heritage candidates, in 2002 as ‘the rural settlement of Fikardou’. In the 2021 census it had 25 residents, according to CYSTAT, and in 2026 it’s one of the Christmas villages. Be careful with what you read elsewhere, because it’s a candidate, not inscribed. More in Fikardou.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kakopetria for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The wine villages of Limassol

In the heart of the mountains, Platres is the classic summer resort and Prodromos, at 1,380 m, the island’s highest village according to the Troodos Development Company. On the southern slopes of the Troodos lie the Krasochoria, the wine villages. Omodos is the best known, at an average altitude of 810 m according to the Limassol tourism board, which highlights its lacework. Vouni, at 800 m, is described by the same board as an outdoor museum of life in recent centuries. If wine’s your thing, see the Limassol wine villages.

Away from the mountains there are villages worth the detour too. Between Limassol and Paphos, Pissouri and Anogyra. In the west, Kathikas, Drouseia, Ineia, Kritou Terra, Lysos and Neo Chorio, with Polis Chrysochous as a base. And in the south-east, the red-earth villages of Sotira, Frenaros and Liopetri.

Lefkara and the Pitsilia mountains

Lefkara, split into Pano and Kato Lefkara, with 870 and 119 residents, is the village of Lefkaritika lace, which UNESCO listed as intangible heritage in 2009. The craft is more than seven centuries old, and this winter the village is part of the Christmas programme as well. Read more in Lefkara.

In Pitsilia, east of the Troodos, I’d pick Agros, a Christmas village with 844 residents, and Lagoudera, with 60, next to the church of Panagia tou Araka. In December the Christmas villages are worth a detour, open until 6 January 2027, as I describe in Christmas in Cyprus. And to take something home, Geroskipou’s loukoumi and Agros rosewater are covered in Cypriot desserts.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Kakopetria on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Limassol: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kakopetria for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.