Profitis Ilias Church, on the rock above Protaras

The chapel of Profitis Ilias is the first thing you notice about Protaras when you arrive, a small stone church perched on a rock above the town. The climb takes a little effort, and the view from the top makes up for it. Here’s what it’s like and the best time to visit. The rest of the town is in Protaras.

A chapel on the rock

Visit Famagusta’s website places it on top of a hill about 100 m high, a short distance from central Protaras. It was built in 1984 from local stone, which is why it blends into the landscape of rock and scrub. It’s dedicated to the Prophet Elijah, Profitis Ilias in Greek, and has a dome and a small bell tower.

What it doesn’t have is age. It’s a modern church, and the visit is worth it for the setting, the view and the way it looks at night rather than for its art.

The climb and the views

There are 153 steps to climb, according to the region. From the top you see Protaras below, with its white houses and hotels, and the sea stretching east to the horizon. The same website adds that clear days bring Famagusta and the Karpas peninsula, further north, into view.

The chapel is lit up at night and visible from all around, so climbing at sunset and coming down after dark is, to me, the best way to see it. In summer I wouldn’t go up at midday, as the stairs and the terrace have almost no shade.

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

The trail to Konnos

The longest linear trail in the Cape Greco park starts here, 8.5 km and about 3 hours, which according to the region has some of the best views in the area. It passes the chapels of Agios Ioannis, built of stone and mud brick in a quiet valley, and Agioi Saranta, tucked into a cave on Fanos hill, and ends at Konnos Bay. If you do it, take plenty of water and set off early.

Agioi Saranta is named after the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, tortured in the year 320 for refusing to renounce their faith, according to the region, which dates the chapel to the 12th century and says it keeps traces of paintings under its stone dome. From there you look out over the Protaras sea and Cape Greco. You can also reach it along a dirt track from the Fanos firing range, or on another trail that starts at the church of Panagia Panagiotissa.

Getting there

OSEA routes 101 and 102 have a stop called Profiti Ilia on Cape Greco Avenue, for €2 a daytime trip, and from central Protaras you can walk up. I haven’t found opening hours for the chapel in an official source. Below lies Fig Tree Bay, and for somewhere nearby, see hotels in Protaras.

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

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

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