4VIP Tour
Historical Tours
Cyprus is located close to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Greece. The places to visit in Cyprus are innumerable and its historical tours are legion with Cyprus’ main attractions coming from relics of its chequered past. From the ancient city-state of Kourion to Petra tou Romiou, the mythical birthplace of the Goddess of beauty Aphrodite, and her fabled baths en route to Paphos, the ancient capital of the island with its Archaeological Park, Cyprus will hold you in its thrall.
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and a member state of the European Union. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt and east of Greece. The earliest known human activity on the island dates back some 3,000 years, to the Neolithic village of Khirokitia. Strategically located in the Middle East, Cyprus was settled in by Mycenaean Greeks, the Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, the Greeks under Alexander the Great, Ptolemaic Egypt, the Romans, the Byzantines, Arab caliphates, the French Lusignan dynasty, the Venetians and the Ottomans. 4VIP Tours organises excursions in Cyprus to any site you would like to see, or a tour in Cyprus to take in vestiges left behind by each of the invaders.
Cyprus came under British administration in 1878 until independence in 1960. In 1974, Turkey invaded the northern portion of the island and remains there, resulting in the partition of the island. Nicosia is the only divided capital city in the World and the famous Green Line is included in every tour around the island, combined with a visit to Famagusta, the ghost city of Varosha, Kyrenia and more.
The ghost town of Varosha is best left undescribed, and discovered in an excursion. The Tombs of the Kings located north and east of Paphos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which entombs high ranking officials and their kith and kin, but not royalty. It is majestic in appearance and a place worth seeing in Cyprus. The design is Macedonian. Lefkara in the Troodos mountains is also famous, apart from lefkaritika, for silver handicraft. All these sites are on 4VIP Tours agenda.
The Basilica of Chrysopolitissa, the Castle of "Saranda Kolones" are all worth a tour in Cyprus, which 4VIP Tours will gladly organise.
Tombs of the Kings
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The Tombs of the Kings is a large necropolis that is located just outside the walls, to the north and east of Pafos town in Cyprus. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built during the Hellenistic period (3rd century B.C.) to satisfy the needs of the newly founded Nea Paphos. Its name is not connected with the burial of kings, as the royal institution was abolished in 312 B.C., but rather with the impressive character of its burial monuments. The underground tombs are cut into the native rock, and at times imitated the houses of the living. 4VIP Tour conducts a tour of this site.
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Aphrodite Birth Place (Petra tou Romiou)
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Petra tou Romiou, an unusual geological formation of huge rocks off the southwest coast in the Paphos district and along the main road from Paphos to Limassol forms one of the most impressive natural sites of Cyprus associated with Aphrodite. There are numerous legends correlating this rock formation with Aphrodite. 4VIP Tour have this site on their agenda, as it is a site worth a trip to Cyprus on its own.
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Bath of Aphrodite
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Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and sensuality, is perpetually cited as being a Cypriot at heart, and also known as Cypris. Aphrodite is also considered the patron of the island. She also has a prominent role in tourism in Cyprus.
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Paphos Archaeological Park
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Nea Pafos is situated on a small promontory on the southwest coast of the island. The town was apparently founded at the end of the 4th century B.C. by Nicocles, the last king of Palaipafos. In early 3rd century B.C. when Cyprus became part of the Ptolemaic kingdom, which had its capital in Alexandria, Nea Pafos became the centre of Ptolemaic administration on the island, ultimately becoming its capital. When in 58 B.C. Cyprus was annexed by Rome, Nea Pafos continued to be the capital of Cyprus. After the disastrous earthquakes of the 4th century A.D. the capital was transferred to Salamis, which was then renamed Constantia. Even then however, Nea Pafos dominated the other cities of Cyprus.
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Amphitheatre Kourion
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The ancient city-state of Kourion lies in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia but is maintained and administrated by the Republic of Cyprus according to the Treaty of Establishment. The mount of Kourion, on which the ancient city-kingdom developed, occupies a dominant position on the coast 4 km southwest of the village of Episkopi in Limassol district. The earliest evidence of settlement in the broader area of Kourion dates to the Neolithic period (4500-3900 B.C.), whilst the most ancient remains in the area of the ancient city itself are connected with settlements and tombs of the Middle and Late Bronze Age. According to tradition Kourion was founded by Argives in the 13th century BC, during the first wave of the Mycenaean expansion and others followed the Argives in the 12th century as a result of the Dorian invasion of Greece. This site is on 4VIP Tour agenda.
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Khirokitia
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Khirokitia (sometimes spelled Choirokoitia) is an archaeological site on the island of Cyprus dating from the Neolithic age. It has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1998. The site is known as one of the most important and best preserved prehistoric sites of the eastern Mediterranean. Much of its importance lies in the evidence of an organised functional society in the form of a collective settlement, with surrounding fortifications for communal protection. The Neolithic Aceramic period is represented by this settlement and around 20 other similar settlements spread throughout Cyprus. The site was discovered in 1934 by Porphyrios Dikaios, director of the Cyprus Department of Antiquities. For those keen on visiting digs, Khirokitia is a worthwhile excursion in Cyprus.
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Lefkara
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Tucked away and nestled in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains in the southeast of Cyprus is a charming village with old stone buildings, cobble stone streets, narrow winding alleys, and a colorful past, Lefkara. This is where the Cypriot folk needlecraft art was born − the famous ‘lefkaritiko’ − the reputation of which has gone beyond the frontiers of Cyprus and has become known in most European countries and beyond. Lefkara owes its welfare and prosperity to this needlecraft and to its trade launched in the late 19th century, flourishing during the first thirty years of the 20th century.
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Famagusta and the lost city of Varosha
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The term ‘Lost City’ is intensely exciting and evokes memories of Pompeii, Atlantis and the like. This 4VIP tour in Cyprus is full of surprises and amazing stories that will stretch your examination to its limit. On this excursion, we will first start with the city of Famagusta, which has that infinitesimal element of mystery that attracts curious visitors. Famagusta is the de jure capital of the Famagusta District of the Republic of Cyprus. Just east of Nicosia, this city has started to develop and there is a general belief that it may finally be on its way to recapturing its past glory and once again become a world-class tourist destination. It possesses the deepest harbor of the island, though not in use today. Turkey calls it the capital of Gazimağusa District of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is a bit of an anomaly since it is not recognised by any country in the world other than Turkey. This one political peccadillo has held up Turkey’s admission to the EU for ages. To deepen the mystique, Famagusta has within its ramparts a surreal and beautiful ghost township called Varosha, frozen in time for 40 years now. This is definitely one of the many places to see in Cyprus.
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Kyrenia and Bellapais Abbey
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In this 4VIP Tour around Cyprus, we will visit Kyrenia, a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbor, castle and history. Kyrenia is split into two neighborhoods, Kato (Lower) Kyrenia and Pano (Upper) Kyrenia. It is an entrancing city to visit in an excursion into the deeper recesses of Cyprus.
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