Painted churches, forest waterfalls, stone bridges and mountain monasteries — the essential places to see across Cyprus’s high interior.
The Troodos range occupies the high centre of Cyprus, where pine forest, terraced villages and deep river valleys replace the dry coastal landscape. The best way to explore it is not as a single stop, but as a network of churches, monasteries, waterfalls, trails and old crossings connected by winding mountain roads.
Painted churches and monasteries
The mountain churches are small in scale but exceptional inside. Panagia tis Asinou and Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis preserve celebrated Byzantine wall paintings beneath steep timber roofs. Elsewhere, Kykkos, Trooditissa, Machairas and Ayios Ioannis Lambadistis show different chapters of the island’s religious and mountain history.
Waterfalls and forest walks
Caledonia and Millomeris are the best-known waterfalls near Platres, while Chantara lies close to Foini. Conditions change with the season: winter and spring generally bring the strongest flow, and paths can be wet or uneven after rain.
Venetian bridges and mountain valleys
The old stone bridges are among the most atmospheric stops in the range. Tzelefos Bridge crosses a forest stream on a former route through the mountains; the Venetian bridge below Kalopanayiotis links the village landscape with the monastery of Ayios Ioannis Lambadistis.
Kykkos and Throni Hill
Kykkos Monastery is one of the major destinations in the western Troodos. From there, the road continues towards Throni Hill and the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III, with broad views across the surrounding ridges.
Where this takes you next
Trooditissa Monastery
A centuries-old pilgrimage monastery high in the pines above Platres.
Church of Panagia tis Asinou
An 11th-century church south of Nikitari, and some of the finest Byzantine painting on the island.
Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis
St Nicholas of the Roof, near Kakopetria — well-preserved frescoes under a steep timber roof.
Chantara Waterfall
A quieter fall on the Dhiarizos river, near Foini and Platres.
Caledonia Waterfall
The best-known waterfall walk in the Troodos, on a shaded trail above Platres.
Millomeri Waterfall
A tall, narrow fall a short walk from Pano Platres.
Tzelefos Bridge
The largest Venetian bridge on the island, in forest at 440 metres.
The Venetian Bridge, Kalopanayiotis
A 16th-century arch over the Setrachos, built to link Kalopanayiotis village with the monastery on the far bank.
Ayios Ioannis Lambadistis
Opposite Kalopanayiotis in the Marathasa valley — UNESCO-listed since 1985.
Kykkos Monastery
Gold mosaics and painted corridors at 1,318 metres — the wealthiest monastery on the island, at the end of a spectacular drive.