Welcome to Cyprus , an island of legends that basks year-round in the light of the warm Mediterranean sun. A storied past 10,000 years long has seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim here - but then, people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty. Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus , and travellers throughout antiquity came here just to pay her tribute.

Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. Here you will discover a compact world of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks, vineyards studded with olive trees and ancient ruins that stir the imagination, citrus groves and old stone villages where sweet wine flows as freely as conversations at the local café. A carefree place , where a sense of timelessness is magnified by the kindness of the people.

The very name Cyprus , it has been said, shimmers with an ages-old mystique. Today, history and hedonism are comfortably intertwined on the island. Ravishing five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer every amenity the modern traveller has come to expect and more, from knock-out pools, gardens and beachfronts to state of the art thalassotherapy health spas. One of the most impressive archaeological sites, the ancient city kingdom of Kourion , overlooks a magnificent stretch of beaches with a sparkling blue sea beyond. Along the island's sun-kissed coastline., from Agia Napa in the east to Pafos in the west, world-class beach resorts alternate with settings untouched since antiquity.

click here to view the map of Cyprus