Not to miss

Lefkosia (Nicosia)

Once enclosed by a star-shaped wall, Lefkosia's boundaries today are dictated by the UN's Green Line, which makes the city the world's only - and hopefully the last - divided capital. Lefkosia remains a friendly, laid-back place, with good restaurants, museums, and a lively art scene.

A visit here should give you a less touristy view of the country than you'll get if you stick to the coastal towns. The old town, inside the 16th-century Venetian walls, is the most interesting part of Lefkosia, with the city centre and municipal gardens just outside the wall on the south-west side.

Akamas Peninsula

The Akamas Peninsula, on the west coast, is one of the last wild and unspoilt places on the Cypriot coast. The landscape is a patchwork of barren rock and lush vegetation, with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including some rare species.

It's a great destination for walkers, with a network of paths criss-crossing the peninsula. The Baths of Aphrodite are at the start of these trails. According to legend, this is where Aphrodite regularly did a Madonna, making herself like a virgin after a night on the town.

St Hilarion Castle

The outline of the almost magical, fairytale remains of St Hilarion Castle will not become apparent until you are directly beneath it, so camouflaged is the structure with the cliffside. The castle (kalesi in Turkish) has just enough hidden rooms, tunnels, overgrown gardens and steep staircases and paths to leave parents gasping for breath and children asking for more.

Local legend tells that the castle once had 101 rooms, the last of which was a secret garden belonging to a fairy 'queen'. The castle's real history is a bit more prosaic. This lofty fort is named after the monk Hilarion, who fled persecution in the Holy Land to live out the remainder of his life in a cave on the mountain that overlooks the plain of Kyrenia.

The view from the top is stunning, and on a clear day you can see the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, more than 100km (60mi) away.

Kolossi Castle

Less a castle and more a fortified tower house, Kolossi Castle perches incongruously between the vineyards and houses of the village of the same name. It is an interesting reminder of the rule of the Knights of St John in the 13th century, who started producing wine and processing sugar cane at a commandery that stood on this land.

The Mameluke raids of 1425-26 compromised the knights' prosperity and no doubt damaged the infrastructure. The current structure dates from 1454 and was probably built over the older fortified building.

The castle is accessible by a short drawbridge that was originally defended by a parapet high above, through which defenders would pour molten lead or boiling oil on the heads of unwanted visitors. Upon entering, you come across two large chambers, one with an unusually large fireplace and a spiral staircase that leads to another two chambers on the second level. The chambers are empty, so it is hard to imagine what they would have been like in their heyday. The only tangible remains of occupation is a mural of the crucifixion in the first-level main chamber. The spiral staircase leads to the roof, where the battlements, restored in 1933, lend a final touch.

Salamis

This was Cyprus' most important pre-Christian city, and it's still the country's best archaeological site. You could easily spend a day here, checking out the fully restored Roman amphitheatre, the gymnasium with marble baths, and the fascinating mosaics.

Salamis' history provides a cross-section of the many civilisations that have contended with each other over thousands of years in the Mediterranean. Subject to the Assyrian, Persian and Ptolemaic empires at various times, its own high period was the 6th century BC. Most of the ruins are Byzantine or Roman, and they're scattered over 8km (5mi). A very pleasant beach fringes the site, so bring your bathers.