Cyprus · Troodos Mountains · Premium route guide
Majesty of Troodos
Pine forests, painted churches and Troodos Square, all in the Republic of Cyprus.
A loop from Nicosia into the Troodos mountains through the Marathasa and Solea valleys, based on Cyprus Tourism's Authentic Route 9. Built from our own track, entirely inside the Republic of Cyprus.
- Distance
- 190.6 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,809 m
- Elevation gain
- 3,343 m
- Best months
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Cyprus · Troodos Mountains
- Loop
- 100% paved
The route
From Nicosia west to Astromeritis, up the Marathasa valley through Kalopanayiotis, Moutoullas and Pedoulas to Troodos Square, over to Spilia, down to Kakopetria, Galata and Evrychou in the Solea valley and back to Nicosia.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~147 m at the base to 1,809 m at the top, 3,343 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 191 km with about 3,343 m of climbing, about 6 to 7 hours of riding. Cyprus Tourism gives about 180 km for Route 9. Our track is 191 km.
Why ride it
Steep pine-forest roads, stone villages, UNESCO painted churches in the Marathasa and Solea valleys and the climb to Troodos Square near the top of the island.
Hazards
Tight hairpins, gravel and pine needles on bends, tour buses near Troodos Square and local traffic on the narrow village streets.
Fuel
Fuel in Nicosia, Astromeritis, Pedoulas area, Kakopetria and Evrychou. Fill up before the climb.
Best months and difficulty
March to June and September to November. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Nicosia - Start and finish.
- Astromeritis - Village at the foot of the mountains.
- Kalopanayiotis - Monastery of St John Lampadistis (UNESCO).
- Moutoullas - Village known for its spring water.
- Pedoulas - Church of the Archangel Michael (UNESCO).
- Troodos Square - Highest point of the loop.
- Spilia - Mountain village above the Solea valley.
- Kakopetria - Old stone village by the river.
- Galata - Painted churches of the Solea valley.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Majesty of Troodos
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Nicosia / Kakopetria - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission - no extra cost to you.
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