Cyprus · Troodos and Paphos · Premium route guide
Troodos to Akamas - Cyprus Cross-Island Ride
Pine mountains, wine villages and the turquoise bay of Latchi, coast to coast in the Republic of Cyprus.
Nicosia, Kakopetria, Troodos Square, Platres, Omodos, Pano Panagia, Polis Chrysochous, Latchi, the Baths of Aphrodite and Paphos. Built from our own track, fully paved.
- Distance
- 230 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,726 m
- Elevation gain
- 4,272 m
- Best months
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Cyprus · Troodos · Paphos
- One-way
- 100% paved
The route
The long companion to our Majesty of Troodos loop. From Nicosia up the Solea valley to Kakopetria and Troodos Square near Mount Olympos, down through Platres to the wine village of Omodos, across the quiet Paphos forest roads to Pano Panagia, and down to the north coast at Polis and Latchi. A short paved run reaches the Baths of Aphrodite at the edge of Akamas, then the road takes you to Paphos.
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 ~3 m at the base to 1,726 m at the top, 4,272 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 230 km with about 4,270 m of climbing, roughly 5 to 6 hours of riding. The highest point is near Troodos Square at about 1,730 m.
Why ride it
Painted churches of the Solea valley, the cool pine roads around Troodos Square, wine at Omodos, the empty mountain roads to Pano Panagia, and the turquoise bay of Latchi.
Hazards
Left-hand traffic, gravel and goats on mountain corners, steep hairpins, summer heat and coach traffic near Paphos.
Fuel
Fuel in Nicosia, Kakopetria, Platres, Polis and Paphos. Few stations between Omodos and Polis, fill up in Platres.
Best months and difficulty
March to June and September to November. Difficulty: moderate.
Suggested stops
Lunch in Omodos or Platres. Overnight in Polis or Latchi to split it into two easy days.
What to see along the way
- Nicosia - Capital and start of the route.
- Kakopetria - Old stone village in the Solea valley.
- Troodos Square - Highest village area, under Mount Olympos.
- Platres - Mountain resort with fuel and cafes.
- Omodos - Wine village and Holy Cross monastery.
- Pano Panagia - Mountain village, birthplace of Archbishop Makarios.
- Polis Chrysochous - Small town on Chrysochou bay.
- Latchi - Fishing harbour and beach.
- Baths of Aphrodite - End of the paved road at the edge of Akamas.
- Paphos - Harbour, castle and end of the route.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Troodos to Akamas - Cyprus Cross-Island Ride
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Paphos - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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