Larnaca & Divided Nicosia Sightseeing Tour from Paphos
Description
Journey into a captivating full-day tour to Larnaca and Nicosia from Paphos — sacred shrines, ancient churches, and the last divided capital in Europe await. Your first stop is the serene Hala Sultan Tekke — one of the most significant Islamic shrines in the world, beautifully situated on the shores of Larnaca Salt Lake, dedicated to Umm Haram, a relative of the Prophet Mohammed. Next, stroll along the Larnaca Salt Lake before exploring the magnificent Church of St. Lazarus — a stunning 9th-century Byzantine masterpiece famous for miracles and sacred relics. The grand finale awaits in Nicosia — the last divided capital in Europe. Walk vibrant Ledra Street, cross the iconic Green Line, and experience the unique blend of Greek and Turkish Cypriot culture. A perfect day for history lovers and curious travelers ready to discover the extraordinary diversity of Cyprus.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Rising gracefully from the shores of the stunning Larnaca Salt Lake, Hala Sultan Tekke is one of the most breathtaking and spiritually significant sites in the entire Islamic world. Its elegant domes shimmer in the still waters below, while the peaceful surroundings create an atmosphere of profound serenity. A place where nature, history, and spirituality converge in a way that stays with you long after you leave.
Stretching alongside the road to Hala Sultan Tekke, Larnaca Salt Lake is one of Cyprus' most captivating natural landmarks — a place that shifts and transforms with the seasons. In winter it fills with shimmering water, in summer it becomes a vast, otherworldly expanse of white salt glittering under the Mediterranean sun. A place of quiet, unexpected beauty that surprises every visitor.
Standing at the very heart of Larnaca for over a thousand years, the magnificent Church of St. Lazarus is built above the reputed tomb of Lazarus himself — the man Jesus raised from the dead. Beneath its ancient arches and timeless Byzantine domes, centuries of faith, history, and daily Cypriot life converge in perfect harmony. Step inside and feel the extraordinary stillness that only truly sacred places can offer.
Welcome to Nicosia — the last divided capital in Europe and one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Walk along the impressive 16th-century Venetian walls, stroll through the charming medieval alleys of Laiki Geytonia, and admire the magnificent Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Then cross the Green Line checkpoint into Northern Nicosia — where the breathtaking Hagia Sophia Cathedral, a stunning 13th-century Gothic masterpiece later transformed into a mosque, stands as a powerful symbol of Cyprus' complex and extraordinary history. Enjoy free time to explore, wander, and savour lunch in this truly unique city.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*Your pickup begins 30 minutes before the official tour departure time. Please note that the pickup time and tour start time are different — your exact time and location will be confirmed in your ticket. *Hotel pickup: For most hotels in Paphos we collect directly from the reception. *Not staying at a hotel? Simply arrange a convenient meeting point with the operator after booking — we'll make it easy for you. *Please arrive 10 minutes early at your selected meeting point. *Stay reachable on the tour day for any last-minute updates.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- All visitors must pass through borderline security when crossing the Green Line.
- A valid passport or ID card is mandatory. Please note that holders of Armenian, Syrian, Nigerian, Turkmenistan, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi passports require a special visa to enter Northern Nicosia.
- Please ensure shoulders and knees are covered when visiting monasteries and churches.
- Сomfortable walking shoes are highly recommended.
- The tour operator reserves the right to adjust the itinerary while maintaining the full quality and scope of your experience.
Reviews(12)
The trip was good value and met our expectations of getting to see and cross the Green Line into Nicosia. Our guide was friendly, funny and knowledgeable. We received good information in advance and he arrived on time. The tour took in a few sites on the way to Nicosia - quick stops which suited us - more like highlights. We had about 1.5hrs free time in Nicosia which was just (only) enough time to cross the green line and get some lunch. The only thing i found disappointing was seating in the car. It was a six seater with the front passenger and middle two seats being what I would describe as normal and comfortable. The rear two seats (ours) were less so and more suited to children or shorter journeys. I wouldn’t book again because of this - it’s just pot luck which you get and we got the short straw - and why I’ve scored 4 instead of 5 stars.
Thank you for your honest feedback and for choosing EOS Tours! We're glad you enjoyed the experience and hope to welcome you back on your next visit to Cyprus. Best regards, EOS Tours
Booked this through Sputnik8.com. We were informed the day before the trip at 15:00 that the trip was cancelled. No explanation, no apology, nothing. This meant we had to find something very last minute which was extremely difficult. Luckily SA Coaches had a trip going with some space. Otherwise the day would have been ruined I wouldn’t recommend this company due to how unreliable they are and the lack of communication from their side.
Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, according to the rules of the Sputnik8 platform, a tour may be canceled due to objective reasons — for example, in case of vehicle breakdown or guide illness. Such situations happen as unexpectedly as flight or train cancellations. It is also very inconvenient for us, and we always try to minimize such cases. At the same time, we would like to point out that advertising other companies on our page is inappropriate. We kindly ask for your understanding regarding such force majeure circumstances and thank you for sharing your experience.
Yet again so easy,picked up outside hotel by Vlad again so knew it was going to be good. Long journey but Vlad kept us informed with history and currant affairs of the region. Salt flats,mosque and St lazerus church were very interesting if not surprising and we were left with a good amount of time to wander around Nicosia and pop over to the Turkish side. Yet another good tour.
Thank you for sharing your experiences! We are happy to hear that you had a great time on our tour. We appreciate your kind words!
The tour was good but anyone with mobility problems needs to be aware that there is a lot of walking, especially down Ledra Street towards the border. We weren’t informed about this by the guide ahead of time. It was interesting to see both sides of Nicosia but there isn’t much time to explore the Turkish side if you intend having lunch in a restaurant. Our guide was ok but their English was a bit hard to understand.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! We're glad you enjoyed exploring both sides of Nicosia. It’s a city full of history and unique experiences. We appreciate your tip regarding the amount of walking, and we’re happy that you still managed to take in the sights despite the packed schedule. It sounds like you made the most of the day, and we hope it left you with great memories!
Vladimir our tour guide was courteous and very pleasant. He was brilliant and cannot fault for anything. The only downside was that the van was very small and crammed. I had a middle seat - I wouldn’t really call it a seat and there were six of us excluding Vlad. The other downside- visiting time at the Hala Tekke and salt lake is not enough. Perhaps, wise to extend it further. It felt rushy. On a good note, our tour guide and driver, Vladimir was excellent, friendly and catered for our needs. He was brilliant throughout. We enjoyed the tour of Nicosia and Lanarca.
Thank you for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear that Vladimir made your tour enjoyable and provided excellent service. We appreciate your comments regarding the van size and the time spent at Hala Tekke and the salt lake. Your suggestions are valuable, in order to constantly improve our experiences. We're glad you enjoyed your time exploring Nicosia and Larnaca, and we hope to welcome you on another tour in the future!
No way can squeeze 3 people in the back seat of a car , this to remind the operator that the trip is not a mere transportation ,but a scenery ride , a person can not be squeezed and enjoy the trip Once this is known to us say @9 AM , the day is over , so with limited time in Cyprus it is so difficult to arrange an alternative tour Bad experience. I have a picture and VDU clip to prove ,
Working with tourists we meet different people and unfortunately, not all of them are decent. Dear Mamdouh Malkawi, in your review you distorted, lied and kept silent about what really happened. First of all, we would like to point out the fact you have booked a general tour by car or minivan, which immediately means consent for one or another transport that can be provided during the tour. Please note that we are a licensed travel company and all our vehicles are checked and the proposed transport on the day of the scheduled trip is up to the standards of the declared product. You were provided with a 6-seater car, the place that was provided to you was not in the back, but in the middle. You yourself refused to go, for which you were immediately offered a full refund. You refused the cancelation and refund asking for a replacement tour. We explained that tours can be changed to another day, but you wanted exactly at that moment. Please note that immediately after your refusal to go on a general tour with us, the manager of the company contacted you to discuss the situation and after all proposed the private trip. In order to avoid misunderstandings, we asked you to respond in writing to our proposal, otherwise, we would not have given you a private tour. After a long telephone conversation, you answered in writing that you agree with the proposal. We offered you an individual tour only for you with a small surcharge of 53e (you already paid 107e for the sharing trip ). Please note that you were provided with a proposal for a VIP class excursion including a guide and car which was originally worth more than 270e. But you decided to keep silent about this in your review. Our guide arrived very quickly within 30 minutes she was already with you at the reception. After the end of the tour, you really liked the tour and you wrote about it personally to our guide in a personal letter. If we would have bad customer service and were such unprofessional as you are writing, then such good guides would not work with us. Our team responded very quickly and provided you with everything possible. Unfortunately, the response system does not give us the opportunity to post here a photo of your correspondence and your letter to the guide, in order to publicly shame you. But after all the people can make their own decisions about what happened. P.S. Our company already forwarded this issue to the lawyer to proceed with the investigation in order to sue you for a false review.
it was a terrible experince they actually robbed me with kind reply " we have expenses we cant refund " , what happened that the bus was late other tour company was on site at same time and he took us by mistake he didnt check anything (booking number hotel rooms people names ) , while we was on ride with the wrong tour the original guide was in hotel looking for us , he says that he called us on mobile phone and no respond but for sure as any tourist will be no phone signal ( he can reach us on any internet app like whatsapp ) and he just goooooo without any problem !! when we realised that we are on the wrong trip the guide provide us with a ride to our hotel , then we called this trip company they told us by the meaning of no refund it is your mistake !! Sorry instructions wasn't clear and you came late so it's your fualt not us !!
Dear Customer Unfortunately, some people do not take responsibility, they try to throw it on others. Here we meet with such a case. After you realized that you lost the tour due to your noncaution, you decided to denigrate the image of our company, thinking that in this way you can influence the situation. Probably realizing that even if you contact the Tourist Police, they will not help you to receive the refund since it is obvious that it was your responsibility. Let's take it into detail: The trip was operated as planned. The bus was late with just 2 minutes that can happen on the traffic, the Hotel reception can confirm this fact (they signed for us confirming the time we arrived and left the spot). The guide arrived at the hotel and with the reception help tried to find you in the room, at the same time our operation manager was trying to reach you on the phone (the phone was ringing, you were just not responding). You booked a sharing bus trip, not a private trip, why do all the groups need to wait for one customer which is not on the spot? The guide left the hotel 10-15 minutes later. We did all in our power, but it is not our responsibility since the customer is not there. After all, we treated you with understanding and offered to go on another excursion on another day, to which you refused us, stating that we should make you a full refund. 2. From the photos of the transport you get in (unfortunately can not add here the photos you sent us earlier), it obvious that you just sit in without thinking about that you book a trip by bus, not by jeep, also you booked a trip with Eos Tours but you get in the jeep which was having Stevie's jeep Safari logo. And as you said the guide did not check your ticket. Sorry, but we do not see here the reason for us to be responsible for your no-show.
This is an interesting trip. We managed to see a different part of the island. On the day of the tour it was very hot, but the air conditioning in the bus worked perfectly. The guide's story is very fascinating. Took lots of interesting photos in Larnaca. Liked the walk around Nicosia and crossing the green line. Had a good day.
Absolute terrible experience , packed into a small long wheel base Ford transit mini bus , needing to be updated 14 people , packed no room to move or sit comfortable throughout the whole experience . Back end of the bus you felt every pot hole for the 5 hour driving experience . Air conditioning, hardly working in 40 degrees heat, sweltering hot , uncomfortable, we will not be recommending, advised on website social distance and hand sanitizer, there was none. Bring a towel and swimwear was advised on website , not required, however pleased we brought a towel with us as much needed due to all the sweating. We will be looking into a refund,
Dear Donna Hello Thank you for your review. Now in Cyprus, we do not have any social distance regulation anymore only wearing masks on transport is mandatory and all the participants were wearing masks. On the day of the trip, our office did not receive any complaints, the guide was not informed that on your side was not enough cold the air conditioning work. Unfortunately, if the participant will not request it the air conditioner will be settled to the standard temperature. We have very good quality comfortable buses with good air conditioning passing often the checking to meet our tourist services level, no one ever complained about it in till now. Even more, there are specifications for compliance with European standards, which are taken by our office, otherwise, we would not have the license to be an Oficial Tour Operator. The route we are taking is through the highway which is only asphalted roads I can not really understand where you feel the hole on the highway. Probably your expectations were too high but that is a sharing bus trip, not a VIP trip. The bad point is that being all day on the excursion trip you find the time to complain just now and because you did not show your disappointment on the day of the trip we did not have any chance to make up the situation. Thank you again! Wish you a good vacation. Best Regards, EOS TOURS TEAM
Loved this tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. The main thing we saw in larnaca was the church of Lazarus. This was good. We then went on to nicosia and did the walking tour. This took in many of the sites of nicosia including the green line. This i hadn't realised was like the Berlin Wall dividing the capital in 2. We ended the tour by going into the Turkish side nicosia. This was good although I was very glad to get back to Cypriot side as the turks are very pushy when trying to sell you anything.
