Getting There

A. From Limassol and all other coastal cities like Larnaca (airport), Ayia Napa, and Paphos:

From whichever place you start, take the highway leading to the city of Limassol. Upon arriving at Limassol you will encounter a series of round-abouts. If coming from Paphos, at the second round-about turn left following the signal to "Troodos". If coming from Larnaca or Ayia Napa, this will be the fifth round-about you will encounter, in which case you again follow the signals that will lead you into the "Troodos" turn.

Once you leave the round-about you will continue on this road (uphill) without turning anywhere. The road will lead you to the small establishment of Saittas and the village of Moniatis. It should be noted that the road although wide has many hairpin bends. Continue past Moniatis and 3-4Km later you will find the well known resort of Platres to your right. Do not enter the village; the road continues on to "Troodos", more accurately the Troodos Square area. See "C" below for directions from there. Driving time from Limassol in good conditions is about 50 minutes.

Map of Cyprus indicating the location of the main cities with respect to Mt Olympus, where the ski resort is located. Visible on the map are the villages of Platres and Kakopetria where most of the mountain hotels are located. Red lines indicate roads from major cities to Mt Olympus. Green lines indicate 2-lane highways and blue line 4-lane highways.

B. From Nicosia:

From several points within the city of Nicosia there are signs pointing to Troodos. They will all lead you to a highway at the western outskirts of the city (Anthoupolis area). Proceed on the highway, which runs for only a few kilometers before becoming a wide two-lane asphalt road. Continue straight disregarding the many turns to left or right. There are many signals all indicating Troodos straight ahead. You will pass through the villages of Kokkinotrimithia, Akaki, and Peristerona. The next village you will find is Astromeritis. At the middle of the village you will encounter traffic lights flanked by large restaurants. As the signals indicate, at the traffic lights turn left - once you do you will see the mountains straight ahead. Again, remain on this road and do not turn into any of the numerous side roads. You will notice that the road begins to climb. You will encounter the villages of Evrychou, Sina Oros, Galata, and the resort village of Kakopetria, which sits 1,200m directly below the ski slopes!

From Kakopetria the climb steepens, and you will encounter on your right the forest station of Platania (1,100m) before reaching a small crossroads known as "Karvounas". The crossroad is well signposted, one branch leading to Kyperounda and other villages, another to Limassol, and the one furthest to the right leading to Troodos Square, which is only a few kilometers away now but still a steep climb. This road offers spectacular scenery, and is mostly southern-facing so even after snowfalls it is usually snow free. See "C" below for how to get to the ski slopes. Driving time in good conditions about 70 minutes.

Detailed map of the Troodos area (not to scale) The light green area around Mt Olympus illustrates the extent of the ski resort, whereas the dark blue lines represent the 4 T-bar ski lifts (S.V.1=Sun Valley 1 or Aphrodite lift, S.V.2=Sun Valley 2 or Hermes lift, N.F.1=North Face 1 or Zeus lift, N.F.2=North Face 2 or Hera lift). The brown rectangle represent the 2 main cafeterias / lodges where ski rental is also available. Grey circles represent the various villages.

"C". Once you are at Troodos square, follow the signs leading to Mt. Olympus and Prodromos village. This road is practically completely north-facing and may require chains long after a snowfall, so be prepared! About 300m from Troodos square on your left you will encounter Jubilee Hotel. Continue another 1Km and you will encounter a tight and steep secondary road (asphalt of course!) to your left. If you want to go to the Sun Valley area this is the road to follow. The Ski area is to be found about 1Km up the road. If you want to go to the North Face area (Zeus and Hera lifts) do not turn at the secondary road; remain on the main road, and about 1km further down you will see the Hera lift to your left, followed by the North Face base area 500m further down the road.