Kourion the Ancient City

After my location miss in getting to Kolossi Castle but not Kourion (I think the city sightseeing bus stops here normally...but not sure) and seeming a bit too far to walk, I was fortunate to find a last minute tour yesterday for Paphos & Kourion. Paphos was my original plan for the day so it worked out quite well.

Our first stop of the day was the ancient city of Kourion, located west of Limassol You might wonder why this footprint notes the UK as a location, but the map shows Cyprus. Kourion is situated in the British territory here in Cyprus. En route, we would pass through naval bases like Episkopi. there's quite a level of difference between the homes of differently ranked officers.

Our guide/driver for the day gave us a brief overview, and we had a local guide on site. We started at the house of Eustolios overlooking the Mediterannean. He was a wealthy man with a huge house, with some of the mosaics still remaining. Next stop, the Roman Theatre, which was actually reconstructed due to earthquakes in the area. It's not large by any means, but suited the city.

A short walk away was the Episcopal Precinct & Cathedral of Kourion, also overlooking the Mediterranean. From here we had a about a half hour of free time to explore it, the Stadium, the forum, the baths, and the house of the gladiators. It felt a bit rushed as we likely could have enjoyed another 30 minutes here just to wander and explore.

Near Kourion is the Sanctuary of Apollo. Sadly it wasn't on our itinerary, but our guide did drive in so we could take a few photos. Unfortunately the sanctuary itself is further back, it would've been nice to have gone, though probably adding 30 minutes to the tour if the company would consider it.Read more