Kakopetria is a beautiful village located 55km southwest of the capital Nicosia, approximately 50 km from Limassol, 100 km from Larnaca and 91km from Paphos. The village is built upon the foothill of the Troodos mountains while two small rivers flow through it (River Karkotis and River Girillis). The picturesque village has a unique architectural character with little houses having slopes and tiled roofs with beautifully made wooden balconies.
The villages has about 1300 permanent inhabitants and it’s one of the most visited villages on the island due to its charming character and breathtaking sceneries.
Kakopetria village has one of the most popular sights many tourists visit in the village which is Linos musuem, housed in Palia Kakopetria (Old Kakopetria). The museum consists of three thematic sections, with the first one being dedicated to wine, the second one to bread and the third one to olive oil. It’s common belief that ‘Old Kakopetria’ is the most beautiful and picturesque part of the village.
First of all, to clarify, it’s called ‘Old’ because it’s where Kakopetria had first arisen. There is thick forest land all around Kakopetria and there are also 2 rivers;Karkotis and Garillis which surround the area Old Kakopetria. This too attracts hundreds of visitors every year.
Old Kakopetria is characterized by narrow and winding streets and has been declared an area of protected cultural heritage. Cozy mini stores are also houses in Old Kakopetria offering traditional Cypriot goodies such as spoon sweets!
''The picturesque village has a unique architectural character with little houses having slopes and tiled roofs with beautiful and wooden balconies''
It’s architecture offers to every visitor amazing landscapes and many elements of the Cypriot civilization. For this reason it is under the protection of the Department of Antiquities. The wooden balconies of the traditional houses are also another element of graphic decoration in the village while its interesting to note that these houses were first built by local stone from the nearby rivers!
Walking in the narrow, cobblestone streets you enjoy the sights of the old traditional houses. While walking around you will notice that nearly all houses have an upper floor and a wooden balcony. In the past years, the ground floor of the houses were used for the animals while on the first floor (known as anogi) was where the family lived.
While strolling along in Old Kakopetria make sure to visit the Olivemill (Eliomylos) museum which is housed in the yard of the Church of Soteros. Kakopetria Watermills is also a historic sight in the village. The watermills of Kakopetria were ”Mylos tis Gonias” and ”Mylos tou Hajistavrou”. The two watermills began their operation in the 18th century, more specifically in 1753 and stopped their operation after the end of Word War 1. The watermills were built to take advantage of the abundant waters of Karkoti and Garilli rivers
With the help of local authorities and the government, the village successfully preserved the mountainous Cypriot architecture while many properties have been restored and have become holiday houses for the locals or are used as agrotourism lodges. In the village there are many places where you can relax, eat and drink.
The village has also a beautiful central square where cafeterias not only serve beverages but also offer delicious pastries such as pourekkia and loukoumades!! Worth to note is that the most famous picnic area in Cyprus is also located in Kakopetria, ‘Platania’. ‘Platania’ is a beautiful area in the forest where you can sit in the woods and take a break from the road trip up to the village or even have yourself a BBQ! Just a few minutes away from the village is Ayios Nikolaos (Saint Nikolaos) tis Stegis, a Byzantine Monastery which is also a UNESCO Heritage Site. It is the only surviving monastery church of its kind on the island and it is covered entirely in wall paintings from the 11th to the 17th century!
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