Visit Cyprus: Tombs Of Kings

When we booked to visit Cyprus during October half term, one of the most exciting things for me (other than the sunshine!) was learning more about a country so rich in history. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know a lot about Cyprus at all until recently, I assumed it was simply a tourist hot spot with nothing but beaches and bars. And it turns out I was so very wrong.

Cypriot history goes back 10,000 years and today is home to the most impressive archaeological sites. One of those is Tombs of Kings, a world heritage site, where you can see underground tombs dating back to the 4th century BC, carved from solid rock and thought to the the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials.

Entry to Tombs of Kings is just 2,50 Euros per adult and children are free so it’s a really cheap way to spend a few hours especially on an overcast day. We decided to visit on a day the weather wasn’t looking great and yet as soon as we arrived the sun burned through the clouds and we spent the whole time melting! Luckily there are water fountains dotted around the site to cool down!

Although Gaz, Lewis and I found the history of Tombs of Kings intriguing, especially marvelling at how the tombs were even built in the first place without the use of machinery, Eva, Megan and Harry were far more excited about running, climbing, jumping and exploring!

Harry was in his element climbing into all the different nooks and crannies and I didn’t have the heart to explain that these were actual burial places for those who had died thousands of years ago!

The site itself is incredibly beautiful with the lush green of trees lining the paths (all of which Harry insisted on climbing!) and the bright blue of the sea in the horizon. It’s actually quite a surreal place to visit as on the one hand it feels very much like a holiday destination and yet on the other, it’s so different to any other place we have visited.

For those who want to learn more about Tombs of Kings you can use an audio device to talk you through each are and the history of the tombs. For us, with four children to chase after, it was more about making sure we didn’t lose one of the kids as they ducked in and out of tiny openings in the tombs far too small for us to follow!

For anyone thinking of visiting my top tip would be to wear a proper shoe. We all went in flip flops and sandals and although it was doable, the children literally had to stop every two minutes to empty stones and sand from their shoes. There are also some darker, fairly steep staircases which could prove difficult for those with any mobility issues.

I would also imagine that in the Summer the site gets unbearable hot. It was 28 degrees when we visited and with the heat of the sun reflecting from the rocks, it felt at least ten degrees hotter! Located right by the sea the views are just stunning, I don’t think I have ever seen seas as clear as I did in Cyprus. There are a number of coastal walks for those who can withstand the heat with a direct route right the way into Paphos centre taking around an hour.

One of our favourite things was that everywhere you looked there are small towers of rocks that visitors have made from the stone. The children were keen to make their own towers with Eva very excited to build a tower far taller than ours and declare herself the winner.

And Megan was over the moon to discover her very own “throne” and declare herself the Queen of Cyprus, As you can imagine, there are so many amazing photo opportunities at Tombs of Kings and Gaz was in his absolute element!

Although there are no food and drink facilities on site, there was an ice cream van at the entrance which we literally pounced on as we came out. LIke many of the things in Cyprus the ice cream van was very British and the children were amazed to discover their favourite Mr Whippy ice cream so far from home!

For anyone visiting Cyprus Tombs of Kings is well worth a visit, you can find out more, including opening times, here on the Visit Cyprus website.