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Kolossi Castle

Florian Buechting Places & Sights No Comments

Kolossi Castle

2.50 EUR
Kolossi Castle
3.9

Rating

 3.9/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great Views of Cyprus
  • Tower in very good condition

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Very narrow stairs

Kolossi Castle is one of the key landmarks in Southern Cyprus. The castle has been a stronghold for the Crusaders. There seemed to have been an early 13th century fortress at that place already – but the tower you can visit nowadays is a 1454 one. The height of the building is 21 meters.

 

Kolossi Castle – Location & Admission

Kolossi is a Cypriot village Some ten kilometers West of Limassol / Lemesos. The castle is located on the very South of the village. Politically, it is just located in Cyprus, I parked the car on the huge parking lot, which is partially a part of the United Kingdom (you don’t get that if you don’t check out a map. It is conveniently located and signed from the A6 motorway, even though some signs are missing. There were also tourist buses stopping in front of the castle during our visit, but I could not find their schedule.

The castle is driven by Cypriot Department of Antiquities. Admission is 2.50 EUR. In the winter months (mid September to mid April), the grounds are open daily from 8:30 to 17:00 hrs, while there are prolonged opening times until 19:30 hrs in summer.

 

Kolossi Castle – The Ground

You can visit some ancient remains around the castle. The most striking one is likely the former aqueduct. Strolling around the Kolossi Castle grounds before entering the castle is also a good idea as you get quite some information about the place on the information signs around the building. Unfortunately, there were some maintenance works on the tower itself during our visit.

 

Visiting Kolossi Tower

Most of the visitors very likely don’t care too much about the grounds, but want to see the castle from inside and enjoy the views from the top. The inside of the castle is very basic, there is just one major painting close to the entrance. Apart from that, you more or less just see the structure of the building, including the windows, fireplaces and similar facilities. You can also go down into the cellar of the tower, which I felt to be impressive just due to having such an empty large room there.

You can walk up the tower, there are two levels until you reach the top of the tower, which gives you an amazing view of the area. However, the staircase is a 15th century one – and I feel there are some countries in Europe, which nowadays would not allow to have tourists in it. It is very narrow, the steps are comparably small. Luckily, Kolossi Castle was not too crowded, so that you could easily communicate with other visitors who is taking the steps first. Some people did also not take the stairs at all after they say them. The view is just amazing though – some of the fascination of the place will fade, though, when you walk down. This is even more of a nightmare (without handrails) than the trip up.

 

Kolossi Castle – Services

The entrance building also features a small gift shop. There is a separate toilet building. The castle grounds as such do not feature any refreshments, but there is a nice basic cafe right outside.

 

Kolossi Castle – My View

There are two key reasons to visit Kolossi Castle: first of all, it is amazing that the stronghold is still in such a great condition. On top of that, there are the great views of Southern Cyprus. If you are a history buff, there is a third reason on top – but the other two ones are already sufficient why I feel you should dare a visit. The price is a bargain.

 

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