Cyprus · CY

Mount Olimbos

Mount Olympus is the roof of Cyprus. At 1,952 metres — a little over 6,400 feet — this Troodos peak is the highest point on the island, and the locals call it Chionistra, "the snowy one", a name that sounds like a joke until you stand here in February, watching Cypriot families ski on a Mediterranean slope while the coast basks in mild sunshine below. It is a mountain of two seasons and two completely different holidays: cool-air hiking and wildflower meadows from May to October, snow and a small ski centre from January to March. What makes the visit satisfying is how easy the high country is to reach. The paved road from Troodos village climbs to within a couple of hundred metres of the summit, where a fence and a British military radar installation bar the very top — but the path around that fence opens into a 360-degree panorama over the whole island, with the sea glinting on the horizon on clear days. From the same doorstep, signposted circular trails ring the peak through black pine and golden oak forest, so you can do a two-hour stroll or a five-day-worth-of-material full circuit without ever touching a car again.