11 of the best things to do in Cyprus

1. Splash out at a water park

Colourful water parks should be at the top of your list of things to do on a family holiday in Cyprus. Ayia Napa's WaterWorld claims to be inspired by the ancient Greek world, but you can't help wondering what Socrates would have made of experiences like the vertiginous Fall of Icarus, the Odyssey River or the Thunderbolt and Lightning kamikaze slides.

There’s also Fasouri Watermania, which is the biggest water park in Cyprus with 30 slides for all ages and a South Sea island theme (think palm trees and coconutty cocktails), while Paphos Aphrodite Waterpark is a vast complex pools, rides and slides ranging from an easy-going lazy river to high-speed slides that will get your pulse racing.

2. Try every watersport imaginable

Want to get out on the water? Ayia Napa, Protaras and Paphos are the top choices for powered and wind-driven watersports like windsurfing, kite-boarding and jet-skiing. For something gentler, you'll also find parascending and banana boat rides on almost every beach in Cyprus.

Active travellers will enjoy sea kayaking, with outfits such as Sea Kayak Cyprus offering twin and single-seat kayaks for guided trips to sea caves, beach picnics, snorkelling and private sunset trips.

3. Tee off with a view at Aphrodite Hills

Cyprus rivals any destination in Europe for perfect year-round golfing weather and world-class 18-hole courses. Try Aphrodite Hills, part of one of Cyprus's top luxury resort hotels, with more than 6km (4 miles) of wide greens, manicured fairways and testing bunkers laid out by renowned course designer Cabell Robinson.

Less than ten-minutes away is the aptly-named Secret Valley Golf Resort, tucked away amid rugged rocky slopes that make it feel a little like one of California's famed desert courses. Closer to Paphos, family-friendly Minthis Resort has golfing packages with accommodation in luxury suites overlooking a course laid out by Donald Steel in 1994 and recently renovated by golf architects Mackenzie & Ebert.

4. Hire a bike and race along mountain trails

With its mellow climate, mix of terrains and calendar of events including the Cyprus Sunshine Cup, Cyprus attracts mountain bikers from all over the world. But you don't need leg muscles of steel to enjoy the trails that wind across the rugged Akamas peninsula and through the cool hill forests of the Troodos massif.

Companies like Activate Cyprus offer less-than-super-fit riders guided tours with transfers from your hotel to the upper slopes, so that most of your trip will be an easy-going downhill ride.

5. Join an off-road safari in the Troodos Mountains

The rough forest trails of the Troodos are perfect for 4WD off-road adventures, splashing at speed through streams and rivers on the way to some of Cyprus's highest peaks, remote hill villages, and vineyards where you can sample some of the island's most quaffable vintages.

Some tours, like those with Trackers Excursions, also include stops for picnics beside waterfall pools, and pauses to admire magnificent panoramic views.

6. Put pedal to the metal at Daytona Raceway

Feeling the need for speed? Families with kids (and big kids at heart) will love karting on circuits like Daytona Raceway. Halfway between Larnaca and Nicosia, it offers karts for younger petrolheads and separate sessions for kids aged seven and up.

You'll find other karting circuits close to Paphos, Coral Bay and Ayia Napa.

7. Explore the coastline on a day cruise

Day and half-day cruises from Paphos, Latchi or Protaras are all about fabulous views of the ruggedly beautiful shores of the Akamas peninsula, with a stop for swimming, snorkelling and canoeing in the clear turquoise waters of the gorgeous 'Blue Lagoon'.

Sailing from Ayia Napa, with transfers from Protaras, companies like Ocean Queen offer luxury cruises with on-board DJs to provide tunes. Couples and groups of friends who love to party vouch for the Napa Queen, Ayia Napa's top party boat, with two bars and a big open dance floor where MCs and DJs play four solid hours of dance classics, house, old skool and urban beats.

8. Lace up your hiking boots to discover the island

Even in summer, things to do in Cyprus can include walks through leafy forests cooled by mountain breezes. Troodos town, below the 1,950m (6,400ft) summit of Mount Olympus, is the start point for hikes like the Atalanti Trail, a five- to six-hour walk that loops through the cedar and pine forests of the Troodos massif.

If you’re feeling less energetic, amble along through the woods to the Caledonia Falls, where swallows swoop in summer over a deep pool fed by a 10m (36ft) white-water cascade. It’s at its most spectacular in spring, when it's fed by snow-melt from the surrounding slopes.

More challenging – and only for experienced walkers – is the E4 long-distance trail, which meanders some 540km (335 miles) from Paphos to Larnaca.

9. Scuba dive to discover reefs and wrecks

With its sunny climate, clear water, and a portfolio of wrecks, reefs and caves in shallow water, Cyprus is the Mediterranean's top pick for scuba diving. Professional, well-equipped scuba specialists cater to all skill levels, from experienced divers to novices and learners.

As for where to go, Paphos is a favourite. There are dives like the wreck of the Vera K in shallow water less than 30 minutes offshore and more challenging reef and cave dives around St George's Island in the Akamas Marine Reserve.

10. Go paragliding for a bird’s eye view of Cyprus

Experienced pilots and absolute beginners can take to the clear skies of Cyprus for a fantastic bird's eye view of the island's hills, coasts and archaeological sites like ancient Curium. You might even find yourself sharing airspace with eagles, vultures and falcons.

Companies like Cyprus Fly Adventures offer solo and tandem paragliding and paramotor (powered hang-glider) flights so newbies can ride piggyback with fully trained tandem pilots. If that gives you a taste for this thrilling sport, you can also sign up for a pilot training course that will qualify you to take to the skies on your own.

11. Hit the slopes in the Troodos Mountains

Cyprus is famed for its long months of sunshine, stretching from early spring until autumn, when the chill has already set in in the UK and most of the rest of Europe. But a winter break in Cyprus opens up a whole new list of things to do.

The main attraction? Skiing. Cyprus likes to boast that it's a destination where you can ski and swim both in the same day, and the pistes and ski lifts of Troodos town below Mount Olympus, the island's highest summit, are only an hour or so from resorts like Paphos and Limassol. Winter sports season starts in January and stretches until Easter.