Salamis Ruins - 2 minutes to Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel

As its name suggests, the Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel is within easy reach of the ruined Roman city of Salamis.

Walking through the impressive ruins of Salamis, it’s easy to imagine life in this once-thriving Roman town. There has been a town on the site since the time of the Trojan Wars, and Salamis was considered so important that in 295BC the Egyptian King Ptolemy I invaded it!

The Roman remains at Salamis stretch over 5km, so make sure you take a hat and a bottle of water before you start exploring this city in the summertime. Certainly, the young Roman men working out in the gymnasium would have felt the heat too, and the elegant western colonnade provided welcome shade in the heat of the day. Take the kids to see the latrines behind the gymnasium, which could accommodate 44 people at once!

Roman baths were the North Cyprus health spas of their day, with a hot steamy room at one end, a medium temperature room in the middle, and a cold room with a plunge pool. At the southern hall of the baths at Salamis, you’ll see parts of the original mosaic floors, the height of Roman interior design!

For that ‘Gladiator’ experience, climb to the top of the eighteen rows of seats in the Salamis amphitheatre, originally fifty rows high! At its peak, this big arena was part of an arts complex that included an odeon (concert venue – not a cinema!) and possibly a small sports stadium as well.

In the summer heat, you have to admire the vast water cistern beside the Roman forum, the end of the journey for a supply of fresh mountain water, brought to Salamis by 56km of aquaduct. The cistern held enough water for 120,000 people.

For a refreshing end to your day at Salamis, you can either take a dip in the sea from Salamis Beach, or return to the elegant lagoon pool at the Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel.