I went there with the Ancient Wonders cruise with Thomson holidays and it was wonderful! Except for the rubbish. The Ruins at Cyrene are huge. I travelled towards the end of October and if anyone else is travelling at that time of year I recommend a fleece type jacket as the wind is quite chilly. Cyrene was inhabited by the ancient Greeks and there are several temples within the area, dedicated to various deities. The Temple of Apollo, Zeus, Hecate are 3 I recall. The Libyan tour guides were very relaxed after a short talk we were left to our own devices to explore the ruins and there were many interesting things to see, especially bits of pottery, drainpipes and statues scattered loosely on the ground. The underground hot water systems for the baths and possibly some of the oldest bricks ever made were clearly visible. It seemed to be in much of its original condition and there were no signs of archeological excavation, indeed it looked as if the Libyans did not really have much interest in maintainence of the site, probably asuming as it has been there for so long, it doesnt need tampering with! This was refreshing but also frustrating as the normal information points found in other countries was not present. The atmosphere was ancient, one could almost imagine the ancient Greeks wandering about the ruins. I found the fountain of Apollo and thought I would see what the waters tasted like and dipped my fingers in, however I soon spat it out because the well was filled with plastic bottles and an accumulation of rubbish which was a disappointment considering the reputation of its healing waters. Apart from our coach, there were no other tourists there and this gave a feeling of being an intrepid explorer, there are not many tourist spots around that are as quiet as this one with so much to see. It took all day to see and we had lunch in a cave, where we were served barbequed lamb, fragranced rice and refreshing mint tea. The olive hors douvres and local bread were delicious. After this we re boarded the coach and drove through the ancient necropolis, an area of mountainside riddled with excavated cave like tombs. There is nothing commercial about Cyrene. The only available tourist information was provided by a small hut selling locally produced honey and a small number of information booklets. One of the less interesting things about Libya is the lack of bars or tavernas. However it is charming and our journey through the Green Mountains, Libya's agricultural region was breathtaking after the monotony of the desert. Also if travelling with a camera be sure to have some cash for the Tour Guide as they charge tourists to take photographs.

Temple of Zeus... Situated on the hill above the ruins of Cyrene, this amazing temple is a work in progress with plans to restore the upper stonework. The size is breath taking, and as there was no other tourists, we had the temple to ourselves and were free to explore the fern filled interior. It completes a wonderful visit to the amazing Cyrene ruins and is highly recommended. We had a picnic on the seats near where my photo is taken from with this spectacular backdrop. This is a must do when visiting Libya.