On the last week of May, I visited Limassol, Cyprus for the first time for a week. Overall, I really enjoyed my time there, and wanted to share my experience.
I stayed in Limassol, which compared to the other cities in my opinion is a bit 'mixed', and as a Russian I encountered a lot of Russian l people and businesses in the city. Alongside that, it was a road trip so I also got the chance to visit a few other places on the island. The weather in late May was very pleasant and there weren’t that many crowds so I think it’s a great time to visit.
Monday
- Evening arrival at Paphos airport; everything went smoothly there upon arrival.
- Car pick-up and drive to Limassol: left side driving was very stressful at first, but even if you’ve never done it should become habitual in a few days.
Tuesday
- Since I was tired from the trip, this was a pretty relaxed day. I went around Limassol for a bit and to Malindi Beach (I’ll give recs on those later on)
- Later in the day we explored Pissouri and finished off with a dinner at Efraim Tavern in Kouklia. (restaurant recs will also be a bit later)
Wednesday
- I spent most of this day at the Columbia beach club since it was close to where I stayed, and it was quite pleasant there. The sea was a bit cold compared to July but still fine for most people.
- I had breakfast at the Columbia Restaurant, which is pretty good, and originally intended to have lunch there as well. However, the place was rented out for a private party in the afternoon hence I had lunch at Fat Fish which was a few minutes away and had great food.
- In the evening, I visited the old town of Limassol, which I enjoyed more than the district near Columbia Beach. I also walked around the Marina which had fantastic views in the evening. I had dinner at the Old Neighborhood Fish Tavern which I also highly recommend.
Thursday
- This was probably my favorite day of the trip: I visited Nicosia, including crossing to the Turkish part via Ledra Street.
- Originally I had some concerns regarding visiting North Cyprus, and even posted on this sub about it, but it turned out that they don’t even give stamps at that border so everything went smoothly. However, when I re entered the Greek side they thoroughly searched my passport for the stamp from arrival at Paphos, hence I suspect entering via Ercan is what causes problems.
- The Leventis municipal museum in Nicosia is an absolute must. It has such a great overview of the city’s and country’s history including pottery and several other historical artefacts. The temporary Sector 2 exhibition, which is about the division between the Greek and Turkish parts, is also very interesting. The museum is free.
- I also went up the observatory, which was worth it. The free access to the top floor gives a view of the south, and to see the other parts there is an admission fee of around 3 euros.
- As I said before, the border crossing into the Turkish part went very smoothly. There is a big contrast in the atmosphere and people with the Greek part. I walked around the city centre and visited Buyuk Han which served as accommodation for visitors in Ottoman times. Afterwards I made my way to the Semiliye Mosque, which is really beautiful. Since I have never been to Turkey It was an interesting experience.
- After I returned to the Greek Part, I had lunch at the Evroullas Restaurant which was very affordable and delicious, and even got recommended by NYT in a newspaper about Cyprus.
- After return from Nicosia I had dinner at Zigy village which I can’t say I recommend since there were construction works all over the place which made the atmosphere unpleasant compared to other places.
Friday
- I traveled around the Southeastern part of Cyprus on this day, near Larnaca.
- First, I went to Konnos bay which is absolutely stunning both for views and swimming. The water was very clear and it turns out that Cyprus actually has the cleanest seas in Europe. However, it was a quite busy so I recommend arriving early to guarantee a spot on the beach.
- Afterwards, I visited the sea caves nearby, which were also stunning. Afterwards I made my way to Agia Napa where I had lunch at En Yevo Tavernaki, which had authentic Mediterranean food.
Saturday
- I visited the mountain region of Troodos where there is a beautiful 3,5 km hike. It offers several view spots on various sides of the island, and I could even see the Turkish Flag of the North side from there, which I saw in Nicosia.
- Closer to the evening I explored Limassol a bit and since I’m a huge fan of Georgian food, which unfortunately isn’t around where I live, I had dinner at Tiflis restaurant in Limassol which had delicious and authentic food.
Sunday
- This day was pretty similar to Wednesday; I spent most of it in the Columbia beach club, and although it was more crowded this time, I still really enjoyed it.
- For the evening, I had planned a classical music concert by a Cypriot organisation, which coincidentally took place in Kouklia, and since I absolutely loved the Efraim Tavern I had dinner there again.
Monday
- This was the departure day, but since I left from Paphos in the evening I had some time to explore Troodos a bit more.
- I visited the villages of Omodos and Platres, which were quite small, and I really liked them, especially Omodos.
- On the way to the airport, since it went through Kouklia, I could not have driven past the Efraim Tavern, where I had my last lunch/dinner.
- As a last sightseeing, I visited Aphrodite’s rock, which was really beautiful and a great way to finish the trip.
- Everything went really smoothly in Paphos on departure, and compared to some airports in Greece like Heraklion it is a lot better.
- As you probably would’ve guessed from my itinerary, my favourite spot for dining was the Efraim Tavern in Kouklia. It has a great atmosphere and amazing food. For the starter, an absolute must is their special fried halloumi in honey, which is the main reason I returned to this place so many times. For the main course, the Moussaka and chicken Souvlaki would be my favourites.
- The Evroulla Tavern in Nicosia also stood out to me, since it offered great portions for very affordable prices, as well as having a pleasant atmosphere inside of an alley. The restaurant was even recommended by NYT’s 36 hours in Cyprus.
- I quite liked the Old Neighbourhood Fish Tavern in Limassol, especially the octopus and calamari would be my recommendations. It is in the historical part of Limassol and the atmosphere is very pleasant.
- The En Yevo Tavernaki in Agia Napa was also a highlight for me. I highly recommend the pork souvlaki there, and really enjoyed the traditional atmosphere of the restaurant.
- Since I’m a huge fan of Georgian cuisine in general, I highly recommend visiting Tiflis in Limassol for some authentic Georgian food, especially their khinkali.
- Lastly, I also visited Karaoli Sea in Zygi where I enjoyed the food, but as I said in the itinerary there were construction works around which made the atmosphere unpleasant.
- Throughout the trip, I’ve visited three beaches: Columbia and Malindi, which were around Limassol, and Konnos which is closer to Larnaca. Konnos is my favorite since it has absolutely stunning water and is pretty affordable, around 3-4€ per sun umbrella and beach chairs. However, I enjoyed the food at Columbia and Malindi more.
- One big concern in Cyprus which I didn’t know
of is that in almost all places you cannot flush toilet paper due to the sewer system being old.
- Cats are absolutely everywhere in Cyprus! Most of them are pretty friendly, so I gave them some leftover food if I had any.
1 - Small Church of Saint Georgiou, Limassol
2 - Old Town/Historic Center, Limassol
3 - A small shop in Nicosia
4 - Ledra Street, Nicosia
5 - City Hall, Nicosia
6 - An old building in Nicosia; the historic center consists of buildings like these, but this was my favourite.
7 - This is how Nicosia used to be drawn on maps because of the shape of the Venetian walls of Nicosia. This map was on display in the Leventis museum.
8 - First views of the Northern Part of Cyprus from the observatory in Nicosia
9 - One of the first streets in North Nicosia
10 - Buyuk Han, North Nicosia
11 - Semiliye Mosque, North Nicosia
12 - Upon exit from North Nicosia.
13 - Konnos Bay
14 - Sea Caves
15 - Evening views of the Marina, Limassol
16, 17 - Hike in Troodos. Stunning views, 17 is the end/peak.
18 - Sunset in Kouklia
19 - Narrow street in Omodos, one of the mountain villages
20 - Aphrodite's rock
Overall, I really enjoyed Cyprus and would highly recommend traveling there! Hope you enjoyed the photos and trip report!