Larnaca

Larnaca is the quickest answer to the idea that Cyprus means Ayia Napa and club nights. Its history starts with ancient Kition in the 13th century BC, and today it offers a palm-lined promenade, a fort and a church from the ninth century. Two days cover the town, three or four make room for day trips, and the airport lies roughly 4 km south-west of the centre, so arriving costs you very little of the first day.

Arrival is the easy part. Bus 425 runs from the airport to Finikoudes, the seafront stop in the centre, at the standard city fare of €2.70. When the promenade is closed for an event the bus skips that stop, so look at the transport company notices before you board. If you collect a rental car, remember that traffic keeps to the left, that towns have a limit of 50 km/h and that the motorways charge no tolls.

Give the first day to the seafront. Finikoudes is 600 m of promenade named after its palms, with the marina and the fishing harbour at one end and the fort at the other. The ticket for the fort is €2.50, and the museum fills its upper floor. Next comes the Church of Saint Lazarus, free to enter, where the tomb of Lazarus lies below the altar. The Byzantine emperor Leo VI founded it in the ninth century. On Sunday mornings the services run until 12.30, so keep the church for the afternoon, and finish at the water with the sun going down.

The second day belongs to the Salt Lake, south-west of town beside the villages of Meneou and Dromolaksija. Go in the morning, before the heat. From November to March the lake fills and flamingos stand in the shallows, while in summer it dries into a white crust, so a July visit brings you salt and no birds. Hala Sultan Tekke rises on the western shore, free to enter if your shoulders and knees are covered. The aqueduct of Kamares ends the day, and without a car a taxi is the practical way to reach all three.

Three of the town's beaches carry the 2026 Blue Flag: Finikoudes, Mackenzie and Kastella. Finikoudes is sandy and shallow, with a lifeguard in season. At Mackenzie the planes come in so low that you see passengers at the windows, and at weekends its bars turn into clubs after dark. Kastella lies beside the Psarolimano fishing shelter, with fish restaurants on the shore. You can swim until November. Offshore, a Swedish ferry sank on its first voyage in 1980, and the Zenobia wreck is a boat ride from Larnaca Marina. Operators sell snorkel cruises, beginner dives and certified dives, and the packages differ widely, so read what each one includes.

Choose Larnaca as the base if you have no car. The airport and the city bus make it simpler than Ayia Napa, a resort town farther along the coast, and two days of walking need no wheels at all. Choirokoitia and Lefkara belong to a third day, and they go best by car or with an organised tour. The rest of the island, with the border rules, sits on the Cyprus page.