What Larnaca costs

Larnaca is cheap until you start paying for movement. The airport bus, the sights in the centre and the promenade cost little or nothing, and the bill grows only when a taxi, a wreck dive or a car for a day trip enters the plan, and none of the three is compulsory. The table below sets out a daily budget, and the pages that follow show the places where the number jumps.

Everything per person, in euros.

Where the bill breaks

The first place is the bus after dark. By day the city fare is €2.70 (cash, daytime), and between 21.00 and 04.00 the cash fare becomes €4.70. A Motion card brings the daytime ride down to €2.00, though the card has to be bought first, so it pays only if you ride the bus often. Taxis add 15% between 20.30 and 06.00, and Bolt is the app that works there while Uber does not.

The second place is the Zenobia wreck, which operators sell as a snorkel cruise, a beginner dive, a dive with equipment and a full certified day, with a wide gap between the cheapest package and the dearest. The booking platforms quote the packages in dollars, and the prices vary from one operator to the next. Day trips behave in a similar way. Choirokoitia asks €2.50 at the gate, which is small, and the real cost lies in reaching it, since no bus to the site is documented.

Where you can save

Walking costs nothing, and most of the best stops in Larnaca are free to enter. The promenade, the church of Lazarus, the mosque and the lake need no ticket, and neither do the beaches, though a sunbed is paid for on the spot. Service is already in the restaurant bill by law, so a tip is a choice. Food offers the other lever, with street food at €3–6 (souvlaki pitta) and a sit-down meal at €12–25 (main course). A ticket for the fort is €2.50, and the antiquities card is worth buying only for a day that brings several paid sites.

• Walk the free stops first, since the promenade, the church, the Tekke and the lake cost nothing.
• Ride with a Motion card instead of paying cash, and keep away from the night rate.
• Buy the antiquities card only for a day with three or more paid sites, and skip it for the fort alone.

2 daysThe plan for two days shows which stops along the way are free and which ask for a ticket.Larnaca in 2 days →

Where to stayThe page on where to stay explains how the zones differ and what a hostel bed costs.Where to stay in Larnaca →

FoodMeze, a souvlaki pitta and a sit-down dinner have their prices on the page about food.What to eat in Larnaca →

Getting aroundThe page about getting around describes the bus, the Motion card and the taxi.Getting around Larnaca →

When to goWhich months suit the fort, the lake and the sea is covered on the best-time page.The best time to visit Larnaca →

Day tripsChoirokoitia and Lefkara, with their tickets and opening hours, are covered on the page about day trips.Day trips from Larnaca →

MistakesThe mistakes page begins with the night bus, which is the most avoidable item on the whole bill.Mistakes everyone makes in Larnaca →

BeachesThe beaches page says what each of the five beaches is for.Beaches in Larnaca →