LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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IS LARNACA WORTH VISITING? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.

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Our decision to visit Larnaca was a practical one. We arrived on a late flight from the UK into Larnaca airport and decided that we wanted to spend a few days nearby, before heading off to explore the rest of the island. Being totally honest, we weren’t that excited about Larnaca in comparison with what awaited us on Cyprus. But, Larnaca had a few surprises up it’s sleeve for us.

In this blog post you can find our honest review of Larnaca, the 9 best things to in Larnaca, as well as where to stay and how to get there.

Short on time?

Is Larnaca worth visiting

It is mostly for practical reasons that we would recommend Larnaca as a destination to visit on Cyprus. For families with small children, Larnaca may be ideal. It is a bijou accessible and very walkable place. Larnaca has a “small town” vibe, rather than feeling overwhelming and busy.

Larnaca is safe, friendly and pretty clean. Does it have the best beaches in Cyprus? No. But, it has sandy beaches with very calm shallow water, which would suit families with small children.

Whilst we didn’t much enjoy the Costa Coffee, Starbucks and various other chain restaurants on the beach to the east of Larnaca, we did appreciate some aspects of the town. To the west, you’ll find slightly more quaint tavernas and there are some bouji coffee shops and bars hidden amongst back streets. You can find more detail on that below.

Budget travellers may also favour Larnaca over other areas in Cyprus. Prices for accommodation in Larnaca are significantly lower than in more popular tourist areas like Paphos.

Does Larnaca make you feel as though you’ve been transported to a dreamy island escape? Not quite. But, we very much appreciated the short walk to the beach, and easy strolls to bars and restaurants.

Best beaches in Larnaca

Larnaca has two beaches that can be reached on foot – Finikoudes and Kastella Beach.

These are not the best beaches you will find in Cyprus, the sand is quite compacted and not picture perfect. That said, the waters are very clean. The very shallow sea is ideal for families with small children.

Finikoudes is perhaps the less pretty of the two – but is found in the centre of town. I loved the 5 minute walk from our apartment to this beach. There’s something very refreshing about being able to visit a beach and knowing that you don’t have to decamp there for an entire day because of the ease of access. Instead spend a few hours here and you can stroll into town for lunch.

The alternative is Kastella, an easy 25 minute walk along the promenade. Here the sand is less compacted making it a bit more comfortable to laze about on and the water is clean and refreshing. As a blue flag beach, Kastella is very clean.

9 best things to do in Larnaca

Much of your days spent in Larnaca are likely to involve relaxing on the beach with a good book, but here are some other activities to consider.

9 best things to do in Larnaca.

1/ Archeological museum

The Archeological Museum is Larnaca is our hot tip for something to do when you need a break from the beach. Not only is it free to enter, but it is nicely air conditioned as a bonus. There are two large rooms spread over two floors and you can expect to spend around 45 minutes in the museum.

Inside, you’ll find artifacts from digs around the Larnaca district including pottery, tools and various other rescued items from the ages.

I’m a bit like Keith on the Great Pottery Throwdown (a British pottery programme where potters compete to make showstopping ceramics each week.) Every time a contestant makes a beautiful piece, Keith can’t help but cry. Suffice to say, this is how I feel when I stand in a museum with any sort of ceramic pots and jugs. I don’t know what it is, but I love them. This is a very long winded way of saying, that if you also faun over a superbly shaped ceramic vase -you are going to love the Larnaka Archeological Museum.

The museum is an easy 10 minute stroll from the seafront (maps here.)

2/ Larnaca Medieval Fort

The Medieval Fort is found here right on the seafront, as you might expect. You can perch in the shade of the fort looking out to sea – a welcome respite from the sun.

You can also pay to enter (2.50 Euros for adults and free for kids), to see the small museum and inside of the fort. A visit won’t take you long, but you do get quite a nice view back to the sea from the fort.

3/ Coffee and pastry

Is a trip to Cyprus really complete without a Cyrpiot coffee and pastry? As mentioned previously, Larnaca has some uninteresting chain coffee places, which are best avoided. But there are some charming cafes too.

Faves of ours were Mingle Cafe, Lazaris Bakery Bar which offers great views of the church and Sto Artos Coffee Bakery for the incredible selection of baked joyfulness. Try the spinach pie.

4/ Spend a day at a beach club

Beaches in Larnaca are quite low key. We quite liked that you could just plonk a towel down anywhere and relax, without being pestered to pay for a sunbed.

However, if you prefer more of a beach club vibe – the best bet is Nusa Beach Bar. Here you can hire day beds, or spend a few hours sipping cocktails in a deck chair by the ocean.

5/ Promenading

Larnaca beach has an excellent beach side promenade. It offers the perfect flat ground to take a jog along the ocean in the early morning sun, before it becomes too hot.

Alternatively, at sunset, you can find many couples strolling along the promenade. A relaxing, slow paced and romantic moment in the early evening.

6/ Cocktails by the ocean

We had to do a fair bit of searching to find a bar we wanted to spend time in in Larnaca. There are some hidden gems in the town and on the beachfront.

For beachfront cocktails, you are best off avoiding anything to the East of the town. Instead, head along the promenade towards Kastella Beach. Noesis Restaurant & Lounge Bar has the best vibe and most comfortable seating to enjoy sunset drinks.

In town, you’re best off heading to back streets to find a good place for a drink. Again, avoiding some of the less preferable bars with sticky bars and pool tables. Along the pretty street of Kleanthi Kalogera, you’ll find a few cute places – including Old Market Street Bar.

7/ Sunset boat cruise

If you’d rather enjoy Larnaca from the ocean, consider taking a sunset boat cruise. We were pleasantly surprised to find an inexpensive boat cruise – offered for around 12 Euros per person.

This includes a 90 minute sunset cruise and a glass of wine. Quite a bargain for the equivalent price of a cocktail!

8/ Holy Church of Saint Lazarus

The Holy Church of Saint Lazarus sits proudly in the centre of Larnaca, surrounded by cute cafes and restaurants.

It is a ninth century Greek Orthodox Church, well worth a short visit inside. You’ll need to dress modestly, as usual when visiting religious sites in Cyprus. It is free to enter and you can expect to spend around 20 minutes viewing the intricate interiors of the church.

9/ Supper at a taverna

In all honesty, we were a little disappointed with some of the restaurant offerings in Laranaca. A few too many chain restaurants and brightly lit places with little soul. However, after a little perseverance, we found two places that we would recommend eating supper in Larnaca.

The first, Elia Backyard, is slightly more expensive, but ideal for a romantic supper. Dishes are Greek, but with a modern twist. There’s an excellent wine list, sharp service and cute terrace.

The second, Militizis, is more of a typical Cypriot taverna. Attracting a mix of locals and tourists, happily mingling on cute tables with checked tablecloths. The restaurant over looks the ocean and offers very affordable and hearty dishes.

Where to stay in Larnaca

The centre of Larnaca offers some decent mid-range and budget accommodation options. More upmarket hotels tend to be on the outskirts or towards Kastella Beach. Here are some great choices for your stay in Larnaca.

BUDGET: Budget travellers will find that Larnaca offers many choices. Look for self-catered apartments in central locations in town. A great option is Stephanie City Apartments.

MID-RANGE: Mid-range offerings in Larnaca are plentiful. Try Alkisti City Hotel, which is super close to Lazarus Church, a lovely area of Larnaca. Alternatively, Mesogios House Suites offer some luxe details, like private hot tubs – but for a reasonable price.

LUXURY: Upmarket hotels tend to be found out of town, but along the beach. A good example is Radisson Blu Hotel with spacious rooms and a rooftop swimming pool.

Getting to Larnaca

One of the best things about visiting Larnaca, is ease of access from the airport. The airport is only a few kms from the city.

There are a few bus lines that will take you directly from the airport to the city. You can find full details on the Intercity Bus website here. Buses are available every 15 minutes and take around 20 minutes. They don’t run through the night though, so if you get a late flight you’ll need to take a cab.

Taxis are easy to get from the airport and you can expect to pay around 20 Euros. If it’s late at night, you may find that you get pushed to the back of the queue for a taxi as the drivers will prefer to take those asking for longer trips! We ended up being cajoled into waiting to share a cab with others to satisfy the driver. Not a massive issue, but something to be aware of!

Looking for some more reading material for your Cyprus trip?

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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