Larnaca is a large tourist area in the southeast of Cyprus. People come here for a wonderful beach holiday in the summer and autumn seasons: they swim here all summer and early autumn, and when you cannot swim, it is still very warm, this is a great time to explore the sights of the island.
In Larnaca, they make the famous Cypriot lace - lefkaritika, in Larnaca there are Orthodox shrines, ancient ruins and museums, here you can go in for ecological tourism and go hiking in the mountains or along the shores of a salt lake, or you can just lie on the beaches and relax. The beaches in this part of Cyprus are sandy and well suited for families with children. Larnaca is considered the cheapest and quietest area in Cyprus, focused on a relaxing family vacation.
Larnaca districts
The capital of the region is the city of Larnaca - the most famous and largest resort on the southeast coast. But, in addition to this city, the region includes several more resort villages, each of them is interesting and has its own characteristics:
- Finikoudes Beach;
- Mackenzie Beach;
- Livadia;
- Oroklini;
- Lefkara;
- Saw;
- Pervolia.
Finikoudes Beach
Larnaca is a large seaside city, so there are several areas in it, between which the tourist can choose when deciding where to stay. If you want to combine beach holidays with sightseeing, then it is worth choosing a hotel right in the historic city center. Near the Finikoudes municipal beach and the promenade are all the main things worth seeing: the archaeological museum, the cathedral of St. Lazarus of the 9th century, a medieval castle (just he completes the territory of the beach in the south). There are no large all-inclusive hotels on this beach, but good apartments with sea views and beach access across the road can be rented. There are also city hotels right on St. Lazarus or near the castle.
In the very center, there is a Saturday farmers' market where you can buy fresh produce, as well as an indoor market that works every day - here, in addition to food, there are also Cypriot souvenirs. Expensive shopping is also concentrated in this area: in the very center there are expensive boutiques, fur and jewelry stores. And a little to the north, behind the port, there are large supermarkets: METRO, Lidl, etc.
There is a bus station and a port near the beach - you can quickly get anywhere from here, but this area cannot be said to be ideal for ecology and cleanliness. At the same time, Finikoudes beach is sandy, with a very, very gentle approach, so it is ideal for swimming with young children, but for adults it may seem boring: no waves, no depth. However, there are other entertainments for adults, for example, the famous Deep nightclub.
Mackenzie Beach
This area is closer to the airport, south of the castle and is centered around Mackenzie Beach. This area of the city is considered to be a tourist area. Here is the small beach of Castella, next to the port, it is marked with the Blue Flag. There is usually no loud music on it, it has a smooth entry into the sea: it is great for families with children. There is a fish market near the port, which is worth paying attention to if you live in an apartment and cook yourself, or at least just as a tourist attraction. There are two diving centers on the beaches of this part of the city, and there is a windsurf center.
The salt lake of Larnaca is literally within walking distance. The area is a narrow strip between the sea and this lake. Salt was once mined here, but now this lake is home to huge flocks of pink flamingos and other birds. The lake has several bird watching platforms.
Perhaps the only drawback of Mackenzie Beach is that the planes actually fly directly over it - some like it, some don't.
Here is the second center (in fact, the main one) of the city's nightlife. The most interesting place is Ammos Beach Bar, which plays avant-garde electronic music.
Livadia
Northern area of the city. There is a lot of comfortable and inexpensive housing here, the city infrastructure is well developed. From here, it is closest to large supermarkets and shopping centers. But the main disadvantage of the area is that, despite its proximity to the sea, it is not beachfront. There is a road along the sea, where petrol stations and gas storages of the PETROLINA company are located, and apart from them there is nothing, not even seaside restaurants and a well-maintained embankment. You can swim here only to the south, on Finikoudes, or even farther north, and it makes sense to choose accommodation near public transport stops - it is easy to get there both to the center and to the beaches.
Oroklini
Tourist life, beaches, restaurants and nightclubs begin north of Livadia in the vicinity of the village of Oroklini. The main attraction is another lake - Oroklini, which is home to 190 species of birds. Pink flamingos winter here, as well as lapwings and stilts. The village itself is located on the hills, which offer stunning views of the bay and Larnaca, it has several churches and abandoned gold mines. It even has its own nightclub.
On the coast there is a comfortable beach with all the infrastructure. It is protected from the waves by breakwaters, and beach hotels are located along it. Buses run to Larnaca every evening, you just have to keep in mind that the last flight is at 18.00, so in the evening you will have to take a taxi from the capital. But in general, this place ideally combines the opportunity to relax, entertainment and cleanliness. There are hotels here both upstairs in the village itself and on the beach.
Lefkara
Probably the most famous village in Cyprus. It is part of the municipal district of Larnaca and is located 40 kilometers from the city. Considering the mountain roads, this is about an hour by car. Lefkara is located on two levels: lower and upper.
The village is famous all over the world for its lace: Lefkaritika is included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. In addition to lace, filigree silverware is made here and, of course, all this can be bought. There are twenty churches in the village. In some you can see frescoes of the XII-XVII centuries, and in the most important and largest - Timios Stavros - a particle of the Cross of the Lord is kept.
Lefkara has several museums, many restaurants and hotels. Most often, people come here on an excursion for only a few hours, but a short trip does not allow you to see everything, so if you come out of season and want not so much to swim as to walk and explore the life of Cyprus, it is worth stopping here.
Saw
A village north of Larnaca, which is located almost on the very border with the Turkish part of Cyprus, in a buffer zone called the Green Line. There is a British military unit in the village, and both Greeks and Turks live. At the same time, Pyla is a popular and very expensive resort, there are many five-star chain hotels, and many prefer Pila to Larnaca: it is quieter, the beaches are cleaner, the public is the most respectable, and hotels of the same class in Larnaca will cost more. There is a fairly large area near the sea, where there is nothing but hotels and restaurants, the historical village itself (one of the oldest in Cyprus) is located about three kilometers higher, on the hills. There is something to see in it: three churches, a mosque, a high observation tower, left over from the Venetians, a small museum of local lore.
The only problem: there are rarely public transport from the village and only to Larnaca. You can get to any other point in Cyprus only through Larnaca. But if you are with your car, then Pyla is an ideal vacation spot in terms of price-quality ratio.
Pervolia
Another quiet and peaceful village, but already south of Larnaca. Of the shops, there is only one small MAS supermarket, so if you choose accommodation here for a long time with your own kitchen, you will have to go to the city for groceries. There is no full-fledged vegetable market here either.
Several beaches - there are pebble and no infrastructure, and there is a well-equipped sandy one. But even on it there are no special water activities, no public playgrounds. Several large all-inclusive hotels have children's animations and children's discos, but in the village itself there is almost nothing for children. The whole evening life is concentrated on one short shopping and restaurant street, but there are no discos and establishments working really late, for this you have to go to Larnaca.
Here, as in Pyla, it is quite clearly possible to separate the hotel-resort part, which is located on the promontory, and the usual residential village, which is further from the sea. Be careful - there is no car rental point here, so you will also have to get to Larnaca for that.
There are also sights: a lighthouse on the cape, another Byzantine tower, the church of St. Irina. Despite the fact that Pervolia is located quite far from the airport, some note that the noise of aircraft is heard here. In a word, this is a calm place, budget, but boring for those who crave entertainment and travel.
