Limassol
Limassol (Greek: Λεμεσός, Turkish: Leymosun) is the second largest city (after the capital, Nicosia) of Cyprus. Following the Turkish invasion in 1974, it has become the principal sea port and has also developed into a significant tourist destination.
Understand
Limassol is the second largest town in Cyprus after Nicosia, with population of approximately 200,000. Apart from being a major tourist destination, it is also a principal hub for international business in Cyprus. This gives Limassol a more cosmopolitan feel compared to other district centers. Renovation projects in the old town and old port area are seeking to rejuvenate the historic centre, making it more accessible and interesting for sightseeing.
Get in
By plane
Limassol is about 40 minutes drive away from 🌍 Larnaca International Airport (LCA IATA) and 🌍 Paphos Airport (PFO IATA).
Larnaca mainly serves traditional airlines, while most of RyanAir flights land in Paphos. Transfer from Larnaca is generally slightly cheaper even though the distance is the same. Official fixed taxi fare from the airport was not updated since early 2000 (even after recent taxi price rise in 2022) and is still at €55, but no driver will ever accept that. The official taxis will charge you €100 (as of late 2023) per car with luggage between Paphos and Limassol, unofficial transfer companies that you may find in the Internet and pre-book tend to be about €20 cheaper. From Larnaca it's even slightly cheaper.
There is a regular shuttle bus service from Larnaca and Paphos airports. Be careful to arrange pick-up from the shuttle bus stops, as they are away from the central areas. Bus driver might provide assistance to arrange a taxi.
By boat
Limassol has the biggest commercial shipment port and a reasonable passenger port, with several regular cruise routes:
- Louis Cruise Lines from Agios Nikolaos (Kriti), Beirut, Haifa, Port Said and Rhodes.
- St. Raphael Marina St. Raphael Marina on the outskirts of Limassol.
- magic 1 from Ashdod, Israel.
Additionally, Scandro Holding operates a ferry between Piraeus and Limassol. Crossings are 1-2 times per week during the summer months and fortnightly off-season.
By bus
- There are special Green Buses which operate intercity. Buses are available for Troodos, Larnaca, Pafos and Nicosia. There are few stops. It is best to confirm timings from the closest CTO Tourist Information Center.
By service taxi
- Travel Express run an intercity service using shared minibuses between the major towns in Cyprus. They can pick up from Larnaca and Pafos Airports. They are a lot cheaper than taxis but more expensive than the intercity buses, however, they take you door to door. Bookings need to be made in advance, however, if it's not full you can normally get on the next one.
Get around
The three main roads are:
- The Beach Road
- Makarios Avenue
- Griva Digeni (which transforms into Kolonakou / Spyros Kyprianou later to the east)
By bus
The bus service has been upgraded, with more routes and better schedules, however waiting times may still be long. The principal tourist route is #30, serving the beach road from Le Meridien hotel up to New Port (Old Port after 18:00), which runs approximately every 15 minutes. You can find detailed information and maps on the EMEL bus company website. Cost per trip is €1.50. Day tickets cost €5.
By taxi
Taxi is the most popular means of transportation for tourists, but are expensive and it is common to ignore meters. Sharing taxis is also popular, and may work out to a more reasonable fare. You can also try calling the taxi via Bolt, it will call an official taxi and the meter will be run through Bolt. It should start when your ride starts, but the initial value will be slightly higher than if you've hauled the taxi yourself. If a Bolt taxi arrives, they usually stick to the app (especially if you pay within the app), but they regularly have no cars available.
You're unlikely to catch a taxi even 1-2km away from few central tourist locations. Taxi companies may flat out decline to send you a car if you call, especially outside the ring road or at peak hours. Some taxi drivers may give you their business cards, but these are typically a facade for the same taxi companies. Do not expect you can get a taxi outside the city or in a random location.
Official urban taxi tariffs since August 1, 2022 are €3.80 initial, €0.95/km, €17.00/hour wait between 06:00-20:30, €4.80/1.10/19.00 at night, extra surcharges: €2 on public holiday, +20% for taxies with 5 passengers, +50% for taxies with 6 passengers. Minimal fare was €5 before 2022, and it's unclear what it is now. Again, you're unlikely to get away that cheaply, expect +€3 with Bolt or unofficial taxy companies, and x1.5/x2 overcharge from official taxies. That adds up for at about €10 for a short 1-2km trip.
By bicycle
The beach road has a dedicated bicycle lane stretching from the Old Port to the Dasoudi area. In summer, it gets very hot.
There are shared bikes available in Limassol center and along the bicycle lane to the east, operated by Nextbike. The easternmost location is near the Grand Resort, more than 10 km from the city center. See all locations. Price is €2 for the first 60 min or €8 per 24 hr.
Transport rental
Cars, scooters and bicycles can be hired easily, however locals have a relaxed approach to Highway Code. For example, they rarely use blinkers and one may sometimes encounter a person going the other way on the roundabout or a one-way road because it's shorter. Moreover, the traffic is on the left.
See
The old town of Limassol is full of historic houses, both from the Ottoman period and the British colonial period. The area has been renovated, especially the street near the Limassol Castle.
- 🌍 Limassol Castle.
- Akti Olympion, a 7-km beach-side walking park area stretching from Municipal Gardens to the Old Port.
- 🌍 Amathus (Amathous) (Around 10 km east of Limassol.). Ancient royal city.
- 🌍 Kourion (13 km west of Limassol). Archeological site which includes a well-preserved Greco-Roman theatre and other sites of historic importance, namely The House of Achilles, The Altar of Apollo and spectacular views of the Curium Beach. €4.50.
- 🌍 Kolossi Castle (around 10 km west of Limassol, south-west of Kolossi village). Former crusader stronghold €2.50.
- 🌍 St. Catherine's Church (Εκκλησία της Αγίας Αικατερίνης). Roman Catholic Church completed in 1879.
Do
- 🌍 Governor's Beach (Outside Limassol). Long sandy beach with many beach-side fish restaurants, and a beautiful white stone coast to the west.
- 🌍 Lady's Mile Beach (Along the coast to the south-west of Limassol, officially UK terroritory). Long mostly-pebbly, partly sandy beach with several beach-side fish restaurants. Try watching birds at the salt lake nearby. There is a UK military air base in the area.
- Visit the Limassol Wine Festival, every September.
- Party during the Limassol Carnival, every February/March. Truly colorful!
- Watch the Cyprus Rally every Autumn.
- Get drunk at the Potamos Yermasoyias (aka "Galatex") which has plenty of entertainment in the pubs, night clubs and cafes on the street and in the surrounding area.
- Visit one of the traditional buzukia (tavern with live music).
- Explore the Limassol Castle and nearby Old Town area.
- Visit Anexartisias street in the Old Town, a popular shopping area for both tourists and locals.
- Take a walk on the wooden promenade along the sea opposite the archeological site of Kingdom of Amathus.
- The Municipal Garden along the beach road is a good place to spend some time and catch some interesting flora. However the zoo is not that great.
Sport
- Football: three city clubs play soccer in First Division, the top tier in Cyprus: Apollon, Aris and AEL. All three share Tsirio Stadium (capacity 13,300) by A7 north edge of city centre.
- Limassol Marathon is held in Feb / March. The next is probably 18-19 March 2023 but tbc.
Buy
- The traditional shopping streets are Ayios Andreas and Anexartisias street. These streets provide an ambiance of the old cobbled path lanes, away from the modern city.
- Several western style supermarkets (Carrefour, Debenhams, LIDL, Orphanidies etc.) are spread across the city and warehouse-style shopping centres have mushroomed on the outskirts of the city. My Mall is the biggest shopping centre in the area, located to the west of New Port.
- Sea Sponges is popular product of Cyprus, used as a bath/face scrub. Loofa is used as a bath scrub. Available at most tourist/souvenir shops. Also there is a Sea Sponges Exhibition at the roundabout at the Old Port. However, sea sponges may be pricey!
- The Lefkara Lace and other lace products may be brought from Limassol or other cities, as they may be often over-priced in Lefkara, due to a large number of tourists flocking there, especially during the tourist season.
- Opening hours for most shops are M-F 09:00-13:00 and 15:00-19:00 (siesta time in between, outside of the tourist area most smaller shops are not open on Wednesday afternoons) and Saturdays 09:00-14:00. Only some convenience stores (Periptero in Greek) would be open 24 hours on all days.
Eat
Kebab can be optimum for a relatively cheap, fresh and filling meal. Be careful with colourful "tourist" cafes since those are often over-priced and offer low quality conventional sandwiches or English Breakfasts. Mousaka or Kleftiko are popular, however your best bet (especially if you are hungry), is a traditional Cyprus Meze (either of the meat or fish variety), which usually includes a myriad of small hot and cold dishes for a reasonable price.
Try targeting restaurants that cater for the locals. You should not encounter a client/waiter language barrier as virtually everyone speaks English.
All major western chains are present, e.g. McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Friday's, Bennigan's, Goodies, and Nandos.
City centre
- 🌍 Hfwlia Tou Koukou (Φωλιά του Κούκου), Agiou Andreou 228. Greek
- 🌍 Sykaminia Cook Shop, Eleutherias Αvenue 26.
- 🌍 Megaro Restaurant, Ankara 6-8.
- 🌍 Souvlaki Livadias (Σουβλάκι ΛΙΒΑΔΕΙΑΣ), Kanari 7.
- 🌍 Fries with Benefits - Burger Bistro, Saripolou 56.
- 🌍 Manoushe Lebanese Food & Bakery, Ellados 89.
- 🌍 Diomedes Psistaria Restaurant, Arch. Makarios III Avenue 228.
Yermasoyia tourist area
Mid-range
- 🌍 Kyrenia Fish Tavern, Amathountos 1. Beach-side tavern in Yermasoyia tourist area (opposite Mirage traffic lights). Traditional Cypriot fish meze for €21.
- 🌍 Ocean Basket Germasogeia, 2, Georgiou A' Street Hallmark Complex 6. Fish restaurant. Another branch in the western part of the city at My Mall.
- 🌍 Syrian restaurant, Γεωργίου Α. Lebanese-style tavern/restaurant with excellent meze in Yermasoyia tourist area.
- 🌍 Draught Microbrewery, Vasilissis Street. Restaurant and bar in the Carob Mill next to the Limassol Castle. Specializes in grills.
- Agios Georgios Alamanou Restaurant, Pentakomo Exit from A1 Highway, Monagroulli. Seafood restaurant outside Limassol situated on a white-stoned beach.
Drink
Drinking water: it is generally safe to drink water directly from the tap. Most apartments and hotels would have a separate tap provided along with the sink, for water that bypasses the storage tank on the roof.
Limassol has the reputation among locals of being the party capital of Cyprus. When Ayia Napa hibernates in the winter, Limassol powers on drawing much of the local clientele especially during the carnival season.
The Potamos Yermasoyia tourist area is littered with countless bars and pubs to cater for everyone's tastes and budget. The old medieval town centre is more popular with the locals and offers classier but pricier establishments. Most hotels will also have a variety of in house bars (either with a local or international twist), which are open to non residents too.
Sport is religion here and sports bars abound. Football is in your face everywhere, especially the British and Greek leagues. Being here during a European or World cup competition finals stage is only next best to attending the real thing.
Zivania is the equivalent local version of Grappa or Eau de Vie. Drink frozen zivania shots at your peril.
Commandaria is a sweet dessert wine and a speciality of Limassol is worth tasting especially after a meze.
Mid-range
- Chesters. Irish-style bar in tourist area opposite St. Raphel hotel. Good selection of beers and food.
- Draught Microbrewery. Restaurant and bar in the Carob Mill next to the Limassol Castle. Has its own small beer brewery.
- Molly Malones. Irish-style bar in tourist area opposite Elias Beach hotel. Good selection of beers and food. Closed for the foreseeable future due to the gutting of its building.
- Pralina Blu, beach-side restaurant and cafe opposite McDonald's / Luna Park in the tourist area.
Sleep
Apart from local luxury and boutique hotels Limassol boasts many branches of international hotels. However one can easily find low budget accommodation. An increasingly popular option is private apartment and villa rental.
Budget
As far as renting a Studio Apartment (with cooking facilities) goes, there are plenty of them around, and one may find accommodation easily, both long term and short term.
Splurge
- L'Onda, ☏ +357-25865555, fax: +357-25320040, info@londahotel.com. The forerunner of a new wave of boutique hotels. Pricy but classy. Highly rated and expensive restaurant, with a good selection of local wines. Popular with locals and tourists alike.
- 🌍 Parklane Resort & Spa (Formerly Le Meridien), ☏ +357-25862000, fax: +357-25634222. Considered as one of the best hotels on the island but you pay for what you get.
- Amathus Beach Hotel, ☏ +357-25832000, fax: +357-25832540, amathusl@amathushotel.com. Member of The Leading Hotels of the World. A five-star hotel that does not belong to a globalized conglomerate but non the less, a worthy rival.
- Four Seasons, ☏ +357 25 858 000, fax: +357 25 310 887, reservations@fourseasons.com.cy. A 5-star hotel. Getting a room facing the road can mean noisy nights, as this becomes a race track for locals after 22:00. Not affiliated with the global Four Seasons chain.