Where is the best place to relax in Larnaca pathos. Paphos or Larnaca - which is better? Why is it important to rent a car in Cyprus

In the open spaces of the island resort in the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus, which is popular in Russia and all over the world, there are many resort towns. The largest of them include Limassol, Paphos, Polis, Ayia Napa, Larnaca, Protaras and Pissouri. Cyprus is geographically adjacent to Asia, but is considered a European state, and the service here is appropriate, at a high level. The currency used exclusively is the euro. All major resorts are located in the southern part of the island, which belongs to the Republic of Cyprus.

Many tourists think about where is the best place to relax. Let's try to make a small comparative analysis of the two major resorts of the island - Paphos and Larnaca.

Larnaca

Larnaca is a city located in the southeast of the island, the average summer air temperature here reaches 32-33 degrees (sometimes over 40), the water temperature in the warm season is 25-25 degrees. The beaches of Larnaca are distinguished by their pleasant, gentle entry into the Mediterranean Sea, which is especially appreciated by tourists of mature age and those who have a rest with families with small children. Larnaca does not have a huge number of luxury hotels, restaurants or shops, it is appreciated by people who are used to relaxing on a budget, but with taste.

Larnaca is located in the very center of the south coast, so it is convenient to get from it both to Paphos (west coast), and to Ayia Napa or Protaras (east coast). It is convenient to settle in this city, and only then choose excursion routes for yourself and plan your further vacation. In general, Larnaca is considered the most democratic resort in Cyprus, which, combined with emerald beaches and warm sea water, makes it highly popular among tourists.

One of the most striking sights of Larnaca is the Church of St. Lazarus, which has been standing in Cyprus since the Middle Ages and is one of the three temples that have been preserved on the island since ancient Byzantium. The Church was built in honor of the Evangelical Lazarus, who, according to legend, after his miraculous resurrection, arrived in Larnaca, where he became the Bishop of Kition (Kition is the ancient name of Larnaca). The temple was built on the site of his grave in the 9th century.

Other places of interest include Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, Salt Lake, Larnaca Castle, Khirokitia and ancient Kition.

Pathos

Paphos, located on the southwestern coast of Cyprus, is considered the best place for expensive entertainment and parties. It is very popular among those who are not constrained by money and are not burdened with family responsibilities, including young children. It has everything for an interesting and active holiday - horseback riding, scuba diving, exciting excursions, SPA-salons, shopping centers, cafes and restaurants. The average summer temperature in Paphos is 29-30 degrees, the water temperature is 25-26 degrees.

Paphos is the best place for a beach holiday and relaxation in expensive comfortable hotels. In the hot summer season, the number of tourists in the city is several times higher than the number of local residents. In Paphos, there are both comfortable sandy beaches and wild rocky ones, from which entry into the sea is difficult. Just on such a rocky beach, according to legend, Aphrodite was born from sea foam. A large number of tourist places are associated with Aphrodite - the Temple of Aphrodite, the Rock and the Bath of Aphrodite, the "Fountain of Love".

There are also numerous Byzantine monuments in the city - the Castle, the Church of Panagia Theoskepasti (monument of the 10th century), the Church of Panagia Chrysopolitissa (13th century), as well as the royal tombs and the archaeological site of Kato Paphos. Paphos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Larnaca and Paphos are 2 completely different, dissimilar cities, and at the same time they are united by the common spirit of Cyprus. Both resorts have numerous attractions, pleasant sandy beaches, comfortable hotels and fresh sea air. Whichever city you choose, your vacation will undoubtedly become unforgettable for years to come!

For the first time, travelers usually face the choice of a suitable resort for them. If you are close to the problem of this choice, this article is just for you. The most popular are and. However, there is a significant difference between them, and it would be very disappointing to make the wrong choice. Therefore, let's try to figure out what is still better - chic Paphos or modest Larnaca?

As for the temperature of air and water, despite the fact that Larnaca is located on the east coast, and Paphos on the west, the temperatures in them practically do not differ. The only point is that it is not so hot in Paphos.

This is a luxurious resort for people who are not burdened with family responsibilities and the need to save money. A huge number of proposals for outdoor enthusiasts have been concentrated here. Spa treatments, horse riding, diving and snorkelling, excursions and entertainment activities - everything is at your disposal. In addition, Paphos is home to very interesting sights of the island, such as, for example, the archaeological park of Kato Paphos, the monastery of Chrysoroyatissa and the famous rock of Aphrodite. So for an inquisitive mind, Paphos will be the best solution.

Taking into account only the shortcomings of these resorts, it is worth noting the Paphos unpreparedness for the arrival of young travelers. There are absolutely no children's entertainments in the city, and indeed, it will not be very convenient to relax in Paphos with a child.

Of the minuses of Larnaca, its undeveloped entertainment infrastructure stands out clearly. Young and energetic here, most likely, will become bored after a few days of constant lying in the sun and swimming in the warm sea. By the way, about the sea. In Paphos, the water, according to tourists, is much cleaner than in Larnaca.

For budget tourists, for families with children or pensioners, or just for those who like to be lazy all the time under the scorching sun, Larnaca is the best option. are also considered one of the best in Cyprus, so if you are not constrained in finances, love outdoor activities and all kinds of crowded events, go here and do not hesitate - this resort is definitely for you. As for accommodation, there are enough hotels for every budget and taste.

And in other words, as it is sung in the well-known song, think for yourself, decide for yourself what exactly you expect from this vacation, and what you would like to avoid. In any case, all resorts in Cyprus are full of pleasant surprises, so you certainly won't go wrong.

In October of this year, I was lucky enough to visit sunny Cyprus, and, as it turned out, this trip took place just in time. While the euro and the dollar are growing, I wanted to remember the moments of these bright days, well, record them for history - so that later I can re-read, remember and rejoice. I am an optimist, and I expect to get into the Eurozone next year, no matter how fantastic it sounds now :)
This post will be about the place of our deployment - the city of Larnaca. In fact, we chose it quite by accident, having coveted very good apartments (and we did not lose here either), and already on the island itself we realized that we hit the mark.

View of Larnaca from the sea:

Here are some reasons why you should choose Larnaca when going to travel around Cyprus (I’ll say right away that we are not “seals”, we sit on the beach for a maximum of 1.5-2 hours, we love to travel everywhere and see everything):

1. Very good location. Since our vacation plans, as usual, were Napoleonic, we chose a place to stay for a long time so that we could explore the island and have all the amenities at hand. If you look at the map of the island, Larnaca is located in the southeast, between Ayia Napa and Limassol:

Since most of the time we traveled by bus, and we took a car only on the last days of our vacation, the location of Larnaca was very advantageous for us: Ayia Napa is close with its golden beaches and blue caves (about 30 minutes drive); nearby is Limassol, next to which there are many interesting monuments; Paphos is already far away, but we also went there for a day (for a Russian person, this is not a distance at all); you can go to the capital of the island, Nicosia (Lefkosia), and the nearest checkpoint to Turkish territory is very close (they have already driven there by car). By the way, the bus service on the island is excellent, you can get the schedule without any problems (they have it at stops, the hotel also gives you a printout right away), and fares are about the same as in Greece - from 1 euro within the city, but if you travel between cities, prices vary from 3 to 9 euros one way. By the way, it is very profitable to take the so-called "one-day tickets" (round trip) - they are designed for the fact that you will return from your destination on the same day. Small, but savings.

2. Very nice beach. No, a VERY nice beach. Fans of Ayia Napa may throw slippers at me, but I liked the city beach of Larnaca much more than the hyped Nissi Beach. Interestingly, in Larnaca, the sand is dark in color, perhaps this is somewhat alarming for our compatriots.

For me, on the contrary, it’s a plus - the sand is dense, it doesn’t stick to my feet and doesn’t clog in all possible places (after taking pictures on Nissi beach, I apologize for the detail, I was tired of pulling sand out of my shorts :))
What else is very important for me personally - a smooth sandy entry. After meeting with sea urchins on one of the wild beaches of the Peloponnese (which, fortunately, ended successfully), I always carefully watch where I step, and walk on stones and large pebbles with caution. On this beach you can relax and not worry that you will step in the wrong place.
And one more plus - the purest water! It is not muddy, without algae, and there are also fewer tourists than in Ayia Napa (besides, we were here at the end of the season, in October). There are quite a lot of algae on Nissi, the water is cloudy due to the large influx of tourists, although the color is still very beautiful.
Well, another bonus from Larnaca - cheap sunbeds, 2.5 euros apiece. It is clear that the end of the season, but in the same Napa prices were much higher.
Of course, everyone has their own ideas about the ideal beach (for some, it is certainly white sand), personally, at every opportunity, I happily ran to our beach.

3. The city is small, and due to this it is very cozy. After a couple of days in Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos seemed like just megacities to us :) From the hotel it was very convenient to walk to the city center, the beach and the promenade, go shopping, bus stops are also close by. The streets of the city are very cute and truly homely:

Another important moment for me is the beautiful embankment, along which we walked with pleasure almost every evening (if we didn’t fall down after a long trip around the island). The embankment is quite long, of course, there are many taverns on it, but the prices are normal (I will tell you about the prices separately). Early morning, no one on the embankment yet:

And it's already evening, view from the pier:

There is an airport near Larnaca (this is also convenient, 10 minutes - and you are in the city), so the planes fly quite low, but this does not cause any discomfort, on the contrary, interesting shots are obtained:

Of course, the city also has a port where you can meet such funny boats:

4. Prices! Compared to the same hyped Ayia Napa, everything is cheaper in Larnaca - shops, taverns, even travel around the city. The prices are adequate, for Europe they are generally wonderful: for example, we once bought a pound of excellent meat in a supermarket for only 2 euros. On weekends, next to our hotel (literally in the next courtyard) there was a market where local farmers brought their products. We collected several packages of vegetables and fruits (including exotic ones) there, paying about 5-6 euros for this abundance. I couldn't believe my own eyes :)
And this is graffiti in the parking lot, where the market was just taking place (sorry, the market itself was not photographed, it was not before):

As for prices in taverns, a fish meze costs around 20 euros - but this is taking into account that it includes several varieties of fish, and we could barely eat the whole dish together. Of course, the choice of dishes is very large, everything is insanely delicious, just like in Greece, we even found awesome soups in one tavern. The Cypriots are very friendly, and it’s clear that they don’t do it for the sake of a tip: in one tavern they didn’t want to let us go until we ate the dessert brought as a gift (he didn’t climb, but it was impossible to refuse).

5. Larnaca itself also has something to see.
For example, a very beautiful church of St. Lazarus, built in the 9th century. This is one of the three Byzantine churches preserved on the island. View of the church at dawn, while there are no people yet, only earlier the sun paints it with delicate colors:

Like other cities in Cyprus, Larnaca is very eclectic, with many traces of Turkish influence:

One of the main attractions of Larnaca is the ruins of the ancient Cypriot city-state of Kition, which existed already in 1200 BC! This city is even mentioned in the Bible - there it is called Kitim. As a result of excavations on the territory of the ancient city, workshops, tombs, tombs were found, and most importantly, the temple of the goddess Astarte, who was especially revered by the Phoenicians who lived here. The ruins of ancient Kition are located within the boundaries of modern Larnaca:

In the Greek part of Cyprus, the ancient cities are very well "equipped": special bridges for tourists have been built, in some places there are even viewing platforms (for example, in Paphos).

Another local attraction is the ferry Zenobia, which sank near Larnaca in the summer of 1980, it is also picturesquely called the "Titanic of the Mediterranean". In the port you can take a boat trip to this ship, and in good weather it can be seen even through the water column! Also, pleasure boats are equipped with a glass bottom to better view the ship. By the way, Zenobia is one of the most popular diving sites in the whole world! Divers not only dive here, but they also cook kebabs right away :)

In fact, Larnaca has many more advantages. I don’t want to say that other cities in Cyprus are worse, not at all, everywhere there are interesting places and their own “highlights”. We just fell in love with Larnaca :)
A few more views of this wonderful place.
Morning, low tide:

Someone loves airplanes:

Some people love boats...

By the way. if someone is interested in a hotel, we booked Alexia apartments on one well-known site for booking hotels :) For quite real money, we got an excellent two-level room with all amenities and a full kitchen. Well, you can dedicate a separate post to the staff - they were met like relatives, they always helped in any matters and were sincerely interested in how we were doing.
This is a side entrance, I'm just standing next to the door of our room. The car is not ours, local :)

In addition, the distance between Paphos and Ayia Napa is 200 km, so if there is no goal to explore the island of Aphrodite completely, you should not wind up kilometers. I will try to help those who have doubts or who are going to Cyprus for the first time with a choice.

Paphos or Ayia Napa

Very briefly, then

• Paphos is a rich sightseeing life, history and a bit of the sea
• Ayia Napa - 90% beach holiday and a trip along the coast and very few excursions

You just have to choose what you want more, so as not to spend extra money and time on empty transfers. Below I will dwell in more detail on Paphos, Ayia Napa and their environs. On their pros and cons. In order not to upset those who want both, I will say that with any choice, you can dose the sea and excursions yourself in any proportion. I'm just giving directions.

Paphos, pros and cons

About the cons of Paphos

Paphos has its own airport, but it does not serve many international destinations. Therefore, most flights arrive in Larnaca, and from there it is much further to Paphos than to Limassol or Ayia Napa. The solution to the problem is to rent a car.

There are far fewer good beaches in Paphos compared to Ayia Napa. The most famous and cool is the beach coral bay, but it is quite far from the Paphos waterfront. If you want to live near a beautiful beach, book accommodation near Coral Bay .

The second option to live near a decent beach suitable for swimming is to choose hotels on the coast east of Paphos, to the left of the embankment, if you look at the sea. There are good, but quite expensive options out there.

Most of the beaches are rocky, near expensive hotels on the shore there are artificial small bays with dark brown and golden sand.

Pros of Paphos

It has a promenade and is full of establishments overlooking the sea where you can spend the evening. And this is the main difference from Ayia Napa, which is essentially a tourist village with hotels and apartments.

In the very Paphos many more attractions than Ayia Napa and this is his forte. There is something to do in non-beach time.

And in Paphos and in Ayia Napa there is a long walking trail along the sea. There is about parity, although Paphos is more walkable and more lively - good opportunities for cycling.

AT Ayia Napa full of city restaurants, but all the same, Paphos and the surrounding area will be more abrupt in this regard. And if you are relaxing in Ayia Napa, then you can have a good and inexpensive lunch with a sea view in Larnaca or the village of Zygi near Larnaca.

Plus and minus at the same time Ayia Napa can be considered a vibrant nightlife, the peak of which is reached in July-August. If you are a party-goer, you definitely need to come here!

Summing up: Paphos vs Ayia Napa

If you are going to Cyprus for good beaches, nightlife with one, maximum two excursions - you are in Ayia Napa. If you are a party-goer and clubber, you are in Ayia Napa. Ayia Napa - a place about the sea and beaches, bars and clubs! Ayia Napa is for the young at heart and lovers of beach activities and boat trips. If you prefer a family vacation with a beach priority, while not ready to overpay - you are in Protaras. It is very close to Ayia Napa which can be reached for a couple of euros by bus. Protaras has a long, well-equipped and beautiful promenade along the sea, which stretches all the way to Cape Greco, a dozen good cozy beaches, a long urban Sunrise Beach and the iconic Fig Tree Bay.

If you love outdoor activities and despise beach chairs and sea activities, if your priority is outdoor activities - cycling, quad biking and wildlife with minimal time at sea - you are in Paphos or Polis. If you want to immerse yourself in local life and color, walk around wineries and see ancient history in order to understand Cyprus better, you Pathos or Policy.

At the same time, Paphos also has several beautiful beaches, so you will not be deprived of the sea. And evenings can be beautifully spent on the waterfront in one of the restaurants with your beloved.

If you want to ride in Troodos mountains, to see the ancient monasteries and villages - choose Paphos, it is closer and more convenient to get from here and you can meet it in one day.

Is it possible to combine all this in one vacation? Easy, for this plan a minimum a week in Paphos and surroundings and the second week or at least Spend 3-4 days in Ayia Napa. Then you will put a fat and beautiful point on your vacation, you will remember and love Cyprus and you will come every year just like we do. Use Larnaca only for transit and transfer from / to the airport, there is nothing to do there for more than half a day.

Is there some more Limassol, but this is a cross between the two locations described above, I would not recommend it to those who first decided to try a vacation in Cyprus. The main advantage of Limassol is its equidistance from almost all places in Cyprus, it is perfect for traveling around the island if you live in one place.

Why is it important to rent a car in Cyprus

I still think that traveling around Cyprus by public transport is masochistic, and frequent use of a taxi is quite hard financially.

Moreover, a car in Cyprus is not a luxury, but a democratic means of transportation, from 8 Euros in the low season and from 15 Euros in the high season, there are options without a deposit and always a meager prepayment.

Such correct wheels we find on the site Myrentacar- here, under one roof, the main players of the local car rental market are gathered. Checked - ideal for a traveler, use it, I recommend it.