Visiting Larnaca in Cyprus

Hello everyone! It's been quite some time since i made a travel post but that doesn't mean i stopped traveling. Just due to the mandatory army service and job afterwards, i had neglected my posting duties. I did a quick check and my last travel post was 2 years ago. 2 YEARS AGO! Time passes faster than i expected.

No worries though let's get started with today's travel post but first, let me give you an overview of what i am gonna talk about. I will present you a city and generally a country that i visited last summer. I will tell a few info about the city and some historical facts and ofc you will see a lot of personal pictures as well!

To begin with, in case you don't know i am Greek. Cyprus is a Greek-speaking country if you exclude the Turkish part. Also, it's quite easy to get there from Greece, i think it's around an hour by airplane, maybe less. For a guy like me though, who likes traveling and visiting different cultures Cyprus was not even in the middle of my list for the reasons mentioned above.

Thus, the reason i went there was for a wedding. A cousin of mine had a girlfriend from there and they decided to marry and begin their new chapter of their lives in Cyprus. The wedding would be on a weekend but i decided to take a couple of days of work and visit Larnaca on a Wednesday if i remember correctly, in order to have some time to see the city and the surroundings.

More About Larnaca

Larnaca is the third largest city in Cyprus, after Nicosia and Limassol with a population of around 145000 (based on data from 2015). Larnaca's name comes from larnax and the plural is larnakes which can be translated to sarcophagi and it is said that over 3000 old tombs were discovered. The oldest city that existed there was called Kition in the 13th century BC.

In general, there are many references to Larnaca in the older scripts from Greeks, Italians and later on from the Ottoman Empire. Some cool things to see, some of which i will mention earlier and show you are the Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca's castle, and Kamares Aqueduct.

Thankfully, Larnaca has its own airport which makes everything easier. From the airport, by bus, you will arrive in the center in less than 30 minutes which is quite cool. By the time that you get out of the airport though, beware of the hot weather if you visit during the Summer. Even for a Greek like me who i am used to this kind of climate i couldn't stand there due to the extreme heat.

It seemed hard to even breathe and even later when i get to the hotel at 13:00-14:00 and i asked where can i go to eat and in general see things, the employee was looking at me like crazy. He suggested to me to go to sleep instead and due to the high temperatures to go out only when the night comes, that's what everyone does.

I didn't listen to his advice because when i visit a place i don't want to waste time sleeping throughout the day but honestly he was right. I walked for 10 minutes and i was sweating like crazy and it was even hard to breathe. So if you visit during summer, check the temperatures or go and enjoy the sea.

Larnaca and the Sights

So Larnaca even though it's the 3rd largest city in Cyprus in comparison to other cities it's relatively small. In 1-2 days you can walk the entire city. The commercial street is divided by a huge coastline with beautiful beaches full of sand and on the other side there are commercial stores to eat and drink, most of which are for tourists. Next to the road, there are huge Palm trees which in a way reminded me of Miami.

We visited the Church of Lazarus which is quite an amazing thing to see and for those who like history, it is supposed to be the place where Lazarus after he got raised from the dead from Jesus went there. There he was appointed as the first Bishop and lived for 30 years where he died and was buried. The Church was built over his tomb.

The Church is basically in the center of the town so it's easily accessible for everyone. There also lies a cool hidden place to drink your coffee or your beer that looks like a small take-away cafeteria on the outside but inside there is a huge garden where you can enjoy the above.

Now besides the church, it's also worth checking out the castle of Larnaca. What is amazing in my eyes is that the same caste had different "residents" and parts built. For instance, it started as a small fort by the Byzantines, then the Genovese made it bigger, the Ottomans also occupied it and finally, the British used it as a prison and even installed gallows to execute people, you can still see the gallows. Now the castle is used as a museum and the courtyard as an open theatre.

Cool Things to Do and My Personal Opinion

Larnaca is a small town where you can stay for 2-3 days if you ask me, see the sights i mentioned and walk through the city. In case you want relaxed vacation you can stay way longer and simply go to the sea each day which is very close to most of the hotels and Airbnb places, within walking distance not even bothering with a bus or car.

Even though most of the place to eat and drink are meant for tourists which means higher prices and mid-level food, there are some hidden gems to drink your coffee, your beer, eat your brunch or food. Really value-for-money places within walking distance and full of locals which means a lot if you ask me.

In general, be aware of the temperatures that "force" you to stay put or simply swim or be in the cafeteria until it gets darker. If you are looking for a place to see and do a lot of things this isn't the place for you. If you are looking to relax, eat well and swim all day then it's a very nice destination. Ahh and before i forget, in Greece, the steering wheel is left side but in Cyprus, it is right side like in England! It's hard to get used to it i dare to say!

Regarding the prices everything is quite affordable if you ask me even compared to Greece, Cyprus was cheaper when we were supposed to have smaller salaries, so it's really value for money. The people were nice too and helpful when asked a question so don't hesitate to ask them for any tips or places to go!

In case you decide to visit Larnaca and want info about cafeterias/eating or drinking places/or anything in general don't hesitate to ask me. The same applies for Greece as well!

What do you think about Larnaca?

Have you visited Cyprus and if yes what did you like?

all the photos have been taken by me and i reserve the rights