LARNACA or LARNAKA lies to the southeast of the island of Cyprus and its airport is the main entry point for the thousands of visitors that choose a Cyprus holiday. Larnaka Town is the third largest after Nicosia and Limassol with a population of about 47,000.
The first impression of the country is not particularly edifying. The airport lies at the edge of a massive and barren salt lake about 7km south of Larnaka town and visitors' first glimpse of Cyprus is often this barren, flat white salt lake that borders the airport perimeter.
Flamingos and other migrants can be seen in winter but the lake quickly dries up in summer and aircraft pollution has wrecked any commercial possibilities. Adventurous drivers and walkers sometimes attempt to cross, but can come to a sticky end. Signs warn strongly against any attempt.
Tourist growth along the huge Larnaka Bay has been substantial with back-to-back hotels lining the shore and the resort of Agia Napa 30km to the east, world famous among young clubbers for its nightlife. Most visitors stay at the hotels and resorts sprinkled along the bay, though increasing numbers head for the resorts to the south of the airport around Cape Kiti.
Inland, agriculture has been much improved with the construction of several dams and the Cyprus potato fields are to be found in the nearby Kokkinochoria region.
Larnaca beach
Larnaca street
The streets of the modern city of Larnaca, the largest in east Cyprus, have been concreted over the ancient city of Kition and now host a population of around 47,000.
Before the Turkish invasion on 1974 it was home to a significant Turkish Cypriot population, but they were forced to flee as ethnic violence took hold. It is now home to large Lebanese population, who fled their country's troubles in the 1980s.
One of its best features for the tourist is the compact layout, with most of the important and interesting sites within easy walking distance of the centre. The central tourist district is outlined by four major boulevards to form a nice rectangle with what remains of the Turkish District acting as a buffer zone for the seafront hotels.
Beaches are not a Larnaka strong point. There are some artificially constructed municipal beaches but they tend to be small and crowded.
The beach fronting the main street, Leoforos Athinon, is shallow and gently sloping though backed by noisy traffic . Serious beach lovers should look elsewhere such as Agia Napa and Protaras along the coast to the east.
The best natural beach is Makenezy Beach, about 3km to the south and backed by cafes, shops and small hotels. In high summer it is inundated with thousands of bathers.
Pieridea Museum
Terracotta figure
There's a fair amount of competition between the PIERIDES FOUNDATION and the city's municipal museum. At the moment Pieridies is winning by a mile thanks to a very impressive collection of exhibits all beautifully displayed in a fine setting.
It began life 1839 when wealthy founder Dimitrios Pierides saw Cypriot treasures being plundered by foreign amateur archaeologists, notably the local US consul. He stepped in and grabbed what he could before it all disappeared.
Housed in six rooms of the former family colonial-style mansion, the collection has treasures from all over Cyprus that covers most of the island's history, well arranged and displayed in chronological order.
The most notable displays are of Roman glassware, Cypriot folk art and some excellent ancient terracotta figurines. Open Daily: Mon - Sat 9am - 1pm, Sun 11am - 1pm
Agios Lazaros
Neolithic jars
Culture Museum
The BYZANTINE MUSEUM is found in the courtyard of the church of Agios Lazaros and houses what priceless treasures didn't disappear from Larnaca Fort when it wasn't under Turkish administration before 1974.
The current collection is pretty extensive with many church artefacts, icons and such, many of which have been donated by Russian churches. It's worth a visit to the church anyway which supposedly has the tomb of Lazarus - he who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
Lazarus' remains were originally entombed here but, after their discovery in 890, spirited away and ended up in Marseilles. The church stands out in the southern half of the town with its prominent bell-tower.
Plenty of pottery and a reconstructed Neolithic tomb make up the bulk of the collection at the ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM but it's a poor cousin to its private neighbour, the Pierides. Roman glassware and terracotta figures fill out the displays housed in five rooms. One of the larger rooms is devoted to limestone and marble statues, busts and some earthenware statuettes.
Interesting examples of the flora and fauna of Cyprus are displayed in eight rooms of the NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. Visitors are advised to avoid school hours as the place is hugely popular with school parties and, though well behaved, they can be a problem if you want to see much. It's not easy to find though, in the municipal gardens off Leoforos Grigoriou Afxentiou to the west of the town.
Byzantine Museum open daily: 8am - 12.30pm, 3.30pm - 6.30pm, Free
Archaeological Museum open: Mon - Fri 9am - 2.30pm
Natural History Museum open: Tue - Sun 10am - 1pm and 4pm - 6pm
Kition remains
The visitor is hard put to find anything of the original Larnaca town of Kition, so much has been dug up and concreted over, but what there is a small and rather non-descript archaeological site known as Area II in the northwest.
Raised walkways take you over some remains of walls but there is little by way of explanation and a visit can be frustrating unless you have swotted up on the place beforehand.
As most of ancient Kition lies under modern Larnaca there is precious little left to see. The Swedes made attempts at archaeological work in the 1920s but the British had done enormous damage around 1880 by carting off much of what had survived above ground to fill in the nearby malarial marshes with what they deemed to be rubble. Open: Mon - Fri 9am - 2.30pm
Larnaca Fort
Imposing and prominent on the shore Larnaka Fort and Medieval Museum once divided the Greek and Turkish halves of the town. There is little to see in the castle itself which has undergone many changes since it was first built in 1652.
It is square with very thick walls and some battlements. There are some old cannon and field guns to look at. In one of the upper rooms is a small museum of medieval relics. The open courtyard if often used for concerts and cultural events.
Limited public transport makes visiting resorts around Larnaca difficult unless you have your own transport. There are buses to villages, but often they are once a day so it requires an overnight stop. Tourist development has spread south to the cape at Kiti but the beaches there are mostly pebble and sharp sand.
Lighthouse and beach
Panagia Angeloktisti
KITI village is about 7km to the south Larnaka. Visitors often head for the 11th century cruciform church of Panagia Angeloktisti, literally 'church built by angels'. Inside is a 6th century mosaic of the Madonna and Child from an earlier church that was built on the site and which was only 'found' in 1952.
Heading south out of the village brings you to PERIVOLIA where hotels have begun to mushroom offering a quieter alternative to the main beach strip in Larnaka. About 500 meters from the shore is an impressive Venetian tower but you need a ladder to get into it.
The coastline here is generally low and flat, with accumulations of gravel and pebble and few tiny, poor sand and gravel beaches. The lighthouse makes a picturesque addition to what is generally a barren and windblown landscape.
Coastal erosion is a major problem here and many lines of rock have been dumped offshore in a bid to protect the main coastline.
The designation of the land for tourist development has led to some new building in recent years but little has yet been done about the poor beaches in the area.
Bus No 6, 7 run hourly from Larnaka but it's a 5km walk to the beach
Ano Lefkara
Lefkara lace
The pretty mountain villages of ANO LEFKARA and KATO LEFKARA are about 25km west off the main A5 highway to Limassol (Lemesos).
Both villages are renowned for the exquisite lacework produced by the locals, for which they are justifiably famous throughout the world.
Leonardo Da Vinci is reputed to have taken Lefkara lace home to Italy. The villages are pretty enough even without the lace with cobbled lanes and wooden balconies.
Visitors wandering the cobbled lanes and back streets will be hard put though to avoid offers to 'buy some lace' at almost every corner. Everyone here seems to be making it or selling it.
Buyers however should note that the lace that is put on display outside in the sun and dust is never the best and that the best is never the cheapest. All the really decent stuff is kept indoors out of the sun and expect to pay what it is worth - there are few bargains to be found.
There is a small embroidery museum and a scattering of restaurants can cafes in the village when you tire of lace buying. Embroidery Museum opens: Mon - Thu 9.30am - 4pm, Fri - Sat 10am - 4pm
Choirokoitia
Just south of Lefkara on the A5 road to Limassol (Lemosos) is a major archaeological site at Choirokoitia or Khirokitia. The World heritage Site dates from about 7,000BC and is probably one of the earliest human settlements on Cyprus and maybe the only example in the world of a Neolithic settlement.
Built on a hillside site there were once 60 houses inside a circular wall. It is know that they practised agriculture and animal husbandry, and had the remarkable custom of burying their dead under the floors of their houses.
Reconstruction at the foot of the hill make for an interesting visit. Steps and walkways overlook the original settlement and informative signs give lucid descriptions of key features.
A visit to the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia (Lefkosia) will help place the site in a wider context. Open: Mon - Fri 9am - 7.30pm, Sat - Sun 9am - 5pm. Entrance fee, parking, cafe
Stavrovouni Monastery
The big drawback at Stavrovouni Monastery is a ban on women entering the monastery proper. Female visitors are allowed in the bookshop when it's open and in the church outside.
Reputed to be the oldest monastery in Cyprus it is reached by a steep winding road off the main A1 from Larnaca to Limassol (Lemesos). Although the mountain it sits on is not particularly high, about 600 metres, you still get a magnificent view from the top as it's the only mountain in the area.
The monastery dates from 327, allegedly founded by Constantine the Great's mother Helena (making the ban on women rather ironic). She is reputed to have built a cross there with one of the original nails from the cross of Jesus.
It's a working monastery and cameras. like women, are not welcome. Open Daily: 8am - noon, 3pm - 6pm
There's the wide range of hotels, apartments etc you would expect to find in any large town. A few hotels are high end but most are middle range family apartments. There are plenty of budget apartments too, with a hostel near St Lazaros Church and beach camping about 8km east.
With most of the noisy youngsters 30 minutes up the coast in Agia Napa, Larnaka has a much more sedate air, with people watching in bars and cafes the main occupation. Tourists usually head for the Leoforos Athinon where a cluster of bars greet them. There are at least 10 clubs dotted around the town, for those seeking a livelier time with The Corridor considered the best, though the music is mostly Greek pop. Others in the frame include Club Prime, Memphis and Venue.
Most bars and clubs are clustered along Agiou Antoniou, known locally as Bar Street. Most are noisy and raucous, catering for the younger tourist crowd. There are the usual British style pubs and eight clubs, some specialising in UK music while others opt for a more pan European taste.
Annually in June is the Kataklysmos Festival, a feast to celebrate Noah's flood. Most resorts on Cyprus celebrate it but it goes down particularly well in Larnaka where, apart from revellers throwing water over each other, there is a street bazaar in Leoforos Athinon and lots of windsurfing and kayak racing.
Beautiful Cyprus is renowned for its spectacular scenery, magnificent mountain backdrops, stunning sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and superb weather all year round. Holidays to Cyprus are perfect for groups, couples or families wanting a family getaway. Whatever you are looking for in your getaway, you will no doubt find it with Cyprus holidays.
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Larnaca International Airport is about 7km southwest of the city centre and is the busiest airport in Cyprus. British Airways and Cyprus Airways provide direct service from London to Larnaca. Cyprus Airways also runs flights from Manchester and many other European cities. KLM flies direct from Amsterdam and Swissair from Zurich. There are also several direct connections with various cities in Turkey with Turkish and Cypriot carriers.
The airport is very busy in the peak tourist season from May to November, but fairly empty the rest of the year. The airport’s single terminal has all the basic facilities with ATMs, currency exchange and three banks in the public concourse and in the Arrivals Hall. There are cafes, duty-free shopping and a post office.
There are regular bus services (No 22 and No 24) from the airport into the town centre from 6.20am to 7pm but they don't run on Saturday afternoon or on Sunday. Taxis are also always available outside the airport. A board displaying the fares to major destinations can be found in the Arrivals Hall. Shared taxi and minibus transport can also be arranged by Cyprus Airport Transfers (+357 0263 23422) or Acropolis Transport (+357 2462 2000).
Shipping lines no longer use Larnaca except for the occasional cruise ship. There are moorings for private yachts and water taxis run to Ayia Napa. Boats making the one hour trip to Ayia Napa run several times daily with the times posted on the marina pier.
Roads around Larnaca, as on the rest of Cyprus, are generally goo and kept in reasonable condition. If you want to bring your own car into Larnaca, you can do so but only for three months wit a valid registration from the country of origin. Four-lane motorways connect Micosia and Limassol. Many minor roads and forest roads are still unsurfaced but still in good to fair condition.
From Larnaca city you can catch intercity buses to other major cities and resorts. The bus terminal in Larnaca extends along the entire length of Leoforos Athinon avenue, which is the town’s main seaside promenade. There are four or five buses daily to Nicosia and Limassol and 10 each day to Ayia Napa. A further service runs to Ayia Napa every 30mins from the Sun Hall Hotel on the tourist strip.
The two main bus companies on the island are Kallenos and EMAN. For details of schedules and fares call +357 0465 4890. There are also daily buses to the local villages of Lefkara, Kiti, Perivolia and Faros, departing from Agiou Lazarou Square.
Service taxis also run to main resorts like Nicosia and Limassol. These cost about twice as much as buses but are more regular and convenient. Normal taxis are available almost everywhere. Car and bike hire is plentiful.
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