CY
Limassol
A lively port city with a seafront promenade, a medieval castle and ancient Kourion nearby
A lively port city with a seafront promenade, a medieval castle and ancient Kourion nearby
A palm-lined seafront park with sculptures, playgrounds and cycle paths runs from the old port towards the city centre.
Photo: Mboesch, CC BY-SA 4.0
The stone castle in the old town houses the Cyprus Medieval Museum. Tradition says Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria here in 1191.
Photo: Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0
About 20 minutes west, this Greco-Roman city has a theatre on a clifftop above the sea and houses with fine floor mosaics.
Go early or late to avoid the midday heat; there is little shade.
Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
A 15th-century keep built by the Knights Hospitaller, who made the sweet Commandaria wine that is still produced nearby.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
A modern marina next to the old port, with restaurants, shops and yachts.
Photo: Salwa Farwaneh Dameh, CC0
Try fresh fish, kleftiko (slow-baked lamb), halloumi and loukoumades (honey doughnuts). Commandaria is one of the world’s oldest named wines.
The old town around the castle and the Old Port area have many restaurants and bars.
Cyprus has two international airports, Larnaca and Paphos. There are no trains; intercity buses link Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Ayia Napa, and car hire is common. Limassol is about 45–60 minutes by road from both Larnaca and Paphos airports, with airport buses to each.
Local buses run along the seafront; Kourion and the wine villages are easiest by car or tour. Cyprus is in the EU but, as of late 2026, not yet a full member of the Schengen area, so expect passport or ID checks on arrival.
Cyprus uses the euro (€); the Turkish lira is the main currency in the north, but euros are widely accepted there. Traffic drives on the left, and sockets are the UK three-pin type.
Prices are approximate; check current rates.
City, ruins and wine.
Visit the castle and old town, walk the Molos promenade and have dinner at the marina.
Visit Kourion and Kolossi Castle in the morning, then drive up to a wine village such as Omodos.
🛂 Entry rules: Cyprus and the EU’s new systems
Cyprus is in the EU but not yet in the Schengen area, so the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) isn’t used at its borders and passports are still stamped.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
ETIAS will cover Cyprus when it starts.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
Visit Kourion early; summers are very hot.
Limassol hosts a wine festival in late summer; check dates.
Traffic drives on the left.
City beaches are pebbly or grey sand; Governor’s Beach is a popular day trip.
Quick answers for planning time in Limassol.
About 20 minutes by car.
Larnaca and Paphos are both about 45–60 minutes away.
A sweet dessert wine made in villages near Limassol.
It has long city beaches, though better sandy beaches are elsewhere on the island.
April to June and September to November.
English is widely spoken, but translation helps with Greek and Turkish signs.
Free
Planning a wider trip? Our Cyprus travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.