Ayia Napa
The whitest sand and clearest water on the island, a superyacht marina, a sixteenth-century monastery — and clubs that run until 5am.
Nissi Beach at Ayia Napa with white sand, turquoise shallows and the offshore islet
Why people stay in Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa has the best water on the island and the worst reputation, and both are earned. Nissi Beach is genuinely extraordinary — a 500-metre arc of powder-white sand with a sandbar you can wade across to the islet, water the colour of a swimming pool, and a shelf so shallow that children can stand fifty metres out. Makronissos and Landa either side of it are almost as good. If your holiday is about the sea itself, nowhere in Cyprus beats this stretch of coast between the town and Cape Greco.
The town centre is organised around one thing. Seferis Square, universally called The Square, holds the clubs, and in July and August they run to 4 or 5am with promoters working the streets from 10pm. Around it, thirty seconds' walk away, sits the walled sixteenth-century Ayia Napa Monastery with its Venetian fountain and enormous sycamore tree, absolutely silent. That contrast is the town in one image. The 2021 Ayia Napa Marina has since added a completely different register — superyachts, designer towers and restaurants where dinner is €50 a head.
At nine in the evening in August the streets around Ayias Mavris and Katalymata are already loud, the beach bars are winding down and the queues have not started. In late May or early October the same streets are pleasant, half-empty and cheap — a sea-view four-star that costs €220 in August drops to €90. From November to March a large part of the resort simply shuts: hotels closed, shutters down, a handful of tavernas serving the local Sotira and Liopetri farmers.
Book Ayia Napa if you are under thirty and here for the clubs, or if you are any age and here purely for the water, in which case come in May, June, late September or October. Skip it if you want authenticity, quiet nights or winter sun — Protaras, ten minutes east, does the same coast with families instead of promoters. Also skip it if you are driving: parking near Nissi in August is a genuinely stressful sport.
Three distinct zones. Nissi Avenue, the road running west from the centre towards Nissi Beach, is the party corridor — big four-stars at €70-160 depending on month, walkable to both The Square and the sand, and noisy until dawn in season. Grecian Bay and Kryou Nerou east of the centre are calmer and better quality, with the island's biggest five-star beachfront blocks at €180-350 in August, a fifteen-minute walk from the clubs so you hear nothing. Makronissos and Ayia Thekla, three to five kilometres west, are the family end: quieter beaches, apartment-style resorts at €80-140, but you need the bus or a car for anything else. The one thing to avoid is a cheap room on the inland side of Ayias Mavris directly above a bar — the price looks brilliant in April and is unliveable in August. Always check the exact building, not the resort.
Things to do in Ayia Napa
Two kilometres west of the centre at the end of Nissi Avenue, or bus 101 for €1.50. Wade across the shallow bar to the islet in knee-deep water; the shelf keeps the sea under a metre for a long way. Sunbeds €5-7 a pair, lifeguarded, and packed by 10am from June onwards.
Dead centre of town on Seferis Square, seconds from the clubs. A walled Venetian-era monastery around a sixteenth-century marble fountain and a sycamore said to be six hundred years old. Free, open through the day, and cool and silent inside. Cover shoulders and knees to enter the church.
Trips leave from Ayia Napa harbour by the marina, typically €20-30 for a few hours with a swim stop. The limestone caves and arches sit along the coast east of the town towards Cape Greco. Alternatively drive to the cliff-top car parks off the E307 and climb down yourself, free.
Ten minutes' walk east of the old harbour. Opened in 2021 with superyacht berths, two residential towers and a boardwalk of restaurants and bars where mains run €28-45. Worth an evening walk even if you eat elsewhere; it is the most un-Ayia-Napa thing in Ayia Napa.
The Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa lies off Pernera Beach at 8-10 metres, with around a hundred works by Jason deCaires Taylor. Local dive centres run trips from about €60; strong snorkellers can see the shallower pieces. Book the day before in summer.
A paved and boarded shore path runs east from Ayia Napa harbour past Konnos Bay towards the Cape Greco headland, roughly 8 km one way. Rent a bike in town for €8-12 a day. Do it early — there is minimal shade and the sea cliffs are the whole point.
What to see
Hotels in Ayia Napa
No hotels are listed in Ayia Napa yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Ayia Napa
- Abacus Suites 4★ · 4.8/5
- Napa Gem Luxury Suites 4★ · 4.8/5
- Amanti MadeForTwo Hotels Ayia Napa 5★ · 4.7/5
- Amarande Adults Only 5★ · 4.7/5
- Nissiblu Beach Resort 5★ · 4.7/5
- The Nines 5★ · 4.7/5
- Napa Mermaid Hotel & Suites 4★ · 4.7/5
- Grecian Sands Hotel 4★ · 4.6/5
- Zoi ayia Napa hotel 4★ · 4.6/5
- Christopher's Sandy Beach Suites 3★ · 4.6/5
- Sunny Blue Hotel 3★ · 4.6/5
- Grecian Bay Hotel 5★ · 4.5/5
- Atlantica Sungarden Park 4★ · 4.5/5
- Margadina Hotel 4★ · 4.5/5
- Melissi Beach Hotel & Spa 4★ · 4.5/5
- Nestor Hotel 4★ · 4.5/5
- Anesis 3★ · 4.5/5
- Napa Centre 102 Gold 3★ · 4.5/5
- Napa Prince Hotel Apartments 3★ · 4.5/5
- Pavlo Napa Beach Hotel 4★ · 4.4/5
- Aragma 3★ · 4.4/5
- New Famagusta Hotel and Suites 3★ · 4.4/5
- Tasia Maris Seasons 3★ · 4.4/5
- Melpo Antia Hotel & Suites 4★ · 4.3/5
Getting around Ayia Napa
From Larnaca airport it is 45-55 minutes by road: shuttle transfers run about €12-18 a head, a taxi is €55-70, and intercity coaches connect Larnaca's Finikoudes with Ayia Napa for roughly €5. Local buses cost €1.50 a single or €5 for a day pass; route 101 links Ayia Napa with Protaras and Paralimni every 15-30 minutes in summer, and route 102 runs the reverse loop. In July and August a night bus service works the club hours. The centre is walkable and Nissi is 25 minutes on foot from the square. Parking near Nissi Beach after 9.30am in August is close to hopeless — take the bus.
Questions about Ayia Napa
In July and August the centre effectively is, but the beaches are shared by everyone and the eastern hotels around Grecian Bay are quiet family five-stars. Come in May, June, late September or October and the town is calm, warm and much cheaper. Families in high summer are usually happier in Protaras.
Not much. Most hotels, clubs and beach bars close from around November to March, leaving a handful of year-round tavernas and cafes plus the monastery and the coast paths. If you want winter sun on the island, Paphos or Limassol stay properly open; Ayia Napa does not.
Nissi for the white sand and the sandbar, though it is the most crowded. Makronissos, two kilometres further west, is nearly as good with more space. Konnos Bay, east towards Cape Greco, is a sheltered cove between pine-covered cliffs and the prettiest of the lot for a calm swim.
In peak season the main venues around Seferis Square go until 4-5am, with nothing meaningful happening before midnight. Expect €8-12 for a cocktail in a club, €4-5 for a beer in a street bar, and entry that is often free before a certain hour. Outside June to September most clubs are shut.
