When to visit Cyprus: month-by-month
Almond blossom above the Cypriot coast in early spring
Twelve months of sea temperatures, hotel rates and events, from 17-degree water in February to 28 degrees in September.
January and February: the cheap, green months
Coastal Cyprus sits at 16 to 19 degrees by day and 8 to 10 at night, with rain concentrated into a handful of heavy days rather than persistent drizzle — this is the wet season, and it delivers most of the island's annual rainfall. Sea temperature bottoms out around 17 degrees. Hotel rates in Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca fall to €70 to €140 for rooms that cost triple in August, heated pools and spas are the draw, and archaeological sites are empty. Ayia Napa and Protaras are largely closed.
The upside is the landscape. The hills are green, the wildflowers start in February, and almond blossom breaks in the Troodos foothills mid-month. Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres carries snow and the small Sun Valley ski runs operate in a good year from January to March. Limassol Carnival, ten days of parades before Orthodox Lent, usually lands in February or early March and is the biggest street event in Cyprus. Book Limassol hotels a month ahead for carnival weekend.
March and April: the best walking months
March brings 19 to 22 degrees on the coast, drying weather and the island at its greenest. This is when the Akamas trails from the Baths of Aphrodite, the Avakas Gorge and the Cape Greco paths are at their absolute best, and when the orchids and cyclamen are out. The sea is still 18 to 19 degrees, so this is not a swimming trip. Rates run €80 to €150, and the Lemesos Marathon in mid-March fills Limassol for a weekend.
April warms to 23 to 26 degrees with sea at 19 to 21 — swimmable for the determined. Orthodox Easter, which usually falls in April and rarely aligns with Western Easter, is the most interesting week in the Cypriot calendar: village churches, Good Friday processions, lamb on the spit and flaounes everywhere. Domestic demand fills mountain and village accommodation, so book early. April is also when the east-coast resorts reopen, often with facilities still coming online in the first fortnight.
May and early June: the sweet spot
If someone asks me for one month, it is May. Air temperatures of 26 to 30 on the coast, sea climbing from 21 to 24 degrees, near-zero rain, everything open, and hotel rates 30 to 40 per cent below August at €120 to €200 for a good sea-view room. The Anthestiria flower festivals run in early May in Limassol, Paphos and Larnaca. Beaches are usable all day without the August crush, and you can still walk in the Troodos at midday without suffering.
The first two weeks of June continue that with warmer water at 24 to 25 degrees and slightly higher rates, and Kataklysmos, the Festival of the Flood at Pentecost, brings water-throwing celebrations, fairs and music to Larnaca and the coastal towns — a genuinely local event and a lovely time to be on the seafront. Beyond mid-June, prices climb steeply as European school holidays begin and the heat becomes a real factor inland.
July and August: peak everything
Coastal highs of 33 to 35 degrees, Nicosia routinely 37 to 40, no rain at all, and sea at 26 to 28 degrees, which is like a warm bath. Hotel rates peak — sea-view doubles at €230 to €420, private-pool villas passing €650, minimum stays of three to seven nights common — and Konnos Bay parking fills by 9.30am. The Larnaca and Paphos airports are at their busiest and hire cars hit €60 to €80 a day if booked late.
If you must come now, adapt. Swim before 10am and after 5pm, spend the middle of the day indoors or in the Troodos where 1,000 metres of altitude removes 8 to 10 degrees, and eat at 9pm like everyone else. The compensations are real: the Limassol Wine Festival in the Municipal Gardens from late August, the Paphos Aphrodite Festival with opera staged before the harbour castle in early September, and warm calm sea that makes the boat trips flat and easy.
September and October: the connoisseurs' season
September is arguably better than May. The sea hits its annual peak of 27 to 28 degrees, air settles to 30 to 32, the August crowds evaporate after the first week and rates drop back to €150 to €250. Grape harvest is under way in the Krasochoria villages and the wine festivals follow. The only caveat is that the first week still carries some peak pricing, so aim for the tenth onwards.
October holds up remarkably: 26 to 28 degrees by day, water still 25 to 26, occasional first rains late in the month, and rates at €100 to €180. This is the last easy swimming month and the best month for combining beach and hiking, because the Troodos cools without turning wet. Towards the end of October the east-coast resorts begin closing down, so a late-October booking in Protaras needs checking against the hotel's actual closing date rather than the booking site's calendar.
November and December: shoulder into winter
November is the transition — 21 to 24 degrees, sea still 22 to 23 in the first fortnight, the first real rain, and rates back to €80 to €140. Flamingos start arriving at the Larnaca and Akrotiri salt lakes, sometimes in the thousands, and stay until March. This is a good month for a cheap city-and-sights trip based in Paphos or Larnaca, and a poor one for a beach holiday, especially after the middle of the month.
December means 18 to 20 degrees, short bright days and the possibility of snow on Olympus by late in the month. The coastal cities decorate heavily, Nicosia's old town is atmospheric, and Christmas and New Year bring a brief price spike in Paphos and Limassol before rates collapse again in the second week of January. Sea at 20 degrees is swimmable for about four days a year and by Northern Europeans only. Treat December as a walking, eating and spa trip.
How to choose your fortnight
For swimming with value: 10 to 25 September, or 15 to 31 May. For walking and wildflowers: mid-March to mid-April. For cheapest possible: the second week of January to the end of February, when a five-star sea-view room can be had for the price of an August three-star. For families tied to school holidays: the second half of June beats August on every measure except water temperature, and Easter is beautiful but crowded with domestic travellers.
Two things to avoid deliberately. The first is booking Protaras or Ayia Napa outside April to October without confirming your hotel is actually open, because the resorts close down almost entirely. The second is planning an inland itinerary in late July or August — Nicosia, Choirokoitia, the Mesaoria plain and even Kourion at midday are punishing at 38 degrees with no shade. Save the archaeology for spring and autumn and keep the peak weeks on the coast or above 1,000 metres.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Limassol, answered with this month’s numbers.
Mid-September for swimming — the sea peaks at 27 to 28 degrees, air is 30 to 32, and rates fall about 30 per cent from August. Late May is the best all-round alternative, with 26 to 30 degree days, 23-degree water and everything open before the school holidays.
The sea drops to about 17 degrees in February and 20 in December, which is bracing rather than pleasant. Hotels in Paphos and Limassol run heated outdoor and indoor pools all winter, and that is how most people swim between December and March.
Ayia Napa and Protaras largely shut from early November to late March — most hotels, many restaurants and the beach services. Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca and Nicosia trade year round with heated pools and rates 40 per cent below summer, which makes them the only realistic winter bases.
