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Where to stay in Cyprus

Seven bases cover almost every version of a Cyprus trip, from the five-star Amathus strip in Limassol to the harbour hotels of Kyrenia. Expect €90 a night in Nicosia in winter and €500 on the Limassol seafront in August.

Guide
Essentials
Length
9 min read
Updated
2026-08-12
Region
Cyprus
Sea-facing balconies of a five-star hotel on the Limassol coast at dusk Sea-facing balconies of a five-star hotel on the Limassol coast at dusk

Limassol: the Amathus strip and the marina

Limassol is the island's luxury sea-hotel capital, and almost all of it sits on one stretch: Amathus Avenue and Georgiou A in Potamos Germasogeias, running east from the city toward the ruins of ancient Amathus. Four Seasons, Amathus Beach Hotel, Parklane Resort and Spa, Amara and the adults-only Londa all face the water here, each with its own sand or decked platform. Rooms with a sea view in August run €350 to €600 for two with breakfast; the same room in late October or April drops to €160 to €260. Buses along Georgiou A reach the centre in about 20 minutes.

If you want a city rather than a resort, base yourself around Limassol Marina and the Old Port. You are then walking distance from the Old Carob Mill restaurants, the castle, Saripolou Square and the Molos promenade, a 3 km landscaped seafront walk with sculpture, pebble beach access and free parking at its western end. Central four-star hotels and marina apartments typically cost €120 to €220 in summer. The trade-off is the beach: town sand is coarse and grey, so most guests take a bus or a €10 taxi east to Dasoudi, where the eucalyptus grove meets the water.

Paphos: harbour hotels versus Coral Bay

Paphos splits into two towns. Kato Paphos, down by the harbour and the UNESCO-listed Archaeological Park, is where the classic sea hotels sit: Almyra and Annabelle on Poseidonos Avenue, Elysium beside the Tombs of the Kings, Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites for adults only. Summer rates run €220 to €400; November to March the same rooms fall to €90 to €150 and the sea is still swimmable into early November. You can walk to the mosaics of Dionysos, the medieval castle and dozens of tavernas without ever getting in a car.

Ten kilometres north, Coral Bay is a proper sandy cove with hotels such as Azia Resort and Coral Beach set on the low cliffs at Peyia. It suits families and anyone who wants the Akamas peninsula within a 30-minute drive. Upper Paphos, called Ktima, is the working town: the market, the courts, the cheap grills and one-star guesthouses at €45 to €70. Buses 610 and 615 link the harbour, Ktima and Coral Bay for €1.50 a ride, which is why plenty of visitors here never rent a car at all.

Ayia Napa, Protaras and the east

The far east has the best sand on the island, full stop. Nissi Beach, Makronissos, Konnos Bay and Fig Tree Bay are pale, shallow and startlingly clear. Ayia Napa is the loud half: Nissi Beach Resort, Adams Beach and Olympic Lagoon sit within a few minutes of the square, so light sleepers should choose a room facing the sea and away from Ayias Mavris Street. Grecian Park, out toward Cape Greco, gets the same water with none of the noise. August rates run €200 to €380; May and October halve that.

Protaras, 10 minutes north, is the calmer version and the better pick for families and couples. Capo Bay sits directly on Fig Tree Bay, and Sunrise Pearl faces Pernera. Everything is walkable along the coastal path that runs from Fig Tree Bay past the chapel of Profitis Ilias, which has 153 steps and the best view on this coast. Note that this whole region essentially closes between November and March, with many hotels shuttered, so a winter trip belongs in Limassol, Paphos or Larnaca instead.

Larnaca and Nicosia: practical bases

Larnaca is the arrivals town: the main airport is 10 minutes from the Finikoudes promenade, so a first or last night here saves an early alarm and a €70 transfer. Radisson Blu Larnaca and the Golden Bay Beach Hotel at Oroklini cover the four and five-star end at €110 to €190, and small seafront hotels along Athinon Avenue run €70 to €110. You get a palm-lined beach, the Byzantine church of Saint Lazarus, the salt lake with its winter flamingos and a bus to the airport for around €1.50.

Nicosia has no sea, and that is exactly why rates hold steady all year at €90 to €150. It is a business city with the island's best museums, restaurants and old-town bars inside the Venetian walls. Hilton Nicosia on Archbishop Makarios III Avenue and the Landmark cover the upper end; Map Boutique Hotel and Cleopatra sit closer to Ledra Street. Give it one or two nights mid-trip, ideally midweek when the old town is busy with locals rather than deserted, then head back to the coast.

Kyrenia and the north coast

Kyrenia, north of the Kyrenia mountain range, has the prettiest harbour on the island: a horseshoe of tavernas under a Byzantine and Venetian castle. The Colony sits in town, Acapulco and the big casino resorts spread east along the coast road, and Bellapais Gardens is up in the abbey village at 220 m, cooler by several degrees and with a view down to the sea. Expect €90 to €180 for four and five-star rooms, cheaper than equivalent hotels in Limassol. Book directly and confirm what payment methods are accepted before you arrive.

Getting there means crossing at an official checkpoint: Agios Dometios in Nicosia for cars, Ledra Street on foot. Cars hired in the south need extra insurance bought at the crossing, roughly €20 for three days; cars hired in the north generally cannot come south. If that sounds like too much admin, Kyrenia also works as a long day trip from Nicosia, an hour each way. Many travellers keep their sea base in Limassol or Paphos and treat the north as a two-night add-on rather than the trip's centre of gravity.

Polis, Latchi and the mountains

For quiet water, drive an hour north of Paphos to Polis and Latchi. Anassa sits on the bay at Neo Chorio with the Akamas peninsula behind it and boats to the Blue Lagoon leaving from Latchi harbour; it is among the most expensive addresses on the island at €400 and up in season. Cheaper alternatives are the stone guesthouses in Polis and the campsite in the eucalyptus grove behind the beach. Nights here are dark and silent, and the nearest nightclub is 45 minutes away in Paphos.

The Troodos massif is the other non-beach option, and worth two nights if you want cool air and hiking. Kalopanayiotis in the Marathasa valley has restored stone houses and a river-valley spa hotel; Platres, at 1,150 m, has the old colonial-era Forest Park Hotel and trailheads to the Caledonia waterfall. Rooms run €90 to €180. In January and February this is where Cypriots ski, on Mount Olympus at 1,952 m, and you can be back on a Limassol beach in 50 minutes.

What a sea view actually costs

Understand the pricing grammar before you book. Hotels here grade rooms as inland view, side sea view and front sea view, and the gap between the first and last is usually €40 to €90 a night in high season. On the Amathus strip, a front sea view with a balcony wide enough for two loungers is the whole point; inland rooms often stare at Amathus Avenue traffic. Half board is offered almost everywhere at €25 to €40 per person, which is fair value in a resort but poor value in Limassol or Paphos town, where good tavernas are three minutes away.

Timing matters more than the property. The same five-star sea-view room in Limassol can be €520 in the first week of August, €260 in late June and €170 in the first week of November. Cypriot school holidays, the Orthodox Easter week and the mid-August Assumption holiday are the three spikes. Booking three to four months ahead for July and August is standard; for April, May, October and November you can often walk a rate down by calling the hotel directly and asking for their best flexible price.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

Which is better for a beach holiday, Paphos or Limassol?

Paphos has the better swimming for the money: Coral Bay is real sand and the Kato Paphos hotels sit on clean, rocky-but-clear water with easy walking to ruins and tavernas. Limassol has the better hotels, restaurants and marina scene but a coarse grey-sand shore that disappoints anyone expecting postcard beaches. If sand is the priority, Protaras and Ayia Napa beat both. If you want a five-star sea-view room and a city around it, choose Limassol.

Is it worth staying in Ayia Napa if you are not there to party?

Yes, if you pick your street. The beaches at Nissi, Makronissos and Konnos are the best on the island, and hotels toward Cape Greco such as Grecian Park are far from the nightlife. Protaras, ten minutes north, is quieter again and better for families. Avoid rooms within two blocks of the square between June and September.

How far in advance should I book a hotel in Cyprus?

For July and August on the coast, three to four months out, especially for front sea-view rooms which sell first. For May, June, September and October, six weeks is usually enough and last-minute deals do appear. Winter in Limassol, Larnaca and Nicosia can be booked days ahead. Orthodox Easter and the 15 August holiday are the exceptions and fill early at any time of year.

Do I need a car if I stay in a beach resort?

Not in Kato Paphos, Limassol along Georgiou A, Larnaca or Protaras, where buses run every 15 to 30 minutes for €1.50 and taxis are short hops. You do need one for the Akamas peninsula, the Troodos villages, Kourion and any serious exploring. Many people rent for two or three days mid-stay at €30 to €45 a day rather than for the whole week.

Are all-inclusive hotels good value in Cyprus?

In Protaras, Ayia Napa and Coral Bay, where the food scene near the hotels is mostly tourist-standard, all-inclusive at €40 to €60 per person a day can genuinely save money. In Limassol, Paphos town and Larnaca it is poor value because excellent tavernas are within a five-minute walk and a full meze runs €25 to €30 per person. Take bed and breakfast in the cities, all-inclusive in the isolated resorts.

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