Pyla
The only village where Greek and Turkish Cypriots have always lived side by side, with a wide quiet beach below it.
Sandy bay at Pyla with sunbeds and the buffer-zone hills behind
Why people stay in Pyla
Pyla sits ten minutes north-east of Larnaca on the edge of the UN buffer zone, and it is the one village on the island where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots never stopped sharing a square. Two coffee shops face each other across the platia, a UN observation post sits on the rise above, and nobody makes a fuss about it. Most visitors never see the village at all — they book a sea-view apartment down at Pyla beach, 2 km south, and treat the hill as scenery. That is a mistake worth correcting on your first evening.
The coast here is called Pyla or Pergamos beach depending on who you ask, and it is a long, shallow, unglamorous stretch of grey-gold sand with tamarisk trees and a handful of low-rise blocks. There is no strip, no clubs, no pedestrianised promenade. Sunbeds run about €5 for the pair with an umbrella, and the beach bars close when the last table leaves — usually 11pm in August, considerably earlier in May. Families with small children love it because the water stays knee-deep for thirty metres and there is almost never a swell.
At 9pm on a July night, Pyla beach is a row of tavernas with fairy lights, a couple of dozen sunburnt Brits eating grilled sea bass, and the glow of Larnaca's airport approach lights to the west. Up in the village, the platia has old men playing tavli, a mosque and a church within two hundred metres of each other, and a duty-free-style shop selling cheap cigarettes that draws a steady weekend trade from Larnaca. It is genuinely quiet by 11pm. If you want nightlife, you drive.
Skip Pyla if you need to walk to a bar strip, if you want a five-star spa on the doorstep, or if you are here for two nights and want to maximise sightseeing — Larnaca and Ayia Napa both do that better. Come here if you want a sea-view balcony for €70 to €110 in high season, a car in the space below it, and a beach where nobody plays music at you. Rooms are almost all apartments; proper luxury hotels are 15 minutes away in Larnaca or Dhekelia.
Two very different bases. Down on the coast, the blocks along the Dhekelia road between the Sandy Beach and CTO beach turn-offs give you front-line sea views, kitchenettes and parking, typically €65 to €120 a night in July and as low as €45 in February. Ask specifically for a south-facing unit above the second floor — the ground floors look at the car park and the road hum carries. In the village itself, a handful of restored stone houses rent for €80 to €140 and are far more interesting, but you will drive to every meal and every swim. Avoid anything advertised as "walking distance to Larnaca" — it is 7 km along a dual carriageway with no pavement for much of it. Avoid, too, the cheapest units right on the Dhekelia road junction: military traffic starts moving at six in the morning.
Things to do in Pyla
The platia at the top of Pyla village, where the church of Agia Marina and the mosque stand within sight of each other and the UN post looks down from the ridge. Two rival kafenia serve Cypriot coffee at around €2. Sit outside, order a metrio, and watch a village that quietly refused to divide.
The public beach off the Dhekelia road, about 2 km south-west of the village, run by the tourism organisation with free showers, changing rooms and a snack kiosk. Sand shelves gently for a good thirty metres, so it suits toddlers. Sunbed and umbrella sets run roughly €5 to €7 for the day.
The line of family tavernas facing the water between Pyla beach and Voroklini. Whole grilled sea bream or sea bass runs €16 to €22, a full meze about €22 a head, and half a litre of local white about €8. Book on Friday and Saturday in August or you will wait.
Fifteen minutes west on the B3 and the airport road. Between December and March the lake fills and flamingos settle in their thousands; the mosque on the shore, one of Islam's notable pilgrimage sites, is open daily and free, with donations welcome. In summer the lake is a white salt crust and still worth the photograph.
Pick it up where the Dhekelia road meets the Voroklini beachfront, about 3 km west, and follow the paved seafront path towards Larnaca. Flat, lit, and busy with joggers from seven in the evening. Ice cream and cold beer at the kiosks along the way for €3 to €5.
The Pergamos/Beyarmudu crossing sits a couple of kilometres east of Pyla village and is one of the quietest on the island. Bring your passport and hire-car documents; you will need third-party insurance bought at the booth, roughly €20 for three days. It is the fast back way to Famagusta.
What to see
Hotels near Pyla
No hotels are listed in Pyla yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Pyla
- Mercure Larnaca Beach Resort 4★ · 4.8/5
- Frixos Suites Hotel Apts 3★ · 4.6/5
- Lordos Beach Hotel & Spa 4★ · 4.5/5
- Lebay Beach Hotel 4★ · 4.4/5
- Villa Larnaca Bay Resort 4★ · 4.3/5
- Sandy Beach Hotel & Spa ex Sentido 4★ · 4.2/5
- Afrodite Luxury Villa Complex 4 bedroom 4★
- Aquarian Beachfront Apartment 4★
- Beach Vibes Beachfront Apartment 4★
- Beachfront Villa Larnaka Dhekelia with Pool 4★
- Casavero 4★
- CyPresa Sweet Home Oroklini 4★
- Dene Hollow Pyla 4★
- FatCow Beach Apartment 4★
- Garnet Beach Apartment 4★
- IOLENA Seaview Apartment 4★
- Larnaca Mansion Ideal for 3 Families Or More 4★
- Larnaca Villa Zoe Platinum Oroklini 4★
- Lazuli Seafront Beach House Nr18 4★
- Mediterranean Sunrise Apartments A1 4★
- Miltos beach House 4★
- Miranda Beach House 4★
- Oceania Bay Village 4★
- Pebble Beach Apartment 4★
Getting around Pyla
Larnaca airport is 20 minutes away by car — take the A3 towards Dhekelia, then the B3 coastal road; a taxi runs about €25 to €30 and there is no direct airport bus. From Larnaca town, Zinon bus 429 and 425 serve the Dhekelia coastal road and Pyla, roughly hourly through the day and thinning out badly after 6pm, with a single fare around €1.50 and a day ticket about €5. Inside the area you need a car: the village sits 2 km uphill from the beach with no pavement on the connecting road. Parking is free and easy everywhere, including on the beach approach roads. Taxis back from Larnaca after dinner cost €18 to €22.
Questions about Pyla
Yes, entirely. Pyla is a functioning village inside the zone, policed jointly and monitored by UN peacekeepers, and thousands of people live there without incident. The only rule that affects visitors is not to photograph military installations or the observation posts. Ordinary tourism, coffee in the square and swimming at the beach are completely routine.
About 7 km from Finikoudes promenade along the Dhekelia coastal road, which is 10 to 12 minutes by car outside rush hour. Bus 429 covers the same run in roughly 20 minutes for around €1.50. A taxi is €18 to €22 each way. Walking is not realistic — long stretches have no pavement.
Yes. The Pergamos crossing is a couple of kilometres east of the village and is usually the quietest one on the island. Take your passport; if you are driving a hire car you buy third-party insurance at the booth, around €20 for three days. Check your rental agreement first, as some companies restrict crossing.
Almost everything on the coast is self-catering apartments and small apartment hotels, typically €65 to €120 in July. For a full-service four or five star with a spa, base yourself on the Dhekelia hotel strip towards Voroklini or in Larnaca itself, both within 15 minutes' drive.
