Larnaca Travel Tips
February 07, 2023
Looking for the best places to visit in Larnaca Cyprus for travelers & digital nomads? As world traveling digital nomads, we wanted a warm winter, slow travel location nearby, but outside of Schengen area as we are doing the "Schengen Shuffle" as we also look/navigate the process online for a home to buy in Spain in rural Barcelona area. Cyprus is a very popular holiday/vacation destination, with 300 days of sunshine, but primarily in summer and winter is "off season" although temps are usually in the seventies and it is a mostly sunny beach location. The winters are similar to Spain and California, so mostly short, sweet and early spring & warmer temperatures arrive in March. All 3 are near beaches yet also have mountains for snow skiing if one likes that. Since I am working on weight loss, longevity and fitness, I appreciate my daily barefoot beach walks and will write more about that soon & diet progress.
Larnaca has a 10, 000 year history and is most famous for St Lazarus church in the main square. The New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ resurrecting Lazarus after he was dead for four days and Orthodox tradition says Lazarus was forced to flea to Cyprus and his bones are buried in this church.
We are staying in a great airbnb that is less than a minutes walk to this church in the main square and also to the beach. Larnaca is a small town so all of it is very walkable. The early-10th-century Greek Orthodox cathedral of St. Lazarus is a very beautiful, magnificent stone church and incredible example of Byzantine architecture in Cyprus.
Located on the nearby, popular Foinikoudes beach and promenade, the Medieval Castle of Larnaka (or Larnaka Fort) is another iconic historic site which was originally built during the Middle Ages. It houses the small Larnaca Medieval Museum with cannons and great beach views.
Another must see near the town center ( walkable) is the Patticheio Park which has a totally different feel, lovely, pristine, wooded area and salt lake where the Flamingos winter.
We really enjoy this area and it is very empty in winter ( unlike the beach and promenade which are always busy especially on weekends). I love flamingos and there are tens of thousands that winter here. The best time for birdwatching is between November and March, so fits perfect for our schedule.
Even in January, spring flowers are already blooming in this park and it is very large, peaceful and you have it all to yourselves as few people are there even on beautiful days.
The European Environment Agency’s ranks Cyprus first among the European Union’s 27 nations for having the cleanest swimming waters. Much to our surprise and Cyprus beat out Austria, Greece and Malta, which came in second, third and fourth.It is too cold to swim now for most, but there are usually some who do it daily now any way. So far, I just dip my feet in as I walk along the edge every day, but I may try it soon as I enjoy cold water swimming.
Beautiful Bougainvillea, Hibiscus blooms, citrus trees filled with oranges and lemons and lots of various flowers add to the beauty now, although I am sure flowers are even more plentiful in summer. As is my habit, I often pick fresh flowers on my walks to brighten up our living space.
One of our favorite spots here is the small Larnaca Marina and it is on my daily beach walk. It is much smaller than the one near us in Barcelona area, or Marina Del Ray or Tivit, Montenegro, but has a special charm of it's own.
My FB friend Lyon Sally asked about what was good for kids & families in Cyprus, so I let her know we saw lots of kids and families here even in off season ( several playgrounds right on the beach promenade) & seems there is even more for kids in the summer high season like these things to do in Cyprus with kids!
There are a few charming roads to walk down like this one, but most of Larnaca is a hodgepodge of historic, new and decrepit & like many places it was hit hard by the pandemic & Russian war. Lots of buildings are decrepit, but also many high end, like new designer shops that sell brands like Valentino etc and the promenade full of restaurants, McDonald's, Burger King, TGIF Fridays, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc, so lots of contrast. Dodging the many fast cars ( that don't seem to care if they hit pedestrians similar to Asia) on narrow cobblestone roads without many sidewalks ( and driving on the British side so more challenging for those of us not raised on that) is not fun, so we try to avoid walking on weekends & areas/times when it is more crowded.
The beauty of slow travel is we get to take our time to really get to know a place in a deeper way than most. Few Americans tend to visit Cyprus and we hear mostly Slavic voices as we roam about ( and local dialect). We've met some Brits and locals here, but mostly see tourists from Israel, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, eastern European countries and lots of Africans. Lots of English speakers here, but most as a second language. Like most of hot Europe, the homes are not insulated so I can be in a light tank top & shorts eating lunch on my terrace, but need sweater and layers inside. Have you visited Cyprus? What would you like to know?
Looking for the best places to visit in Larnaca Cyprus for travelers & digital nomads? As world traveling digital nomads, we wanted a warm winter, slow travel location nearby, but outside of Schengen area as we are doing the "Schengen Shuffle" as we also look/navigate the process online for a home to buy in Spain in rural Barcelona area. Cyprus is a very popular holiday/vacation destination, with 300 days of sunshine, but primarily in summer and winter is "off season" although temps are usually in the seventies and it is a mostly sunny beach location. The winters are similar to Spain and California, so mostly short, sweet and early spring & warmer temperatures arrive in March. All 3 are near beaches yet also have mountains for snow skiing if one likes that. Since I am working on weight loss, longevity and fitness, I appreciate my daily barefoot beach walks and will write more about that soon & diet progress.
Larnaca has a 10, 000 year history and is most famous for St Lazarus church in the main square. The New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ resurrecting Lazarus after he was dead for four days and Orthodox tradition says Lazarus was forced to flea to Cyprus and his bones are buried in this church.
We are staying in a great airbnb that is less than a minutes walk to this church in the main square and also to the beach. Larnaca is a small town so all of it is very walkable. The early-10th-century Greek Orthodox cathedral of St. Lazarus is a very beautiful, magnificent stone church and incredible example of Byzantine architecture in Cyprus.
Located on the nearby, popular Foinikoudes beach and promenade, the Medieval Castle of Larnaka (or Larnaka Fort) is another iconic historic site which was originally built during the Middle Ages. It houses the small Larnaca Medieval Museum with cannons and great beach views.
Another must see near the town center ( walkable) is the Patticheio Park which has a totally different feel, lovely, pristine, wooded area and salt lake where the Flamingos winter.
We really enjoy this area and it is very empty in winter ( unlike the beach and promenade which are always busy especially on weekends). I love flamingos and there are tens of thousands that winter here. The best time for birdwatching is between November and March, so fits perfect for our schedule.
Even in January, spring flowers are already blooming in this park and it is very large, peaceful and you have it all to yourselves as few people are there even on beautiful days.
The European Environment Agency’s ranks Cyprus first among the European Union’s 27 nations for having the cleanest swimming waters. Much to our surprise and Cyprus beat out Austria, Greece and Malta, which came in second, third and fourth.It is too cold to swim now for most, but there are usually some who do it daily now any way. So far, I just dip my feet in as I walk along the edge every day, but I may try it soon as I enjoy cold water swimming.
Beautiful Bougainvillea, Hibiscus blooms, citrus trees filled with oranges and lemons and lots of various flowers add to the beauty now, although I am sure flowers are even more plentiful in summer. As is my habit, I often pick fresh flowers on my walks to brighten up our living space.
One of our favorite spots here is the small Larnaca Marina and it is on my daily beach walk. It is much smaller than the one near us in Barcelona area, or Marina Del Ray or Tivit, Montenegro, but has a special charm of it's own.
My FB friend Lyon Sally asked about what was good for kids & families in Cyprus, so I let her know we saw lots of kids and families here even in off season ( several playgrounds right on the beach promenade) & seems there is even more for kids in the summer high season like these things to do in Cyprus with kids!
There are a few charming roads to walk down like this one, but most of Larnaca is a hodgepodge of historic, new and decrepit & like many places it was hit hard by the pandemic & Russian war. Lots of buildings are decrepit, but also many high end, like new designer shops that sell brands like Valentino etc and the promenade full of restaurants, McDonald's, Burger King, TGIF Fridays, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc, so lots of contrast. Dodging the many fast cars ( that don't seem to care if they hit pedestrians similar to Asia) on narrow cobblestone roads without many sidewalks ( and driving on the British side so more challenging for those of us not raised on that) is not fun, so we try to avoid walking on weekends & areas/times when it is more crowded.
The beauty of slow travel is we get to take our time to really get to know a place in a deeper way than most. Few Americans tend to visit Cyprus and we hear mostly Slavic voices as we roam about ( and local dialect). We've met some Brits and locals here, but mostly see tourists from Israel, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, eastern European countries and lots of Africans. Lots of English speakers here, but most as a second language. Like most of hot Europe, the homes are not insulated so I can be in a light tank top & shorts eating lunch on my terrace, but need sweater and layers inside. Have you visited Cyprus? What would you like to know?
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Great article and photos. I look forward to visiting the beautiful places.
Also, enjoy your progress on the diet. Look forward to the updates. You are looking beautiful!
Felicity
Posted by: Felicity Jean | February 08, 2023 at 09:08 AM
Aw, thanks so much!! We are really enjoying being on the beach and our daily beach walks! I am loving being healthier and thinner although these last few pounds are leaving slower than I'd like. lol But longevity, fun, love and health are the goals so I will get there!
Posted by: jeanne | February 08, 2023 at 10:24 AM