For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.

Limassol

Cyprus

Coastline: Birthplace of Aphrodite
Coast life: Gods and goddesses

A city of excess, Limassol is not shy. A seemingly endless tourist strip runs from the city centre in frenzied neon-flashes of shops, bars and restaurants, the palm-lined avenues and festival-fever has earned the city’s moniker of ‘Little Miami’.

Since the days of the ancient city-kingdoms of Amathus and Kourion, Limassol has been a bustling port and with the welcome arrival of boutique hotels and state-of-the-art spas, the appetites of the culture- and party-hungry are equally sated with antiquities and after-hours offerings. The increasingly gentrified Old Town has witnessed a recent influx of Athenian A-listers, serious superyachters and the travel cognoscenti drawn by the warm weather, cool bars and frozen Zivania shots, Grappa’s feisty Cypriot cousin.

Pictured: Londa

Boutique hotels in Limassol

Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Limassol

Getting there

Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.

Worth getting out of bed for

Highlights the best Limassol has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.

Eating, drinking & dancing

We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Limassol.

Smith Maps

Our interactive map of Cyprus will help you find your way to your Smith hotel, as well as explore this Mediterranean island.

Taxis: Shared and private taxis are plentiful but it’s advisable to book in advance. Urban taxis for journeys within the city can be hailed in the street or picked up at a taxi rank; rural taxis for journeys out of town should be booked by phone or hired from a base station, unless you pick one up at an airport taxi rank.
Tipping culture: A ten per cent tip is usual for good service.
Siesta and Fiesta: Limassol is about as lively as it gets and consequently there are many establishments, which stay open, all day and well into the night. Most shops, however, open at 08h30 and close at 19h. Lunch breaks vary from an hour in the winter months to several hours during the summer season. Most shops close at 13h on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Packing tips: A destination that offers a myriad of choices, from beach lounging and bar hopping to mountain hiking and skiing, means that you should come prepared for everything.
Recommended reads: Lawrence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus and A Birdwatching Guide to Cyprus by Arthur Stagg and Graham Hearl.
Cuisine: Cypriot food is a fusion of Greek and Turkish cuisine. Barbecued meats such as lamb and chicken are delicious. Order traditional Cypriot meze, and scores of diminutive dishes will arrive, hot and cold, and for the full Cypriot experience end with a glass of Commandaria, a sweet desert wine with a pedigree dating back to the time of Richard the Lionheart. Coffee shops are the traditional heart of Cypriot social life; dark, rich coffee comes predominantly in the form of sketo, metrio or glyko in increasing levels of sweetness.
Currency: Cyprus pound.
Time zone: GMT+2.
Dialing codes: Code for Cyprus: 357.
Do go/don't go: In early spring and autumn the region enjoy fine weather but without the high temperatures and crowded beaches of July and August. Winter is still mild but there is often snowfall in the Troodos Mountains allowing you to sunbath on the beach in the morning and ski in the afternoon.

Getting there

Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.

Worth getting out of bed for

Highlights the best Limassol has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.

Literally Limassol

Viewpoint: Gaze upon the enchanting rock-formations of Petra tou Romiou to the west of Limassol. These rocks are claimed as the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.
Arts and culture: The island of Cyprus boasts centuries of rich history. The 14th-century Limassol Castle close to the Old Port, is inhabited by the treasure-heavy Mediaeval Museum. Richard the Lionheart is reputed to have married Princess Berengaria of Navarre in the small chapel on site. The Archaeological Museum on the crook of Kannigos and Vyronos streets accommodates a medley of local archaeological finds dating from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period. The six-roomed Folk Art Museum is a lovingly-restored house, which provides an insight into 19th-century Cypriot folk art.
Something for nothing: Feed treats to clapped-out burros at the Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary (www.donkeycyprus.com), in Vouni village; a worthwhile excuse to spend a day in the handsome Troodos foothills.
Shopping: The traditional shopping streets are St. Andrew’s and Anexartisias. Don’t negotiate the cobbled St. Andrew’s Street in anything other than flats so stock up on cheap leather sandals. Whilst there, enhance your poolside panache by snapping up silk harem pants and sheer, sequin-emblazoned tops by hot Cypriot designer Pantelis Mitsu, of Mitsu Mitsu. For feel-good frittering of your Cyprus pounds, visit the Cyprus Handicraft Centre on Themidos 25.
Daytripper: Mythological hounds should sniff out Amathus, just east of Limassol, said to have been established by one of the sons of Heracles. The ancient city-kingdom of Kourion is lauded for its marvellous Greco-Roman theatre. Move away from the coast to the verdant interior and you will find several World Heritage-listed Byzantine churches boasting extraordinary frescoes. Panagia tis Asinou near Nikitari and Agios Ioannis Lampadistis in Kalopanagiotis are particularly fine; check with the tourist office for visiting times.
Best beach: Governor’s Beach 25 kilometres outside Limassol is decorated with ivory-coloured rocks and caves. Follow the sandy, king-size coastline of Lady’s Mile beach; the crystalline waters attract sun-revellers but there is a distinct lack of shade so come prepared, poised, with parasol in hand.
Activities: For a relatively small island there’s a wealth of activities to choose from year-round. Scuba-diving (www.cydive.com), kite surfing, water-skiing and windsurfing are all very popular, particularly in summer. Golf is a major draw, particularly in the cooler months and it’s possible to take a jeep safari into the wilds of the Troodos mountains; Cyprus Adventure can organise a number of activities (www.cyprus-adventure.com). From January to March it’s even possible to enjoy some gentle skiing on the slopes of the magnificent Mount Olympus. Limassol lies in Cyprus’s main wine producing region and you can spend an enjoyable afternoon wine tasting in the village of Agios Ambrosios (www.agiosambrosios.org) or at the EKTO and Olympus wineries in Omodhos (www.etkowines.com) northwest of Limassol.
And...: The Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) offers free walking tours, with English-speaking guides, in and around Limassol. Contact the CTO on (+357 25 362 756) for more information.

Diary

March The ten-day Limassol Carnival is an excuse for the locals to parade the main streets decked out in all manner of fancy-dress. May The Festival of the Flood takes place along the coast with a procession to the sea where people sprinkle water on each other, perhaps to commemorate the birth of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. July Sup KEO beer at the Limassol Beer Festival (www.limassolbeerfestival.com). Early September brings the Limassol Wine Festival, which takes place in the Municipal Gardens and show-cases folk dancing and music, along with the splendid local vino. Also at this time of year the Kypria International Festival is a month-long cultural festival where a host of events focused on music, theatre and dance are staged throughout Cyprus, particularly Larnaca, Nicosia and Limassol.

Eating, drinking and dancing

We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Limassol.

Restaurants

Beige

This is a chichi sushi place with an impressive list wine. Booking is essential.

Agiou Andreou, 238
(+357 25 818860)

Barolo

Nip in here to try Mediterranean & Italian-style food with a Cypriot twist.

Agiou Andreou, 248
(+357 05 760767)

Karatello

This reasonably priced taverna specialises in Cypriot meze and is a jolly place for a drink.

Vailissis Street, 24
(+357 25 820 464)

Draught Bar & Grill

The only microbrewery bar & restaurant in Cyprus, it produces four kind of beer. It also serves a large variety of local and imported beers plus Mexican, German, American and Greek food.

Vailissis Street
(+357 25 820 470)

Pebbles Beach Bar

We liked the oversized beanbags on the beach outside this beach bar. Pebbles sells sandwiches and ice-cream, but mainly booze and is pretty much a locals hangout.

Georgiou A Street, Yermasogeia
(+357 25 322277)

Graffiti Ethnic Lounge

Reserve a table at this non-touristy place and lower your blood pressure with herbal fruit hookah pipes.

Agiou Andreou, 23b
(+357 25 747552)

Printable destination guide

Limassol

Cyprus

A city of excess, Limassol is not shy. A seemingly endless tourist strip runs from the city centre in frenzied neon-flashes of shops, bars and restaurants, the palm-lined avenues and festival-fever has earned the city’s moniker of ‘Little Miami’.

Boutique hotels in Limassol

Getting there

Worth getting out of bed for

Eating, drinking & dancing

Smith Maps

Local knowledge

Limassol hotels

Londa

Getting there

Worth getting out of bed for

Literally Limassol

Diary

Eating, drinking and dancing

Restaurants

Beige

Barolo

Karatello

Draught Bar & Grill

Pebbles Beach Bar

Graffiti Ethnic Lounge