Information about Limassol- Cyprus

There are many beaches to choose from in the Limassol region, and although they do not have the white/yellow sand of Ayia Napa, they are still very nice and the water is very clean. In fact, many of these beaches have won Blue Flag awards for their cleanliness. There are 5 beaches that I would recommend: Governor's Beach (25kms east of Limassol), Agios Tychonas Beach (central Limassol, in front of Four Seasons/ Mediterranean hotels), Lady's Mile Beach (4kms west of Limassol), Curium Beach (20 kms west of Limassol) and Avdimou Beach (30 kms west of Limassol). In addition to these, there are also lots of small beaches along the coastline, in front of most of the seafront hotels.

Bearing in mind that temperatures soar into the 40 degrees Celsius during the summer, it's imperative that you use a good suntan lotion to protect you. Apparently Cyprus has the cheapest prices for Nivea products in the whole of Europe, which is great, because that's what I use. The range covers from Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 2 through to 30 and also includes a pure sun-block for babies and small children. Should you burn, there is also an after-sun cream to soothe you, which is a lot more comfortable and easier than the local tradition of putting plain yoghurt on the burnt bits, waiting, then showering it off.

The Limassol district comprises not just Limassol town, but all the villages surrounding it (about half-way to Paphos and half-way to Larnaca) and the Troodos mountain range. Most historical sites and museums charge very little entrance (£1.00 or less) so it's not expensive to experience a little culture. Traditional tourist spots which are worth seeing include: Amathus Ruins, Curium Amphitheatre, Kolossi Castle, and Kykkos Monastery & the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III - mostly for the fabulous view. Out at Erimi, is the Wine Museum - definitely worth visiting. One village that is definitely worth visiting is Lania known as the village of artists because of the foreign artists who have made their homes there. Also in Lania, is the Lania Tavern which is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year and giving away some wonderful prizes. When you eat there (it's open for lunch Tues-Sun and dinner Fri & Sat) you will go into a draw held in July for 10 mezes! Also every Friday and Saturday night in July, all beers are free with your meal, which is pretty good. Just near Lania is Doros village where if you pop into P.Karseras winery, you can have a free taste of the Commandaria (the oldest wine in the world) they produce. In fact it's their speciality! Other villages to visit include Agros (known for its smoked meats, rose water, Cyprus sweets and Byzantine church), Omodhos (wonderful traditional village with a cobbled square), Vouni (Donkey Sanctuary), and Platres (largest mountain resort where I got married in a tiny church on the grounds of the Forest Park Hotel). 

Within Limassol itself, there are many places to visit: the Sea Sponge Exhibition (free), the Keo Brewery (free), Reptile House (£1.50), Limassol Castle & Medieval Museum (£1.00), Sculpture Park (free), Folk Art Museum (50c) and many art galleries displaying local and international artists' work. 

Limassol's nightlife is quite varied, the basis of which is bars and pubs which stay open till 2am. Friendly pubs (which also show the footy when it's the season!) include the Welcome Inn Irish Bar (also shows hurling and Gaelic football matches), Franx (named after Sinatra), Ocean Bar and the Smugglers Pub. Galatex - in the centre of the tourist "strip" of Limassol (a stretch of road from City Pride down as far as the Welcome Inn Irish Bar) is a small alley filled with 8 different bars all competing for customers - and has become a place for the younger crowd...16-20 year-olds mostly. At 2am, they tend to swarm out onto the streets and head into Basement Disco, although some of the disoriented few stagger the wrong way and end up in Titanic Disco which is next door. A nice club which is huge, is Prime, but it needs lots of people to look busy. The Auld Triangle Disco, (situated under the Step Inn Irish Bar) has 4 different DJs throughout the week playing a nice mix of music (60s-current depending on the night). It's always packed and is a place that the older crowd can feel just as at home, as the younger one. For Latin enthusiasts, Los Amigos in town is quite a busy place - but only really for serious Latin dancers. For other Latin info, click here. There's only one gay nightclub and that's Pieros.

Other nightclubs further out - if you can make it there - are Sesto Sensi, a swish, posh club (the only one to enforce face control), and Privilege, where they hold single events for house/techno/trance and Latin music - check the Events Calendar for details. 

A more unusual place, but very special one is the Golden Beach Bar Restaurant out at Lady's Mile - newly renovated with super lights and a pumping sound system.  It's is a huge place with great food open from the morning till early hours of the morning, if you get my drift. There are games on the beach and sunbeds, exotic cocktails, a resident DJ playing tunes for the summer and live bands scheduled for this summer. 

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SHOPPING

Cyprus is a haven for bargains! Good buys here include glasses (up to 50% cheaper than in the UK!!), leather (jackets and shoes), lacework, jewellery, brandy, wine, and much, much more. The main places to go for shopping can be broken up into 3 sections: Makarios Ave, St. Andrew's Street, and Anexartiseas Street. Makarios Ave (short for Archbishop Makarios III - a former president and leader of the church) is pretty much full of designer wear shops, crystal and porcelain (Lladro), and of course, a Mercedes showroom! Just off Makarios (the corner of New York Sweets), is the Bear Factory - a place where you "make" your bear from scratch, following 5 simple stages. That's a 'must do' if you have kids.

St. Andrew's Street runs parallel to the seafront road, and is in the old town of Limassol. Mostly for tourists, it's full of shops selling trinkets, souvenirs and jewellery, however a lovely shop to visit is Notos Gallery and Art & Craft shop, which has an interesting collection of prints and original art, cards, maps and other small items. St. Andrew's Street is nice for a wander, since it's cobbled and pedestrianised and is also the place to go for leather since many shops sell cheap bags, briefcases and other small items. A little more specialised, but in the same street, is a very nice leather shop called Stratis, a family-run business for several generations now, where I got my jacket made to measure. 

Anexartiseas Street is perhaps my favourite, simply because everything is there at your fingertips: 165 different shops including personal favourites I-Tech Opticians (free eye-testing and glaucoma-testing!) and Precious Metal Gallery (unique cloisonne enamel exhibits on display) and just around the corner, Big Star, Miss Big Star and dare I say it, the Big Star Discount Shop.

One area that doesn't get much of a mention is the tourist area, simply because many of the shops there aren't particularly good value for money. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention Ase Swimwear, since it's the only place I've ever seen in Limassol, at least, that designs and makes swimwear to measure for much the same price you would pay for a ready-made (starting from £35.00). Another gem is Curium Gallery, on Curium roundabout (the big one), where they have a huge selection of prints and cards by local artists from £1.00 and up. Great for souvenirs, since they don't weigh very much and are easy to transport. 

If you're trying to get a real bargain and love sifting through a potential goldmine, then Violet Second Hand Shop is for you....and it's open every morning including Sundays!

Shopping hours chop and change frequently, so I shall endeavour to keep it up to date as they do. For now, the shops are open:

9.00am - 1.00pm/4.00pm - 7.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays and Saturdays, they are open only in the morning and Sundays closed. Having said that, the main supermarkets - Chris Cash 'n Carry, Orphanides and Debenhams (previously Woolworths and Ermes) - to name a few, stay open until 8.30pm or 9pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 2.00pm on Wednesday and 3.00pm on Saturday.

Most of the kiosks and souvenir shops, particularly in the tourist area, stay open longer hours too.

Apart from exciting watersports available from West Watersports, and easy days on a catamaran, there are a lot of other activities you can do whilst on holidays here in Limassol: golf (Vikla Golf & Country Club), Go Karting (Need 4 Speed Karting), horse-riding (Amathus Park Riding Club), ten-pin bowling/arcades & digital theatre rides (Space Bowling), Clay Shooting (Beretta Shooting Club in Monagri) or going to the cinema (K-Cineplex, Rio, Othellos) are just a few of the choices. Kate runs wonderful workshops and classes in her shop Stitches up in Agios Tychonas, and in winter you can go skiing in the mountains up at Troodos! Walking trails are scattered all over the Limassol region, so pick up a Nature Trails leaflet from your local CTO office and check some of them out - February through May is a particularly nice time to see the spring flowers blooming and the trails range between 3kms and 15kms in length. If that's all too much effort for you, since you are on holidays after all, then pop into Marilyn's or Anna's Book Swap shops for some light reading. Books purchased can be re-swapped back at 40% of their original cost. 

Alternatively, you might like to pop into the UKCA (United Kingdom Citizens Association) which has organised activities practically every day including quiz nights, Greek lessons, Bridge, Scottish dancing, Progressive Whist, and a lovely atmosphere in the clubhouse. They produce a monthly magazine which can be picked up from their clubhouse, called "The UKCAtalyst" which makes quite interesting reading! 

Limassol has always been a town that tries to offer more and with the help of the Limassol Municipality, it really does now more than ever. Wonderful theatre, ballet, orchestral and ethnic performances are held in all of its theatres: Pattichion Municipal Theatre (near Pentadromos or 5 Roads), Rialto (in Heroes' Square), Onisilos (open-air theatre on the seafront in Agios Tychonas), Garden Theatre (in the Municipal Gardens) and the Medieval Castle (in the old town of Limassol). Check the Events Calendar for listings - many performances are actually free of charge!!!

As for festivals, well, there are many. There's Carnival in February, the Flower Festival in May (organised by the Germasogeia Municipality), Kataklysmos (The water festival) in June, The Wine Festival in September (organised by the Limassol Municipality) are just a few of the big ones, however many smaller festivals take place in the villages throughout the year. Again, check the Events Calendar for the time when you'll be here to see what's happenin' then!  

Don't forget, there's also the Cyprus Car Rally which will be held 22-24 September this year. It's quite an event!