Larnaca: seafront, salt lake and Lefkara

By Talk Cyprus. Published 19 October 2026.

Last verified 19 October 2026

South of the Green Line. Greek: Larnaka. Turkish: Larnaka.

Larnaca (Larnaka) is where many visitors to Cyprus first land. The airport is about five kilometres south of the centre, so it is an easy first or last night, but the town deserves more than that. It has a palm lined seafront, one of the most important churches on the island, a salt lake with flamingos in winter and a mosque on its shore. Inland are a Neolithic village on the UNESCO list and the lace village of Lefkara. For swimming, see our beaches guide.

In town

Finikoudes. The seafront promenade, named after the palm trees (foinikoudes in Greek) that line it for about 600 metres. A sandy town beach runs along it with calm, shallow water, and it is where Larnaca comes to walk in the evening.

Agios Lazaros. A stone church built in the 9th century by the Byzantine emperor Leo VI over the tomb of Saint Lazarus, which you can still see beneath the sanctuary. It was restored in the 17th century and keeps a gilded iconostasis. A Byzantine museum next door holds icons and church silver. Entry to the church is free.

Larnaca fort and Medieval Museum. A small fort by the sea, built to guard the harbour. A chronicler dates it to the Lusignan king James I, between 1382 and 1398, and it took its present form under the Ottomans. The British used it as a prison, with gallows in use until 1948. Three rooms hold finds from the early Christian to the Ottoman periods. Entry was €2.50 when we checked, but check locally that it is open.

Around the town

Larnaca salt lake. A group of four lakes on the edge of town, the largest about 2.2 square kilometres. It is a Ramsar and Natura 2000 site, and thousands of flamingos usually spend November to March here, though numbers have been falling in recent years and drop in dry winters. A four kilometre nature trail runs to the old Kamares aqueduct.

Hala Sultan Tekke. A mosque on the west bank of the salt lake, built in stages from 1760 and finished in 1817 over the grave of Umm Haram, who is believed to have died here in the 7th century. It is one of the most revered Muslim sites and is still used for worship, so dress modestly. Entry is free.

Kiti church (Panagia Angeloktisti). In the village of Kiti, about five kilometres west of Larnaca. The church holds a rare 6th century mosaic of the Virgin and Child between the archangels Michael and Gabriel. Entry is free.

The Zenobia. A 172 metre ferry that sank on 7 June 1980, just under a mile off Larnaca, with more than a hundred lorries still in her holds. She lies on her side in 17 to 42 metres of water and is a well known wreck dive. Dive centres in town run trips and can tell you which parts suit your qualification.

Pyla (Pile). A village east of Larnaca in the UN buffer zone, next to the British base area at Dhekelia. It is the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live alongside each other, with three churches and a mosque, and UN peacekeepers patrol the area. For crossing points to the north, see border crossing points.

Inland

Choirokoitia. About 32 kilometres from Larnaca, beside the Nicosia to Limassol motorway. A remarkably well preserved Neolithic settlement on a hillside, listed by UNESCO in 1998. Next to it, five round houses have been rebuilt with Neolithic methods and fitted with copies of household objects, which makes the ruins much easier to read. Entry was €2.50 when we checked.

Lefkara. About 43 kilometres from Larnaca and 650 metres above sea level, split into Pano (upper) and Kato (lower) Lefkara. Narrow lanes, stone houses with terracotta roofs and a long tradition of lace and silverwork. Lefkaritika lace was added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2009. Local tradition says Leonardo da Vinci visited in 1481 and took a lace cloth back for Milan cathedral, though this is not proven. The Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmithing shows how the work is done.

Getting there

Larnaca airport is about five kilometres south of the centre. Bus 425 runs into town and on to the Dhekelia hotel area, and a taxi takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Shuttle buses run to Limassol, Nicosia and Ayia Napa. See flights to Cyprus and car hire at Larnaca airport. Choirokoitia and Lefkara are off the A1 towards Limassol and are easiest with a car.

All areas, north and south