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This Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits started as a joke with my partner and turned into an actual 9-day strategy. Here’s the thing, he’s British, so technically I couldn’t avoid the Brits even if I tried. I brought my own. But what we could avoid was Ayia Napa, the beach clubs playing the same six songs on repeat, and the version of Cyprus that feels like a stag-do with better weather.
We flew in for our birthday, landed in Paphos and based ourselves in a Limassol self-catered accomodation with the hope we could find the Cyprus that locals actually live in seeing Limassol’s old town, Paphos’s shipwrecks, Larnaka’s salt flats, the Troodos wine villages, and both sides of Nicosia.
Plan Your Visit
Use this Cyprus guide for travel information, tips, and local recommendations to plan your own trip (or your own escape from Ayia Napa).
 Flight |  Stay |  Do |  Drive |
| Skyscanner | Agoda | GetYourGuide | QEEQ |
TIP: Book your rental car early with QEEQ, especially in August. Prices climb fast and you’ll want the freedom to move around the country at your own pace.
Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits Table of Contents
9-Day Cyprus Itinerary
Base: a Limassol self-catered accommodation, which was central enough to reach every city in this Cyprus guide in under an hour and a half and was perfect for our Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits.
| DAY | WHAT WE DID |
| Day 1 | Mid afternoon arrival in Paphos, collect the car, drive to Limassol (est. 45 min), settle into Sfiggos Premium Apartments, dinner at Asado Kosher, evening stroll along the marina |
| Day 2 | Beach day at Plage du Soleil near Lady’s Mile, seafood dinner at Afxentis Fish Restaurant |
| Day 3 | Glass Majesty semi-submarine shipwreck cruise,Tombs of the Kings, Paphos Castle, rescue puppy yoga, sunset at Oniro overlooking the wreck |
| Day 4 | Larnaka brunch at Mingle Cafe and Old Town stroll, Salt Lake Viewpoint, dinner at Leila for Georgian khinkali |
| Day 5 | Cypriot baking class with a local family near Troodos, Zambartas Wineries tasting, Kaledonia Falls walk with an evening wander of Omodos village |
| Day 6 | Beach day at Pissouri Beach, stop at Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s Rock), dinner at Taverna Agios Epiktitos in the Limassol hills |
| Day 7 | Beach day at Kourion, spa afternoon (facials + massages), rooftop wine night with leftover olive pies and ladyfingers, dinner at Η ΘΡΑΚΑ for gyros |
| Day 8 | Nicosia both sides. Giagia Victoria for breakfast, crossing at Ledra Palace into North Nicosia for Büyük Han, Selimiye Mosque, the old bazaar and Kumda Kahve. Ending with a meze dinner at Forsos Tavern |
| Day 9 | Ayia Mavri Winery, lunch and a waterfall stop in Omodos, drive to Paphos (est. 35 min), before flying out in the evening. |
TIP: Every stop on this Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits itinerary is a 20–90 minute drive from Limassol, in the opposite direction from the Brits-on-tour crowd.
Limassol: Your Base
Limassol acted as our base during this trip. It’s central to Paphos, Larnaka, Troodos, and Nicosia, and it has enough of its own old town charm and coastline that you never feel like you’re just “staying somewhere to get somewhere else.”
We stayed in a Limassol self-catered accommodation Sfiggos Premium Apartments which had a rooftop pool and parking spot for each unit which was perfect as we did rent a car for our trip. In Limassol, we turned Clock Cafe (the Naafi location) into an actual morning ritual for our coffee stop. Very quickly, the kind baristas remembered our order and made us feel like semi-locals instead of tourists. My go-to order was a freddocino with coconut milk and their barista-recommended pizza pastry is worth ordering with it.
Book your accommodation too using Agoda.
Where we ate in Limassol:
| Asado Kosher | Our first-night dinner in the center of Old Limassol. It’s popular with locals, and you don’t need to leave the city center for it. Order the asado plate and roasted chicken plate to shar which comes with all the authentic meze sides. |
| Afxentis Fish Restaurant | The seafood spot in Limassol. The sides that come with your main are a full meal on its own, so pace yourself. I drooled over the grilled octopus which is lightly charred with simple quality ingredient seasoning. If they bring the complimentary dessert, say yes! |
| Taverna Agios Epiktitos | Up in the Limassol hills, a local-recommended village taverna with a 22-item traditional meze (starters, grilled and cooked dishes, dessert). They let you repeat favorites and take home what you can’t finish. Skip the bread so you have room. Vegan, vegetarian, and no-pork meze options are available. |
| Η ΘΡΑΚΑ (γεύσεις Ελλάδος) | No-frills spot but popular with locals, and known for a charcoal-grilled pork gyro. Ask for extra tzatziki if you like it saucy. |
| Leila | Not Cypriot cuisine, but rather Georgian food with ingredients that are flown in directly from Georgia, including a wine you can’t find anywhere outside the country. You’re greeted with a welcome drink, and all three khinkali options are worth ordering. |
| Zorbas Bakery (Φούρνος ΖΟΡΠΑΣ) | A 24-hour bakery, deli, and grocery hybrid found island-wide that has a cult following by Cyprians. Worth seeking out one of the larger locations for the fullest selection. |
Beach day near Limassol:
Plage du Soleil, right by Lady’s Mile, is the relaxed beach-club version of a Limassol beach day. Book sunbeds ahead, don’t over-order as portions are large. I’d suggest the sushi and mini fruit platter, which is the right amount for two.
Paphos: Ruins, Shipwrecks & Rescue Puppies
Paphos is where the history and active day of this Cyprus guide lives, about 50 minutes from Limassol, and worth the full day.
Cover the Roman mosaics, ancient tombs, and harbor-front castle in a single, walkable afternoon by stopping by at these historic locations in Paphos:
This Coastal Treasures From Mosaics to Sea Caves Tour covers all the above mentioned sites in an easy half day experience or you can purchase individually at each entrance.
Glass Majesty shipwreck cruise
This cruise ruined every future boat trip for me, and I say that as a compliment. It’s a glass-bottom boat in Paphos Harbour, and the 2-hour cruise includes a rooftop sun deck, a stop over the Vera-K shipwreck straight through the glass floor, a slide (the actual reason I booked this as a birthday surprise), and unlimited beer, soft drinks, water, and watermelon. The crew treated it like an experience, not a tour and my partner swam back for a watermelon slice faster than I’ve ever seen him move, which felt fitting since it was his birthday too.
Rescue puppy yoga
This was the wildcard booking of the trip. I went in skeptical as I had a bad puppy yoga experience in Manchester which left me with low expectations but this one was on an outdoor rooftop, zero smell, zero chaos, and the rescue pups (most headed for adoption in the UK) looked genuinely well cared for rather than paraded around for content. The yoga itself was easy and relaxing regardless of skill level.
If yoga’s not your thing, the same operator runs
Book the rescue puppy experience on GetYourGuide
End the day at Oniro, grab a spot right by the shipwreck to get the best views of the water and boat. If you want to visit Oniro – Paphos, book ahead, since it gets busy and walk-ups are harder to secure a spot during the summer peak season, but even without a reservation it’s worth heading in that direction for the sunset alone.
Larnaka: Salt Flats & A Very Good Pig
Larnaka is about an hour from Limassol, and it’s the easiest half-day add-on in this whole Cyprus guide with brunch, an Old Town stroll, and the Salt Lake that is all within a short drive of each other.
We started with brunch at Mingle Cafe lured by other blogger recommendations and despite their coffee machine not working, their Lava brunch, Greek Strapatsada and sunshine bowl saved the game. So good!
With full tummies we wandered the Old Town and beach coast, then headed to the Salt Lake Viewpoint, which turned out to be the easiest spot for parking if you want to walk the flats yourself. If you visit outside of summer, you’ll have a real shot at spotting flamingos. We went in August and saw none, but we did meet Rooney, a pig who was reportedly abandoned here and has since been fully adopted by the neighborhood. Locals bring him food and keep water jugs nearby for him. It’s a small, unexpectedly sweet detour if you haven’t seen salt flats like my partner or if you’re the kind of traveler who remembers a friendly stray more than a monument like me.
Larnaka is easy to pair with a Limassol dinner on the way back. We drove back for Georgian food at Leila, but there’s no reason you couldn’t build a full evening around Larnaka’s Old Town instead if you want to stay local.
Troodos Mountains: Wine, Villages & A Cypriot Nona
If one region had to justify this entire Cyprus guide, it’s the Troodos foothills that is about 40–50 minutes from Limassol and noticeably cooler than the coast.
Baking with a local family
We spent the morning with Yiota, our “Nona for the day,” and her daughter Konstantina, learning to make olive pies and ladyfingers. Coffee appeared before we’d even sat down. It didn’t feel like a class; it felt like getting adopted by a Cypriot grandmother for an afternoon, seal-of-approval smile included.
Book your own Pano Kivides: Cypriot Baking Class with Local Family Too
Kaledonia Falls
Kaledonia waterfalls are a short 30ish minute shaded waterfall walk near Platres, and a genuinely nice contrast after beach heat.
Omodos
Wander the village of Omodos and its monastery afterward with cute outdoor bars to enjoy local wine and hangs with the village locals. Eat at To Katoi or The Black Geese.
The food at To Katoi was really good, but our experience was uncomfortable. Staff members hovered near our table the whole time, waiting to pick up our plates. One time it was under 6 seconds after we finished eating. We arrived an hour before closing, so this felt unwarranted. Worth knowing if you plan to dine for a later lunch or dinner.
Zambartas Wineries
Small-scale, polished, and genuinely excellent. We sat on the Zambartas Wineries terrace and watched the actual harvest happening in real time, grapes being loaded onto trucks by the owner himself. A tasting can run two hours here, which sounds long until you realize everything in Cyprus moves slower, and it’s a good thing. Three tasting options, each with a nibbles platter: Seasonal (€15), Winemaker Selection (€20), and Tasting the Difference (€25). If you are like us, informal winery tastings are often cheap or free.
Ayia Mavri
We returned to Omodos on our final day for a second winery, Ayia Mavri Winery, which is the rustic counterpoint to Zambartas. Ayia Mavri is one of the region’s first small wineries, unpolished, but full of heart. We tried their famous Commandaria, Cyprus’s legendary sweet wine and paid extra for a full glass to drink in their garden, since luggage restrictions meant we couldn’t bring a bottle home.
BOOK IT: Troodos Mountains Villages: All Inclusive Food & Wine Day Tour, £102pp
7–8 hour tour with door-to-door winery visits, tastings and a guided Omodos walk. This tour also includes a full meze lunch with drinks so one of you doesn’t have to stay sober).
Nicosia: Both Sides Of The Last Divided Capital
Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, and you can genuinely walk between both sides of it in an afternoon. It is roughly an hour and 15 drive from Limassol.
Nicosia South Side:
Start with a stroll seeing Ledra Street, the Cyprus Museum and Faneromeni. Grab a bite at Giagia Victoria, a locally recommended breakfast/lunch spot and order both the sweet and savory bougasta with a Cypriot coffee before crossing over, since the north side is genuinely footsteps away.
Crossing:
Bring your passport to cross over. While they won’t stamp it, they will need to see it. We crossed at Ledra Palace and no car is needed for this route, so none of the rental-car insurance headaches of driving into the north. This will give you a real taste of North Cyprus without the long drive to Kyrenia. If you do drive, parking near either checkpoint (Ledras or Ledra Palace) which runs about €3.
If you’re like me and want to hear stories from locals living in this divided city, I’d suggest this Nicosia: Green Line and Buffer Zone Guided Tour.
Nicosia North Side:
Büyük Han, an Ottoman-era caravanserai that later served as a prison during British rule and is now full of small craft shops. Selimiye Mosque, where visitors are asked to cover up if needed. Garments are provided free of charge, which is nice. If you can, time your visit around the call to prayer, which carries over the city at various points in the day. The old bazaar is good for browsing and grabbing Turkish knockoffs, if this is your thing. Once you need a break, head to Kumda Kahve for Salep or a mint lemonade before you cross back.
We ended the day back in the Limassol hills for another local-favorite meze. Even on a Tuesday, Forsos Tavern was packed with families staying long into the night. The courtyard smelled incredible, and the sugar-ball dessert deserved a second portion.
Visit both sides on a bike with this Nicosia Walled City Bike Tour
Why “Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits” Is Basically A Genre In Cyprus
Here’s a fun fact I didn’t know before this trip: you technically can’t fully avoid the Brits in Cyprus, because two chunks of the island are legally British territory. Akrotiri (near Limassol) and Dhekelia (near Larnaca) are UK Sovereign Base Areas. Britain kept them when Cyprus gained independence in 1960, specifically to hold onto military bases there. Akrotiri hosts a Royal Air Force base; Dhekelia includes an army garrison. Together they cover just under 3% of the island.
Google Maps labels them separately from the Republic of Cyprus for exactly that reason, and yes, UK driving rules and UK postal codes genuinely apply inside them. It’s not a map glitch you may see on navigation maps but an actual sovereignty quirk. In these areas, there are even Cypriot villages and farmland living inside.
So when I say this is a Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits, I mean the resort-strip version and Ayia Napa clubbing crowd. Not the actual British sovereign territory, which you’ll drive past whether you like it or not.
Best Local Beaches (Not Ayia Napa)
We wanted beaches locals actually go to, not the ones with a beach club Instagram account. These were the standouts:
- Pissouri Beach – A quiet beach with gorgeous cliffs and roughly 30 minutes from Limassol. 2 sunbeds and umbrella is available for €7.50 in cash. The whippy ice cream truck owner near the parking lot found us an extra sunbed when we were short one.
- Kourion Beach – Local favorite, low-key, a good final beach day before a spa afternoon. When visiting, you can head to Chris Blue Beach for the bathrooms and coin showers.
- Lady’s Mile Big Beach – More beach clubs than it used to have, but still locally recommended. The road is unpaved, so drive slow.
- Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s Rock) – A pebble beach with no sunbeds, but the setting is iconic and people genuinely hunt for heart-shaped rocks here for good luck in love. I found mine within minutes. There’s a small shop across the road for snacks and water.
Sunbeds and an umbrella in most beaches ran us around €7.50 for two, paid with cash or card, which is a fraction of what you’d pay in the resort towns.
Cyprus Map & Final Tips
This handy Cyprus Google Map has every location from this Cyprus Guide To Avoid The Brits pinned with the beaches, wineries, tavernas, and both Nicosia crossings mentioned in this article. Save it to your own Google Maps before you land.
A few last things worth knowing before you go:
- August rates spike fast so book your car and any tours well ahead.
- Most sunbeds and small tastings run on cash, so keep some on hand even if you’re a card-only traveler at home.
- The best meze is almost always in the hills, not on the coast.
- Bring your passport any day you might cross into North Nicosia, even if it’s not the plan going in.
- You genuinely don’t need Ayia Napa to have a great Cyprus trip; Limassol, Paphos, Larnaka, Troodos, and Nicosia cover the whole island in 9 days without it.
Want to discover where else you can visit in Europe?
See my Travel Guide Section for tips and recommendations for other countries like Italy and Malta. Learn how to get there, where to stay, eat and what to do!
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