How to get there
The easiest way to get to Cyprus is by plane. If you want to visit Cyprus in August or during another high season, travel companies organize special charter flights. Cyprus has only one airport - it is located in Larnaca. From Larnaca you can get to all other cities on the island by bus and taxi.
Local transport
The most common form of public transport in Cyprus is buses. Intercity services run quite rarely, usually twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. There are no services on Sundays. A trip to any end of the island costs about 2.5 Cypriot pounds.
City buses serve passengers from 6:00 to 19:00, in the summer season longer, sometimes until midnight; the service interval in tourist areas is usually a maximum of 20-30 minutes.
You can also get around the island by minibus. They start running at 5:45 a.m. (until 7:30 p.m. in summer) with an interval of approximately 30 minutes. On Sundays and holidays, the running hours change - from 7:00 to 18:30. Taxis are twice as expensive as buses, but they are convenient because you can set off from any point in the city. When placing an order (you can do this through the hotel administrator or yourself by phone), it is enough to simply say where you will be, and the taxi will come to pick you up. Moreover, this service does not require additional payment.
A trip, for example, from Larnaca to Nicosia costs 1.7 pounds, to Limassol - 2 pounds; from Limassol to Nicosia - 2.2 pounds, to Paphos - 1.8. Moreover, as in your home country, you will have to pay the full cost of the trip regardless of whether you go to the final stop or get off halfway.
There are two fares in Cypriot taxis - daytime and nighttime. The driver turns on the meter not at the moment of receiving the order, but only when you are in the car. You will be charged strictly according to the meter, but if you wish, you can leave a tip. By the way, if you hire a taxi to see the city's sights, tell the driver what exactly you want to see, and immediately agree on the amount of payment to avoid misunderstandings later. The rates are quite high - from 0.22 to 0.32 pounds per kilometer, plus you have to pay 0.8 pounds for getting into the car.
A taxi will take you to any point on the island except Turkish Northern Cyprus. You can stop a taxi on the street or call one through the hotel administrator. You can go into any small shop or restaurant - and they will also help you call a car. By the way, keep in mind that minibuses do not go to airports, so in such cases you will have to order an ordinary taxi, which is several times more expensive.
Limassol itself
Perhaps the most famous resort in Cyprus is Limassol. It stretches along the coast like a strip from west to east for about 15 kilometers. The tourist zone, where almost all hotels are located, begins in the area of the Old Harbour and continues eastward, extending far beyond the city limits of Limassol. Russians, Britons and Germans vacation here in large numbers. The beaches in Limassol are sandy, and the bottom is too. The water is clean, and it is usually about ten steps to reach a decent depth.
There are practically no wild beaches here; the entire coastline is divided into zones, so you won't be able to relax "wild". Wherever you go, an important local man will definitely approach you, offering to pay for beach equipment. A sun lounger and umbrella cost about 2 pounds. Doing without them is practically impossible - it's been tested.
The main inconvenience is that at the height of the season (July - August) all non-hotel beaches in Cyprus are packed to capacity, so sometimes you have to search for a free spot for a long time. On hotel beaches there is usually no such problem - but keep in mind that not all local hotels have their own beaches (see below for hotel information - ed.).
Most of the sites of historical and architectural interest are concentrated in the old part of the city, conditionally bounded by the old port to the west, Gladstonos Street to the north, Archiepiskopou Makariou III Avenue to the east, and the Limassol embankment.
Where, what and for how much to eat
In restaurants and taverns (as catering establishments have been called in Cyprus since the times of Ancient Rome) you can find various offerings: French cuisine, Chinese cuisine, local Greek dishes, and a separate seafood menu. In an inexpensive restaurant in Limassol (for example, La Maison Fleurie; here it is French cuisine) lunch will cost you about 10-15 Cypriot pounds. At the tourist-favorite Blue Island, where tables are recommended to be booked in advance, a good lunch costs about 20-25 pounds. At Lefteris Tavern, where they prepare real Cypriot meze (I will say more about it separately) and generally offer local dishes and wines, lunch costs 25-30 pounds, and at Ladas Tavern, which many call the best fish restaurant in Limassol, - 30-35.
Let us dwell in more detail on Cypriot cuisine: the choice of dishes here is large and our compatriots usually like them.
The most famous dish in Cyprus is meze. It is a rather complex and very appetizing assortment of various local hot and cold appetizers. Meze comes in meat, fish and mixed varieties. Which is tastier - it's hard to say. However, if you are vacationing alone, you are unlikely to be able to try it, since portions are designed for at least two people. Almost all Cypriot establishments prepare meze - and each in their own way. It should be eaten thoughtfully - before you, as if in formation, all the local treats pass by... The average cost of meze is about 15 Cypriot pounds.
Also very popular is souvlaki (something like our shashlik). It is very filling and tasty. A portion costs on average 5-7 pounds. And, of course, there is a lot of wine on the island. Inexpensive house wine costs on average 2 pounds (a bottle), while the price of expensive wine goes up as much as the seller's imagination allows.
What to see
A very beautiful architectural structure, which is worth seeing first in Limassol, is the Bishop's Palace (Bishopric). It is located at the intersection of Eirinis and Enoseos streets. In addition, it is interesting to visit the local Fortress (Limassol Castle). It is located near the old port (Old Harbour). Previously, there were Byzantine fortifications here, and the walls visible today were erected at the beginning of the 14th century under the last Lusignans (these are local kings, descendants of the glorious Guy de Lusignan, crusader and King of Jerusalem). In 1570, the fortress was rebuilt by the Turks who captured the island. After the division of the island in 1974, the exhibits of the Nicosia Medieval Museum were moved to the fortress, whose building ended up in the buffer zone separating the Greek and Turkish parts of the island.
Another place for possible walks is the city park and zoo (Municipal Gardens and Zoo). This is a place for lovers of the exotic and silence. It is in this park that the annual wine festival is held, which all local winemakers attend. There is also a small zoo (open from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:30 to 18:30; entrance ticket costs half a pound, children's - 0.2).
You can visit the KEO winery (KEO Factory). Tours for tourists are free and take place daily except Saturday and Sunday (starting at 10:00). They show wine cellars, workshops, and at the end of the tour, which lasts about an hour, there is naturally a wine tasting (free). If you like a particular variety, they will sell it to you right there.
If Limassol itself gets boring, you can travel. Buses and car rentals have already been mentioned.
As for excursions, they can be booked at the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) - this is a non-profit organization that has opened information centers (Tourist Information Offices) in all cities of Cyprus, which usually work in the first half of the day, except Sunday. In these centers, you can get free maps of Cyprus and all Cypriot resorts; ask questions related to your stay on the island; get information about excursions to any point in Cyprus.
But in the heat, you don't really want to travel back and forth. Still, the main thing our tourists come to Cyprus for is the "sun, sea, and sand." And the service, which is considered better than Turkish (and is priced noticeably higher). That's what you should be prepared for.