Limassol

Limassol is Cyprus's second-largest city and its most important port, with a seaside promenade and vineyards in the hinterland that stretch all the way up to Mount Olympus. A trip to Limassol combines ancient sites like Kourion with a Crusader castle, wine villages and cool hiking trails in the Troodos Mountains.

Location and Landscape

Limassol District lies on the island's south coast. It stretches from Cape Akrotiri, with its salt lake where flamingos gather in winter, up to the slopes of the Troodos Mountains and Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Cyprus. Akrotiri and Episkopi belong to a British military base that, as a Sovereign Base Area, is not part of the Republic. Between the coast and the mountains lie terraces of grapevines, almond trees and carob trees. The Krasochoria, the wine villages, have been a wine-growing region for thousands of years.

Limassol and the Coast

Limassol, called Lemesos in Greek, has changed dramatically in recent years: high-rises and a marina now shape the coastline, and many international companies have set up shop here. The old town with its medieval castle, where Richard the Lionheart is said to have married Berengaria of Navarre in 1191, the area around Agia Napa Cathedral and the Grand Mosque are reminders of the past. The Molos promenade runs along the sea. To the east you'll find beach resorts such as Germasogeia, with its tourist zone and a reservoir in the hinterland, and Agios Athanasios, a residential community on the hillside. Agios Tychonas lies a little farther east, with hotels and the ancient site of Amathous nearby, one of the city-kingdoms of Cyprus.

Sights in Limassol

West of the city lies Kourion, an ancient city on a cliff above the sea, with a Greco-Roman theater, mosaics in the House of Eustolios and the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. Kolossi Castle was a stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller, who ran sugarcane and wine production here. Pissouri is a hillside village with a quiet bay. In the Troodos, Omodos, Lofou and Kakopetria are villages with stone houses and monasteries, and on Mount Olympus there are even ski lifts in winter. Aphrodite's Rock, Petra tou Romiou, lies on the border with Paphos District.

Nature and Active Holidays

In the Troodos, hiking trails lead through black pine forests, such as the Artemis Trail around the summit of Mount Olympus or the Caledonia Trail to a waterfall. Cyclists appreciate the mountain roads, and divers the wrecks and reefs off the coast. The Akrotiri salt lake and the long Lady's Mile beach are close to the city. In the wine village of Omodos you can visit a monastery and wine cellars, and many villages offer agritourism stays in old stone houses.

Food, Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Commandaria, a sweet dessert wine made from dried grapes, is considered one of the oldest named wines in the world and comes from the villages north of Limassol. In the fall the city celebrates a wine festival, and in the spring a big carnival. Halloumi, kleftiko and koupepia, stuffed grape leaves, belong on every table. The airports in Larnaca and Paphos are each about 45 to 60 minutes away. The best time to visit is spring and fall; summer is hot and crowded.