A weekend in Larnaca, Cyprus
Before I went to Cyrpus, I thought that Larnaca is only about wide beaches and some old chic building. I was surprised to discover there some very good street art pieces, some beaches with an incredible view (and planes surveilling so close to the sand) and a lot of evening bars, with some never-seen cocktails on the tables. What I did in a weekend in Larnaca? Well, let’s remember.
Day one: time to visit the city
The historical centre of Larnaca is not so big. Therefore, a day is more than enough to check all the “touristic” points. First, I entered the doors of Larnaca Medieval Castle: small, but charming, perfect for history lovers. I must admit I am not such a big fan of history, so my visit became better when I saw, from the top of the fortress, the panorama of the Finikoudes beach.
The second visit: The Church of Saint Lazarus, a 9th Greek Church that is one of many symbols of beautiful architecture and culture on the island. I could say that there are some other historical things in town (as Hala Sultan Tekke, Pierides Museum or Archeologicam Museum), but I usually get tired quickly visiting old buildings.
So we headed to Salted Lakes; I heard that flamingoes usually could be admired there. We didn’t find any flamingoes (I read afterwards that they stay in Larnaca between October and March), but the landscape is beautiful even so.
For the evening? A grilled halloumi at any restaurant from the esplanade and a drink in one of the oldest and well known bars in the city: Old Market St. On the streets behind the Medieval Castle, you will find it easily: just follow the music, because after 9 p.m., here is the place to dance.
Day two: to the beach!
When I have over 20 Celsius degrees and some sea & beach landscape, I cannot waste to many hours in search for touristic stuff. Give me a book and I could stay on the beach for hours. I tried the beach on Finikoudes (2 or 3 euros for one sun-bed), but as well the famous McKenzie Beach. Maybe it is not so glamorous as St. Maarten, but the view of the numerous planes surveilling the sea and the beach is pretty much as amazing.
For a complete sea experience, there were two more points to add to our itinerary of a weekend in Larnaca: a visit to the port, where old fisherman where laughing and sipping a coffee after a long day on the boat, and the Larnaca Marina, the big port, filled with yachts. For a romantic experience, book an yacht to take you on the sea at the sunset hour. It’s simply magical!
The bar to write down in the agenda? Head and Tails. Just look at their short movies and see how cocktails could look like. Amazing!
Day three: time to relax
And that is what we do. We wondered the narrow streets of Larnaca and we have discovered a lot of beautiful street art pieces, gardens with orange and lemon trees, little colourful terraces with a lot of cute cats, old houses covered in intoxicating smell of flowers.
The best discoveries of the day: the Larnaca Municipal Art Gallery and Beer Barn Garden – the most relaxed and chill place I have ever been lately. The perfect ending for my weekend in Larnaca.
Photography: dreamingof.net
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