How to spend three days in and around Larnaka

Larnaka is one of the bigger cities in Cyprus. The vicinity of the airport and sea makes it a perfect holiday destination. And there is something for everyone. If you want you can stroll all day on the promenade and enjoy beach life, comb through the old Turkish district, enjoy museums, admire flamingos, take a hike or enjoy slow-paced village life.

Here is how we spent three days in and around Larnaka.

Day 1

Walk around the Turkish neighbourhood

On our first day in Larnaka, we decided to take a guided tour through the Turkish district called Skala. But after waiting for about 15 minutes for the tour to start, we realised it was probably not going to happen and we had to make our own tour. 

Skala is a charming neighbourhood with cute architecture. There are a lot of white houses with colourful doors and window shutters, small businesses and local cafes. All that is missing are the Turkish Cypriots who moved out during the Turkish occupation of the north in 1974. When before 1974, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots lived happily together then now you can find Turks in the north and Greeks in the south part of Cyprus only. 

Skala is perfect for anyone curious about local life. So if you want to see how laundry is drying on balconies or which plants locals grow in the pots in front of their houses, then it’s something for you. We also found a cute shop that sold all kinds of copper things: little boxes, bracelets, statues and tableware. So, enjoy the work of local craftsmen in this dim shop and, if you like, buy a souvenir.

Check out the golden interior of Agios Lazaros church

Our path led us to one of the most important sights in Larnaka, Agios Lazaros. This church is a great example of Byzantine architecture with a somewhat more modern bell tower. Ottomans destroyed the original bell tower in the 17th century. 

When we stepped in, the interior of the church left us speechless. Everything was golden, and the church walls were covered with icons. It was really beautiful.

We arrived exactly on time for the morning cleanup. A lady was just vacuuming the ruby red carpet, disturbing the holy atmosphere a bit. But that was okay, locals were still stepping in and out, giving a quick kiss to their favourite saint on the icons.

We needed to wear a mask in church, but we also found a sign hanging on the door that said: “Remove the mask when praying to icons.” The saints are probably corona-proof.

Don’t forget to visit the catacombs as well. There you’ll find the remains of St Lazaros and some icons. When the Tomb of Lazaros was discovered, they only found an empty sarcophagus here. Luckily enough, someone dug up human remains under the church altar in 1972, and some believe they were the remains of St Lazarus hidden by priests. Whatever is the truth, the bones are pretty creepy.

Hike around the salt lake near Larnaka and say hello to the flamingos

After the church, we tied our hiking boot laces and got ready for a special bird-watching experience. Turned out there was a salt lake near Larnaka where you can spot flamingos. Also, on the other side of the salt lake, there was an important mosque, one of the pilgrimage destinations for Muslims. Why? Apparently, Muhammad’s aunt fell off the mule and died here.

But onwards to happier topics. When in summertime the salt lake is just a field of salt, then during winter and spring it turns into a flamingo paradise. The pink birds are not coming very close to the shore so make sure to have binoculars or a good camera and whole a lot of patience. Because, instead of showing off the nice curve of their necks, these birds prefer to stick their head straight into the lake bottom. Still, they are beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, in the middle of our flamingo mission, the weather turned, and it started to pour, and we had no place to shelter. So we stood under the tree and got completely wet. I could barely see through my wet glasses, let alone take more pictures. The flamingos didn’t seem to be bothered.

Wet conditions also worsened the hike since some parts of the trail were completely flooded. Finally, the sun came out again just when we reached Kamares Aqueduct. This Roman-style aqueduct ferried water to the town until the 1950s. Now, the city uses this idyllic spot for open-air concerts.

Day 2

Stunning ceramics and a medical museum

On our second day, we decided to enjoy the cultural side of Larnaka, and we started our day at Pierides Archeological Foundation. This museum is perfect for any archaeology or art lover. There are a lot of ceramics that cover different times and styles. The exhibition starts with simple comb ceramic and stretches until typical black figures on orange-yellow vases. You can really see that the Cypriot people did actually have a lot of imagination. The patterns on the vases and dishes are beautiful. In my mind, I was already picking which ones would fit well in our future home. There are a lot of cute bird and human figures, and also a map collection.

After that, we popped into the Kyriazis Medical Museum. This was a place that makes you curious and scared at the same time. It’s fun to read about the weird medical treatments people used in Cyprus but it’s also scary to look at all the instruments. You cannot help but think about the pain while learning about the history of medicine.

Enjoy Lebanese food in Larnaka

The medical museum made us strangely hungry. Luckily, the absolutely best zatar pie and falafel shack is next to Agios Lazaros. For the ones who don’t know, zatar is a wonderful mix of sesame seeds and all kinds of herbs, and it’s great on bread with a dash of olive oil. 

Be aware that this Lebanese bakery Za’tar doesn’t have any indoor seating, so it’s not the best place to eat when it rains. Luckily it was a sunny day when we visited.

Besides tasty food, it was also a great place for people-watching. Surrounded by hotels, you see many lost-looking tourists everything from rich and beautiful Russians dressed in fur coats to Polish families, who looked like they were on their way to harvest potatoes.

Walk on Larnaka’s beach promenade

One of the places that’s always busy, no matter the weather, is the beach promenade. This beautiful stretch along the beach attracts tourists, but also local couples and families. People roller skate, show off their clothes, push baby carriages, and play with their dogs. You cannot be sad here! And if you still feel low, you can stop in a tourist cafe and enjoy a beer.

Warm up with Cyprus coffee

We picked quite a cold day for our beach walk, so cold beer was out of the question. Instead, we went hunting for a cute cafe to warm up. Luckily it didn’t take us long to find Tooges, a cafe just big enough to fit a couple of tables, lots of plants and some good thoughts framed in gold.

Cyprus coffee is small like espresso, but you should be careful. There’s coffee powder in the bottom of the cup, and it’s best not to drink that.

Day 3

More flamingos around Larnaka

We didn’t stay in Larnaka itself. Instead, we had a room in a half-empty hotel in the nearby village of Oroklini. So on the third day, we decided to check out the village and its surroundings.

First, we wanted to see more flamingos. Tom had found out that Oroklini lake was not far from our hotel and the lake had a flamingo watchpoint.

A little walk later, we climbed up a nice birdwatching tower, where we could sit, drink coffee, eat cookies and watch flamingoes. The good thing about the tower was that you could see flamingoes a bit closer. Even though as soon as there were more people on the tower or loud children, the flamingoes moved happily further. 

Hike to the top of the hill near Larnaka

The other thing that we planned to do was to hike up to the Oroklini hilltop. Since Cyprus is known for its Mediterranean sea and lovely beaches, Tom had reached his limit of beaches and craved some nice mountain views. 

For the first half of the hike, we followed a car road until we reached a picnic spot. After that, the hike got wilder and we met much fewer people and motorbikes. It didn’t even feel that we went so much up, but the views from the top were really nice. The weather was sunny and warm, and the hilltop was covered with spring flowers.

After the hike, we sat down in a cafe in Oroklini. Like many villages in Cyprus, Oroklini too has two parts. One is next to the sea with a lot of development, hotels, car rentals, cafes and bars of all sorts. And the second part is the original village away from the sea, but with old buildings, stone fences and a more authentic village atmosphere.

In the end, this hike that you cannot find in a guidebook was one of our favourite things to do around Larnaka.