Ayia Napa beaches, from Agia Thekla to Cape Greco

Ayia Napa is, above all, beaches, and picking the right one makes a big difference to your day. Nissi on a Saturday in August is a world away from a rocky cove in the east first thing in the morning. Here they are in order from west to east, with what each one offers. Everything else about the town is in Ayia Napa.

The western beaches

Starting at the far west, Agia Thekla, on the coast of Sotira, takes its name from the chapel on a rock above it. According to the Visit Famagusta tourism site, it has golden sand and clear, shallow water, is part of the Natura 2000 network and has lifeguards and a restaurant. Close by, the marina has a man-made beach sheltered by a breakwater, calm even in high season.

Heading towards the centre comes Makronissos, formed of several coves and with a Hellenistic and Roman necropolis next door. Then Landa, whose name means calm waters in Cypriot, a sheltered bay of golden sand with lifeguards, a beach bar and a floating wheelchair for getting into the sea. After that is Nissi Beach, the most famous, with its islet joined to the shore by a sand bar.

Between Nissi and the centre lies Vathia Gonia, a natural cove sheltered from the wind, shallow and with accessible sea entry. The region also lists Sandy Bay, with white sand and a gently shelving seabed, quieter than its busy neighbour, and Pernera, on this side of town, off which lies the MUSAN underwater sculpture museum.

The central beaches

East of the fishing harbour begins Pantachou, the longest beach in the area at 1.2 km to Glyki Nero, according to the region, and from it you can walk to the Thalassa Museum, Ayia Napa monastery and the old aqueduct. One end is lively, with bars and restaurants, and the other quieter. Glyki Nero, meaning sweet water, is the final 250 m stretch, 1 km from the centre. Its seabed shelves so gently that you wade a long way before it’s deep, and both here and at Pantachou there are lifeguards from April to October. Limanaki, also golden sand, is the easiest to reach on foot from the centre.

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The eastern coves and the cape

Towards the cape the coast changes. Katsarka, some 1,500 ft from the fishing harbour, about 460 m, is rocky with fine gravel. Ammos tou Kambouri is a small beach framed by rocks, popular for weddings and with an easy dive site, Blue Haze, about 6 m deep. Inside Cape Greco, Limnara, also called Kermia, is a small bay with rock pools at either end.

On the far side of the cape, on the way to Protaras, is Konnos Bay, a sandy cove among pine trees that the region ranks among the finest in Cyprus, and beyond it begin the Protaras beaches.

Blue Flags and facilities

Visit Famagusta says that in 2024 sixteen Ayia Napa beaches were awarded the Blue Flag. The 2026 list wasn’t available to me from an official source, so I don’t say which ones hold it this year. The main beaches have lifeguards, showers, changing rooms, sunbeds and water sports, while the rocky coves have little or nothing.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Ayia Napa and pick one that fits your day.

Getting between beaches

OSEA’s circular route 201 covers the west, with stops at Vathia Gonia, Nissi, Landa, Makronissos and the marina, and route 202 the east, stopping at Ammos tou Kambouri and the Love Bridge. Routes 101 and 102 continue to Cape Greco and Konnos. A daytime trip costs €2. To find somewhere near your favourite beach, see hotels in Ayia Napa, and for those on the sand at Nissi or Makronissos, Cyprus hotels on the beach. For the rest of the coastline, from Limassol to Paphos, there are Cyprus beaches.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Ayia Napa before you arrive rather than at the desk.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Ayia Napa on Booking.com and filter by area before price.