Christmas in Cyprus, decorated villages and a mild coast

Christmas in Cyprus has two moods, the coastal towns, mild and lit up, and the mountain villages, which the Deputy Ministry of Tourism decorates and fills with things to do. Here’s what’s known about Christmas 2026, the holidays and the weather, from official data. The whole month is in Cyprus in December.

The Christmas villages

For 2026 the Deputy Ministry of Tourism has picked nine Christmas villages, spread across every district, Kakopetria, Kalopanagiotis, Agros, Kyperounta, Fikardou, Lefkara, Lofou, Deryneia and Statos-Agios Fotios. They’ll open on 21 November 2026 and close on 6 January 2027. According to its announcement, there’ll be festive decorations, wooden stalls selling local produce and crafts, craft and wine-and-food workshops, nature activities such as walking and cycling routes, and guided village tours. Each village’s programme is posted on a dedicated ministry website.

A programme with a recent track record

The ministry explains that the villages are chosen under a grant scheme for municipal and community councils on the «Heartland of Legends» route, and that the Christmas villages have run successfully for the past five years. It has also invited applications for a Christmas village at the small theatre of the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on 19 and 20 December 2026.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kakopetria for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Holidays

The Central Bank of Cyprus lists Friday 25 December 2026 as a public holiday, while Boxing Day falls on a Saturday. Then come Friday 1 January 2027, New Year’s Day, and Wednesday 6 January, Epiphany. If you’re travelling over those dates, check opening times beforehand. They’re all in public holidays in Cyprus.

The weather

In December the coast has a 19.2 °C high in Larnaca and 19.6 °C in Paphos, with around ten rainy days, according to the WMO. In the Troodos, Prodromos stays at a 9.3 °C high and a 3.3 °C low. To stay in the mountains, see hotels in the Troodos.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Kakopetria on GetYourGuide.

And snow?

There may be some, but the Cyprus Ski Club puts the start of the ski season in early January. If you want the slopes, see Cyprus in January.

How busy it is

CYSTAT recorded 156,959 arrivals in December 2025, up 18 % on a year earlier, and the UK was a close second to Israel as a source market. One in three came to see friends and relatives. The towns are lively but without summer’s crowds.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Limassol: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Getting there

The flight schedule I’ve read is Hermes’s summer 2026 timetable, which ends in October. For Christmas, check the winter schedule on the Hermes Airports website and book early, as these are high-demand dates; I explain more in flights to Cyprus.

My tip

A couple of nights in one of the chosen mountain villages, midweek if you can, and New Year’s Eve in Nicosia or Limassol. For the rest of the festive calendar, see events in Cyprus.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kakopetria for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.