Cyprus cruises, and how I'd spend a call in Limassol

Plenty of people first see Cyprus from the deck of a ship, on an eastern Mediterranean cruise. If that’s you, you’ll almost certainly dock at Limassol. Here’s what the official figures say about the island’s ports, and what I’d do with a few hours ashore without wasting them on the road. Every other way of arriving is in how to get to Cyprus. To spend as little as possible ashore, see free things to do in Cyprus. If you’d rather stay than just call in, see Limassol hotels.

The ports, by the numbers

CYSTAT counts travellers arriving through each port, though it doesn’t separate cruise passengers from the rest. In 2025, 226,886 people arrived by sea, and 191,964 of them came through Limassol. Larnaca had 30,829 and Paphos 4,093. On those numbers, if your itinerary includes Cyprus, the call will almost always be Limassol.

The monthly figures tell a story too. At Limassol, October 2025 was the busiest month for sea arrivals, at 32,331, followed by April and September. January saw just 1,039. In other words, spring and autumn are the busy seasons for ships, which is exactly when the island is pleasant for walking.

How I’d spend a call in Limassol

The port is about 3 km in a straight line from the centre, according to OpenStreetMap coordinates, so you don’t need an organised excursion to see the best of town. I’d start at the old port, which the Limassol tourism board describes as the historic fishing harbour reborn as one of the city’s liveliest spots. Next door is Limassol Marina, which links up with the centre and the castle. The port terminal also has an information office, which appears in my list of tourist information in Cyprus.

From the old port I’d head up to the castle and the old town, with the shopping streets of Anexartisias and the creative quarter of Saripolou. Perfect for a port call is the free walking trail the tourism board released in September 2026, with twenty stops around the old centre. There’s more in Limassol old town.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Limassol on Expedia and filter by area before price.

The Molos, to finish by the sea

For your last hour before getting back on board, walk the Molos seafront. The municipality commissioned an open-air sculpture park there with over 20 large works, according to the tourism board. It’s flat, faces the sea and leads you back towards the port. I cover it in the Molos promenade.

I’m fond of the tale that Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre here in 1191, which the tourism board tells while conceding nobody knows exactly where. The castle is the place to ponder it.

What I’d skip on a short call

I wouldn’t head for the Troodos or Paphos. On the map the Troodos mountains are around 30 km away and Paphos nearly 60, and by road that eats half your port call on a coach. If your ship stays overnight, or you’ve a full day, then I’d look at Kourion or a Troodos village. My scored ranking for the whole island is in places to visit in Cyprus.

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

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

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