The six districts of Cyprus, one by one

The six districts of Cyprus are the divisions used by the Republic, the ones recognised by the UN and the EU, and each is named after its main town. If it’s your first time, start with the Cyprus travel guide. For visitors, the districts are mostly useful for knowing which area you’re sleeping in and what’s within reach. Here I go through them one at a time, with CYSTAT’s population figures and what I’d go and see. Where each one sits on the island is clear on the map of Cyprus.

Nicosia, the capital’s district

It’s the most populous, with 369,400 residents at the end of 2024 in the area the government controls, and the most complicated. The city is split by the UN buffer zone, and the northern part of the district, including Morphou, hasn’t been under the government’s effective control since 1974. There’s still plenty to see, from old Nicosia inside the walls to Fikardou, Machairas Monastery and, out west, nine of the ten World Heritage painted churches, which fall in this district. It’s all in Nicosia district.

It has one oddity too. Kato Pyrgos, a Tilliria coast village with 919 residents in 2021, appears in CYSTAT’s census in Nicosia district, though on the map it sits beside Paphos, cut off from the rest of the district.

Limassol and Paphos, the south and west coasts

Limassol is the second district, with 280,300 residents, and its town is the island’s second city and main port. Here you’ll find Kourion, Kolossi Castle, the Krasochoria wine villages and part of the Troodos, with Platres and the tenth painted church at Pelendri. It’s the district that best combines town, beach and mountains.

Paphos has 108,900 residents, and for me it’s the one that packs in the most worth seeing. The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, the Tombs of the Kings, Aphrodite’s Rock, the Akamas and Cedar Valley are all here. I rank them in places to visit in Cyprus.

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What’s left of Famagusta district?

Famagusta town lies in the north, and so does most of the district. What the Republic’s government controls is nine localities in the south-east, Ayia Napa, Paralimni, which includes Protaras, Deryneia, Sotira, Liopetri, Frenaros, Avgorou, Achna and Acheritou, with 58,900 residents between them at the end of 2024. For me it’s the best stretch of sandy beaches on the island, and Cape Greco is here too.

Larnaca and Kyrenia

Larnaca district has 165,500 residents and is mostly under government control. Larnaca Municipality proudly claims 4,000 years of history for the town. The district also takes in the flamingo salt lake, Choirokoitia and the village of Lefkara. Pyla, inside the buffer zone, is singled out by the UN as the one village shared by both communities.

Kyrenia, on the north coast, sits wholly outside government control, so CYSTAT leaves it out. I cover it separately in Kyrenia district and, for the north as a whole, in northern Cyprus.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Paphos and choose by the reviews.

Below the districts, the municipalities

Within each district, local government was reorganised in 2024. The Union of Cyprus Municipalities explains that a reform created new merged municipalities that began working on 1 July 2024. There are now 20 municipalities in the area the government controls, and the Republic keeps another 9 for places in the north, such as Kyrenia, Lapithos and Famagusta itself, which still exist as bodies with temporary offices in the south.

It barely affects visitors, but it explains why addresses sometimes show names like Amathounta or Kourio, which aren’t villages but new municipalities. When booking, what matters is the town or village, not the municipality.

The Troodos, the region that isn’t a district

There’s a seventh area you’ll see in every guidebook that isn’t a district at all. The Troodos mountains often appear as a region of their own, even though they’re split administratively between several districts, mainly Nicosia and Limassol. That’s where the stone villages I like most are, and you’ll find them in the prettiest villages in Cyprus.

One more figure that shows each district’s weight. The House of Representatives allocates its 56 Greek Cypriot seats by district, 21 for Nicosia, 12 for Limassol, 11 for Famagusta, 5 for Larnaca, 4 for Paphos and 3 for Kyrenia. How many people live in each town is in the population of Cyprus. To the west, Paphos district reaches out to Akamas, and to the east, Famagusta district is split between Ayia Napa, Protaras and the north. Within Limassol district, the Krasochoria are the wine-village country. The city of Larnaca is the district capital and the main airport.

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Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Paphos before prices climb.