How to get to Cyprus, and the one route to avoid

For most British travellers, getting to Cyprus means a flight and a choice between two airports. That choice matters more than people think, because Larnaca and Paphos sit at opposite ends of the south coast. Here’s how the official figures break down, which airport suits which holiday, and the one cheap-looking option I’d never take. If you want to place the island first, see where is Cyprus.

Larnaca or Paphos

The Republic has two international airports. Larnaca’s airport sits next to the town, about 6 km away measured on OpenStreetMap. Paphos is in the south-west, about 9 km from Paphos itself and handy for Coral Bay and the Akamas. The two are roughly 103 km apart as the crow flies, so landing at the wrong one can add an hour or more to your first day.

CYSTAT’s figures show which one does the heavy lifting. Larnaca had 4,950,802 arrivals in 2025 and Paphos 1,924,520. I go through each terminal and how to get away from it in Larnaca Airport and Paphos Airport.

Which airlines fly from the UK?

Plenty. In the summer 2026 schedule published by Hermes Airports, which runs both airports, Gatwick was the busiest link, with British Airways, easyJet, TUI and Wizz Air to Larnaca and British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI to Paphos, and regional airports from Newcastle to Bournemouth had their own flights. Hermes calls the schedule indicative, so check with the airline. Two facts I can give you with a source. In 2025, CYSTAT counted 1,440,003 visitors from the UK, close to a third of everyone who came. Wizz Air has had a base at Larnaca since 2020 and reached ten million passengers there in September 2025. More on picking a flight in flights to Cyprus.

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

By sea, mostly on a cruise

Sea arrivals are small beer. CYSTAT counted 226,886 in 2025, with 191,964 through Limassol, 30,829 through Larnaca and 4,093 through Paphos. The figures don’t separate cruise passengers from anyone else, but Limassol’s share fits its role as the island’s main port. If you’re seeing Cyprus on a cruise, read Cyprus cruises.

There is a summer ferry from Greece, though. Cyprus’s Shipping Deputy Ministry announced a fifth season of the Limassol-Piraeus passenger link for 2026, from 29 May to 1 September, on the AF Marina, with en-suite cabins, pets allowed in cabins and under-2s travelling free, as reported by Cyprus Shipping News. It’s a summer option, not a year-round line. The details are in ferry to Cyprus.

The route to avoid, entering through the north

This is the expensive mistake. There’s an airport in the north, Ercan, and some deals make it look tempting. Gov.uk is blunt about it. If you enter the Republic through the north, the authorities will consider you to have entered illegally, and you could be fined, refused entry to or exit from the Republic, or prevented from crossing back.

The Spanish foreign ministry gives the same advice to its own citizens, which is to enter and leave only through the area the Republic controls. To visit the north, the sensible route is to land in the south and cross on foot or by car at an official point, all covered in crossing to northern Cyprus.

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

Once you’ve landed

To reach your hotel there are taxis, hire cars and private shuttles, the last linked from the transport ministry’s website. Which suits your trip is in airport transfers in Cyprus. Have your passport ready, as Cyprus is outside Schengen and the EES and stamps it by hand. Everything after that, with no trains and traffic on the left, is in getting around Cyprus. Before you fly, check the Cyprus entry requirements and the time in Cyprus.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Paphos on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

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