3 days in Cyprus: my itinerary from one base

Three days go a long way in Cyprus as long as you don’t try to see everything. The island is small, but its three faces, ruins, mountains and myth, are spread out. My suggestion is one base, Limassol, and a different outing each day by hire car. It’s the short version of what I lay out in places to visit in Cyprus.

Why base yourself in Limassol?

Geography. Limassol is about 57 km from Paphos and about 60 from Larnaca as the crow flies, and Troodos Square is about 30 km away. No other town puts you as close to the three areas I want you to see. You can also fly into either airport, Larnaca about 56 km away or Paphos about 50, and both are well connected to the UK. Everything the town offers is in Limassol.

Day 1, ruins and a castle

In the morning I’d head for Kourion, about 14 km away, the site with the Graeco-Roman theatre perched above the sea, and stop on the way back at Kolossi Castle, about 9 km from town, the medieval fortress that passed to the Order of St John in 1210. In the afternoon, Limassol’s old town, with its medieval castle, the old port and the Molos promenade as the sun goes down. It’s a gentle first day that doesn’t keep you in the car for hours.

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

Day 2, are the Troodos worth the drive?

For me, very much so. It’s the day that most changes the picture you take home. Drive up to Troodos Square, about 30 km in a straight line though rather more by road, and on to Kakopetria, 5 km from the square. On the edge of the village, Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis is a frescoed World Heritage church that costs nothing to visit. With time to spare, Platres is 4 km from the square. Give it the whole day and drive back to Limassol for the night. To choose what to see up there, see the Troodos Mountains.

Day 3, Aphrodite and Paphos

Head west along the coast. Halfway along is Petra tou Romiou, Aphrodite’s Rock, where the best-known myth has the goddess born. Carry on to Paphos, about 57 km from Limassol, for an afternoon among the Kato Paphos mosaics, which I’d rank with the best anywhere in the Mediterranean, and a stroll round the harbour. If you’re flying home from Paphos, the airport is about 9 km from town.

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

If you fly in and out of Larnaca

If both flights use Larnaca, I’d change day three. Instead of driving to Paphos, head for the Stone Age site of Choirokoitia and lace-making Lefkara, a few minutes apart. Lefkara is about 30 km from Larnaca as the crow flies, so you don’t retrace the coast. You lose Aphrodite’s Rock but gain a third World Heritage site and a beautiful stone village. More in Lefkara.

When to go for three days

For a short break, spring and autumn. The WMO gives April average highs of about 23°C in Larnaca and about 16°C in Prodromos in the Troodos, and 27 to 28°C on the coast in October. July and August work too, but the ruins day is long in temperatures above 30°C, so I’d start very early. In winter the mountain day can bring snow and tricky roads.

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

Without a car, and what I leave out

It’s doable with some tweaks. Towns are linked by intercity bus and there are shuttles from both airports, and Paphos and Limassol are easy on public transport. The one thing I wouldn’t do without a car is the mountains; I’d book an organised day trip, as explained in Cyprus day trips. What I leave out is Nicosia, the east coast around Ayia Napa and Protaras, Larnaca itself and Akamas. They don’t fit into three days without turning the trip into a race; the five-day and one-week itineraries add them.