What to buy in Cyprus to take home

If you want to bring home something from Cyprus other than a fridge magnet, three products have official backing and tell the island’s story. Here’s what they are, where I’d buy them and what not to bring back from the north. The traditions behind them feature in things to do in Cyprus.

Lefkara lace

My favourite souvenir. UNESCO added Lefkara lace, lefkaritika, to its intangible heritage list in 2009, noting a tradition that goes back at least to the 14th century. I’d buy it in Lefkara itself, the Larnaca district village split into Pano and Kato Lefkara, which I introduce in the prettiest villages in Cyprus.

Halloumi

The island’s best-known cheese has been an EU protected designation of origin since 2021, with the whole island as its production area, and the regulation cites records of it being made there since 1554. Before packing some, read the section below on bringing food into Great Britain, because the current rules don’t allow it. More facts like this are in facts about Cyprus, and how it’s made and what milk it uses in halloumi cheese. One caveat for British travellers, as gov.uk currently bars personal imports of EU cheese and dairy into Great Britain.

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

Commandaria

UNESCO added Commandaria to its intangible heritage list in 2025, and for me it’s the best bottle to take home from Cyprus. I’m not naming prices or wineries, as I have no official source to cite for them. What it is and how it’s made are in Commandaria wine, and more products with a seal in Cypriot desserts.

More products with an EU seal

Besides halloumi and loukoumi, the EU protects other products that fit in a suitcase. Geroskipou also has koufeta amygdalou, sugared almonds, with a geographical indication since 2012. Agros makes rose-petal preserve, Glyko Triantafyllo Agrou, protected since 2016, and rosewater, Rodostagma Agrou, since 2024. The Pitsilia villages produce three cured meats with PGI status, lountza, hiromeri and loukaniko, and Paphos has its Pafitiko loukaniko. I’d buy each one in its home village, in Geroskipou or Agros. The details of each seal are in Cypriot desserts and Cypriot food.

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

Check before you pack food for home

This is where British travellers need to be careful. Gov.uk’s rules on bringing food into Great Britain, checked on 4 October 2026, say that because of animal disease outbreaks in the EU you currently can’t bring in cheese, milk or other dairy products from EU countries, nor pork, beef, lamb or goat or products made from them, such as sausages. That rules out halloumi and the cured meats above. Sweets and confectionery, such as loukoumi and sugared almonds, are among the foods you can bring from any country, and honey from the EU is allowed. Northern Ireland has its own rules.

Crafts, village by village

The Larnaca tourism board says each village in its district keeps a craft of its own, naming Lefkara and Athienou lace, Livadia basketry, filigree silver, wood carving, pottery, bronze and glass among them. For red-clay pottery, head to Kornos, in Larnaca district. Buying in the workshop has one clear advantage, as you know the piece was made there.

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

What not to bring back from the north

Shopping in the north? Only 260 euros of goods per person can come south, along with a litre of alcohol and 40 cigarettes. Leave the fake designer bags in the shop too, since the Spanish foreign ministry says they’re seized, and gov.uk mentions fines. The checkpoints are covered in crossing to northern Cyprus.

One more figure for your budget, the European Commission puts the standard Cypriot VAT rate at 19%. I’m not giving reference prices, as I have no official source to cite for them, but as a non-EU visitor you can reclaim VAT, as I explain with shop hours in shopping in Cyprus. For loukoumi, with PGI status since 2007, head to Geroskipou, and for red clay pottery, to Kornos.

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