Larnaca is a wonderful destination for a trip. Amazing beaches, restaurants, cafes and bars, churches and archeological sites, salt lakes, and comfortable weather throughout the year.
A few things you should know about Larnaca before you arrive.
Larnaca International Airport is right inside the city. You can take a bus from the airport to the hotel areas in 20 minutes. We wrote about it here.
Cyprus uses type G power sockets, similar to the British. See here.
Not only electricity - the Cypriots also inherited the driving rules from the British colonial administration, so in Cyprus they drive on the left side of the road. Those who have experienced it claim that it is not difficult to get used to it, and there are a few rules that if you memorize them well, you will be fine: always keep to the left lane; Left turns will be short, and right turns will be long; And at the entrance to the square, you must turn left. Usually there will also be direction signs. If you want to rent a car in Cyprus, we recommend looking for a car here.
Driving on the left side affects not only drivers - but also pedestrians. When we cross a road we are used to checking if it is clear quite automatically, but in Cyprus you have to check the other way around. And it's hard to get used to, because when you come to cross you automatically look to the right, and suddenly a car comes from the other side. Be careful!
In general, there are a bit nervous drivers in Larnaca, who drive fast even in narrow alleys.
Larnaca is wonderful, but it doesn't really like pedestrians. The sidewalks, if any, are very narrow. Where there are already sidewalks, trees are planted, or vehicles are parked on them. Many main roads do not have traffic lights for pedestrians at all, and you have to guess whether you can cross or not. If you are walking around with a baby carriage or a suitcase - you should plan your walking route well and be always careful of vehicles.
The airport offers a public transportation app called PAME, but it's one of the worst apps we've come across - mainly because the information is really inaccurate. We found ourselves running to all kinds of bus stops that don't really exist, waiting for imaginary buses. The bus stops are poorly marked - with a tiny sign that you can't see from afar, with the numbers of the lines on it - so that the tourists have no idea if they are even going in the right direction. When looking for a bus to the airport, we initially went to the stop where we got off when we arrived. But it turns out that the bus actually goes to the airport from a completely different route, and in the end we just decided to go to the central station.
In most places there is no problem paying with credit card. Nevertheless, make sure you have some Euro cash in your pocket: if you want to purchase a bus ticket directly from the driver (2 Euro) - it is only possible in cash, preferably the exact amount. We also happened to go to some cafeteria that is not in the city center, and there we also needed cash.
If you are going out for a whole day - check the weather in advance and take suitable clothes with you. We hiked on hot days that turned cool in the afternoon.
There is no difference between "Larnaca" and "Larnaka" - so if you are looking for information on the web, use both spelling forms.
And after all the comments and warnings - Larnaca is a wonderful destination for a vacation and a trip.
Enjoy! 😀
