Cyprus: Paphos and Larnaca

Two weeks in southern Cyprus with my daughters: Coral Bay, the Blue Lagoon, Larnaca and Ayia Napa.

Last summer, during the first war with Iran, I was stranded in Cyprus with my daughters for two weeks. I came back with so many recommendations worth sharing.

Let us start with some general tips:

The sockets here are different from those in Israel, so bring a three-pin adapter.

For anyone planning to rent a car: driving is on the left.

The taxi app here is Bolt. We used it with cash payments.

The currency is the euro. During our visit we used cards in many places, but also needed cash, including on buses. Check the payment methods accepted by your transport operator.

On Cyprus Public Transport’s urban routes in Larnaca and Nicosia, the standard fare from 3 August 2026 is €2.70 for a paper cash ticket or €2 using a Motion card’s topped-up e-wallet. Issuing a plastic card costs €5. Night fares differ. Check tickets and fares for the route and operator; a city ticket does not necessarily cover intercity travel.

If you run into a problem, Chabad House is an excellent place to turn to for help.

We reached Cyprus by air from Israel. Before booking, check which flights operate to Larnaca or Paphos on your dates; actual flight times depend on the route and schedule.

The Paphos area:

The resort we had traveled to before getting stranded was Coral Beach Hotel & Resort, and we loved it. You get there on a direct flight to Paphos. It is a little outside Paphos in an area called Coral Bay. It is pleasant and beautiful, with a really enjoyable pool, lawns beside it overlooking the private beach, a breakfast with a huge selection, and activities for children that are neither intrusive nor noisy.

You can choose full board, including all meals, and the dining-room food is good, or just breakfast, as we did. Then you can decide whether to eat in the dining room, at one of the hotel's restaurants, or at a restaurant on the main street, a ten-minute walk from the hotel.

This is the hotel website

The hotel offers standard rooms and suites. Facilities include a main swimming pool, a children's pool, an activity pool with water slides, a children's activity area, a gym, a sauna, tennis courts and more.

Do not miss a trip to the Blue Lagoon.

What an amazing place. I am not even sure the photos convey the color of the water, so do not miss it. It is pure magic.

There are two ways to reach the Blue Lagoon in the Paphos area:

The first, if you have a car, is to enter Blue Lagoon in Waze, reach the harbor and take a boat trip from there. Boats wait at the harbor. The sailing takes forty minutes, and some boats have glass bottoms and slides.

My daughters and I did not have a car, so we chose an inexpensive excursion, around NIS 100 per person, through the GetYourGuide app. A bus collected us from the hotel, with pickup points at many hotels, and took us to the harbor, where we boarded the boat. It was a beautiful forty-minute sailing. Along the way they pointed out monasteries on the cliffs beside the sea. At the lagoon, the boat anchored for about an hour. They opened a slide and offered drinks and watermelon. Afterwards, the bus took us back to the hotel. It is very convenient if you do not want to rent a car and drive on the left.

For a little more exploring in Cyprus, Larnaca is a ninety-minute drive from Paphos.

The Larnaca area:

The center of Larnaca is around St. Lazarus Church and Finikoudes Beach, the main beach on the promenade.

Of all the apartments we stayed in, I recommend St. Lazaros Lifestyle Apartments: large apartments in a new building at low prices.

The best places for brunch:

Eden's Yard

Onar Larnaca

The nicest place for coffee:

Coffee Corner

The best bakery: Stoartos

An excellent restaurant: Ithaki

Ayia Napa is an hour's drive from Larnaca and a really enjoyable seaside town. Its most beautiful beaches are Nissi and Makronissos.

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