Things to do in Limassol

Limassol sits on the south coast between Paphos and Larnaca. It has no airport of its own: Larnaca is about 65 kilometres away, and Paphos about 60. Tours in Limassol are mostly private, by car.

The seafront and the old port

• Limassol Castle. The medieval fortress where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre in 1191. It is now a museum.
• The Old Port. Fishing boats, with the yacht marina, built in 2014, nearby.
• Molos. A reclaimed park along the shore.

Between two ancient sites

Kolossi Castle, a 15th-century Crusader fortress, stands west of town. It is tied to Commandaria wine. Kourion, further west, keeps a Greco-Roman theatre that still stages concerts, and mosaics in the houses of Eustolios, the Gladiators and Achilles.

Day trips by car

• Troodos. Omodos and its Holy Cross Monastery, the Venetian Bridge and Milomeris waterfall. Walkers can add the Artemis trail, 8 kilometres and flat.
• Wine and food. A smokehouse, jam house, rose factory and chocolate workshop, or a winery tasting of Commandaria and Zivania.
• The west. Aphrodite's Birthplace, then the Blue Lagoon by boat from Latchi. Or Paphos with its Archaeological Park and the Catacombs of St Solomon.
• Nicosia and the north. The city divided by the Green Line, with Larnaca's Salt Lake and Hala Sultan Tekke. Or Famagusta, Salamis and Varosha.

Choosing a format

A taxi with a driver works for four hours without a guide, or eight with one. The price is per car, so four split it. Two driver-guide days price the group, one to four people, not the head.

Practical

• Weather. In July and August expect 33C by day and about 24C at night. January runs 18C by day and 11C at night. Most of the 400 millimetres of yearly rain comes in winter.
• Passport. Nicosia and the north pass a border check. A passport or ID card is needed, and some nationalities need a visa.
• Dress. Monasteries and churches ask for covered shoulders and knees. Sun hat and comfortable shoes suit every route.
• Wine day. The Kourion, Kolossi and Omodos day with a Commandaria tasting is for adults only.
• Trails. The Caledonia waterfall path is steep. The walks are not advised with heart trouble or a fear of steep slopes.