Hotels in Limassol

Limassol: Cyprus's Coastal City Between Two Ancient Kingdoms

Limassol sits on Cyprus's southern coast, roughly equidistant between the ancient city-kingdoms of Kourion to the west and Amathus to the east. With a population of around 240,000, it is Cyprus's second-largest city and its main commercial port. The Limassol Marina, opened in 2014, added 650 berths and a waterfront promenade that anchors the city's modern identity alongside the Limassol Medieval Castle, where Richard I of England married Berengaria of Navarre in 1191.

Visitors come for multiple reasons: beach holidays along the 20-km sandy strip east of the city centre, wine tourism in the Krassochoria villages of the Troodos foothills 30 km inland, and the Limassol Carnival — one of the oldest in the eastern Mediterranean, held each February. The city's Anexartisias Street district functions as the main nightlife and restaurant corridor. Business travellers arrive year-round; Limassol hosts a concentrated cluster of shipping firms and financial services companies.

Practical Tips

• Getting around: The intercity bus to Nicosia takes 1.5 hours; taxis to Larnaca Airport cover 75 km in about 50 minutes.
• Climate: Summers exceed 35 °C; spring and autumn average 22–26 °C and suit walking tours.
• Currency: Euro (EUR) is the official currency since Cyprus joined the Eurozone in 2008.