Yes, Cyprus is one of the easier places in the Mediterranean to backpack on your own: English is widely spoken, signs are bilingual, and the island is small and safe.
Intercity buses link
Larnaca,
Limassol,
Paphos,
Nicosia and
Ayia Napa for about €4 to 5 a ride, with no leg longer than 2 hours. Accommodation is the main cost, since hostels are scarce: expect €20 to 35 for a dorm bed where one exists, and €50 to 80 for a basic double. Crossing into the north at Nicosia’s Ledra Street takes a few minutes with your passport.
Five to seven days lets you see the main sights of Cyprus at a comfortable pace without a car.
Two days covers
Paphos and its mosaics plus a beach day at Coral Bay. Five days adds
Kourion,
Limassol,
Nicosia and a day trip to
Kyrenia in the north. With 8 to 10 days you can add a night in the
Troodos mountains for the painted churches and the Karpas peninsula’s empty beaches. Distances are short (Paphos to Nicosia is about 2 hours by road), so the limit is how many places you want to unpack in.
You can get around Cyprus without a car between the coastal towns and the capital, but the mountains and remote peninsulas are much harder to reach by bus.
Intercity buses run several times a day between
Nicosia,
Limassol,
Larnaca,
Paphos and
Ayia Napa, costing €4 to 5 and taking 45 minutes to 2 hours. Airport shuttles serve both Larnaca and Paphos.
Troodos,
Akamas National Park and the
Karpas peninsula have few or no buses, so a one- or two-day car rental at roughly €25 to 45 a day is the practical fix.
The must-visits in Cyprus are the Roman mosaics of Paphos, the cliff-top ruins of Kourion, the divided old town of Nicosia and the harbor at Kyrenia.
Give
Paphos at least one full day for the
Paphos Archaeological Park and the
Tombs of the Kings.
Kourion is a half day from Limassol. In
Nicosia, spend a day split between the Cyprus Museum and the north side, then take the 30- to 45-minute minibus to
Kyrenia. If you have a car, add the
Painted Churches in the Troodos Region and
Konnos Bay near Cape Greco.
If you are short on time in Cyprus, skip Ayia Napa’s party strip, the fenced-off ghost town of Varosha and extra nights in Larnaca.
Ayia Napa is worth it for Nissi Beach and Cape Greco, but if you only have 3 to 4 days, the beaches near
Paphos are closer to the island’s main sites.
Varosha is a 1-hour trip from Nicosia for a few streets of empty hotels. One night in
Larnaca after landing is plenty.
Lady’s Mile Beach near Limassol can also go, since Kourion Beach is nearer to the ruins.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Cyprus in seconds. Try it out!
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