This island has the most beautiful beaches in the world. Not everyone knows about them.
Jumping into the cold, turquoise water from a rock jutting out from the shore provides a completely different experience than walking on soft, sun-warmed sand and slowly dipping your toes into the foam of the waves. Beaches vary, and choosing the right beach is crucial for many tourists during their vacation. Popular online beach rankings help them with this – with just a few clicks, you can find out which part of the coast is number one and which is only number seven.
With the prospect of a week of long-awaited vacation ahead of us, we don't want to risk unnecessary disappointments – these can still happen to us at breakfast in the hotel or at the bazaar when it turns out that we can't bargain better than a Turkish salesman.
Not only Ayia Napa and PaphosThe pressure to find the best possible beach is somewhat reduced when you have a car at your disposal during your vacation. With the entire island open to you, you can explore an endless number of coves without fear of an even more beautiful one lurking nearby. I especially encourage this freedom of choice in Cyprus – a place designed to be explored on your own, with the help of a rented four-wheeler.
I don't like to choose and judge, so I'm not a huge fan of online rankings and rarely agree with them. However, I couldn't resist the urge to summarize the many months I spent in Cyprus (with seasonal work, visiting friends, and also on an all-inclusive package with the Join UP! Poland travel agency), not to mention the beaches that usually go unmentioned. Because Cyprus isn't just about Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa and Coral Bay in Paphos.
The most beautiful beach in CyprusNissi Beach is the undisputed queen of Cyprus. A must-see, Nissi Beach takes its name from a small island off the coast, connected to the mainland by a long sandy bridge. Thanks to its shallow waters, tourists can walk there in just a few minutes. On a small hill, you can find a momentary respite from the loud music.
Every day for beachgoers on Nissi usually looks similar. The fun lasts from noon until sunset, then in the evening, they move to Ayia Napa's bar scene. Exhausted, they return the next morning to sleep on a sun lounger for at least a few hours after the night's excitement. This cycle repeats until the end of their vacation.
While it sounds like a tourist trap, Nissi is also appreciated by locals and those working on the island during the season. Life simply happens here, albeit a bit chaotic and sometimes tiring. Another advantage is the easy access and the wide range of water sports and attractions – you can try jet skiing, water skiing, windsurfing, and parasailing.
A short stroll along the path winding through prickly pear bushes and agaves is all it takes to escape from Nissi to Landa or Makronissos Beach. Both offer a gentle slope into the sea, golden sand, and crystal-clear waters. Landa is a bit more secluded, as you won't find any restaurants, bars, or rentals here, while the wide Makronissos is a favorite among families with children. Walking further south, where the sand ends and the rocks begin, you'll find a viewpoint, natural pools, and ancient tombs.
It's on these beaches that I've spent most of my days and nights in the past. Evenings are the perfect time to sit on a sun lounger (for which there's a charge during the day) and enjoy a moment without the sun beating down on your skin.
Why even leave Ayia Napa when the most beautiful beaches are right there? But it's worth it, even if only to visit the nearby resort of Protaras, the stunning Sea Caves, and the Cavo Greco viewpoint towering over the area.
First, let's stop at romantic Ammos Kambouri Beach, one of those beaches you won't find on the first page of guidebooks. When I first arrived, I felt like I'd discovered Cyprus's best-kept secret , and I had no intention of revealing it to anyone. This small beach, with its charming gazebo for outdoor weddings, has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to its Blue Flag status. It's still one of those places where you can spend an entire day completely forgetting about the world around you, even though you're still so close to the bustling city center.
All the beaches in Protaras are as beautiful as those in Napa, but the most impressive are the two located on the outskirts, halfway to Cape Cavo Greco. Konnos Beach, surrounded by cliffs and named after a solitary fig tree, and Nissi Beach form Cyprus' holy trinity of beaches, each offering completely different experiences and views.
So where are these fabulous beaches? every tourist will ask on the first morning after landing at Larnaca airport. In Cyprus' third-largest city, you won't find what you get in Napa on arrival. When I hear that friends have booked a week-long stay on the island without leaving Larnaca, I imagine their disappointed faces as they visit central Finikoudes Beach once again.
Neither Finikoudes nor Mackenzie Beach, which stretches beyond the airport, look Instagrammable. They're more like typical urban beaches, with darker sand and a less spectacular coastline. However, they have that elusive element I like to call lifestyle. After all, nothing tastes better than a morning with a cup of iced coffee to go on a nearly deserted beach, a stark beach frequented at this time of day only by local joggers and groups practicing stand-up paddleboard yoga.
The surprising Governor's Beach, Kourion Beach and Lady's Mile Big Beach near LimassolLimassol, contrary to appearances, can be a destination even for discerning beachgoers. While the city's coastline in the "Cypriot Miami" doesn't boast the same authenticity as the beaches in Larnaca, on the outskirts we find three pearls unknown even to well-prepared tourists. And I'm not referring to the strip of sand by the famous Aphrodite's Rock, located halfway between Limassol and Paphos.
A work friend who grew up in Limassol took me to Governor's Beach for the first time. "You'll see, it's one of the most beautiful beaches on the island," he said, and I was skeptical until I first laid eyes on the white cliffs surrounding the cove. It was high noon, and there was almost no one below. Apparently, the British governor, for whom the beach is named, hadn't told anyone about this extraordinary place.
During my two-month stay in Limassol, craving something other than the black, crowded, and sometimes even a bit dirty beaches in the center, I discovered Lady's Mile Beach, located on the grounds of the British military base in Akrotiri—so technically part of the UK. It's the best place for fresh fish and a long, long walk—it's five kilometers from one end to the other. It feels a bit like the end of the world. "This beach is worth visiting if you a) don't like crowds, and b) enjoy shallow, warm seas," reads the first review on TripAdvisor, and I really have nothing more to add.
I prefer Kourion Beach, though. I remember a Polish friend I met in Cyprus complaining that there were no surf spots on the island at all. Boring, just the surface of the water, no waves, not even a straw quivering in the wind. Kourion Beach, however, is different, and I regret that no one has set up a surfboard rental there yet. I was captivated by every splash of foam, wondering if this was still the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coast.
I remember the beaches in Famagusta like a hazy dream – beautiful, bare, and unreal. Just like the city itself, which is now called a "ghost town" thanks to the abandoned Varosia district.
Just a few decades ago, this place looked completely different. Just before the Turkish military occupied this part of the city in 1974, the beach here, nicknamed the "Copacabana of the Mediterranean," was one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, accounting for up to 50 percent of Cyprus's tourism revenue.
In Famagusta, Cyprus's troubled history is felt even more strongly than in divided Nicosia. The open beaches are a place where you can ponder "what if" as you watch the locals play football at sunset.
I feel like I've deliberately omitted Paphos, but I've never been a fan of Coral Bay beach there. I much preferred the bay by the Edro III Shipwreck, which lacks a sandy entrance to the sea.
I've always been most interested in what lies north of the resort, where the desert landscape gives way to the wild, green vegetation of the Akamas Peninsula. I've made it to Latsi Beach, near the town of Polis, but I've never managed to visit Lara, a beach with wild goats and green turtles. The sand, free of shops and sunbeds, offers no shade. The hippie, almost ascetic, atmosphere emanating from the photos has always attracted me, but unfortunately, it's difficult to get there without a 4x4.
I wanted to learn more about it, so I asked my Cypriot friends about their experiences, but they'd never visited either. As you can see, there are enough beaches in Cyprus to last for years, and rushing isn't advisable.
Read also: This is my fourth visit to this European island. This is what surprised me the most. Read also: An oasis forgotten by guidebooks. This region can no longer remain in the shadows.
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