Travel Guide Larnaka

The third most populous city in Cyprus, after Nicosia and Limassol, Larnaka is a rather quiet seaside resort. Although it has the island's main airport (10 minutes from the center), it is not the main tourist attraction. Here, large hotels and high-rise buildings have not yet disfigured the seafront. The town center retains the feel of a large village, with the low-slung houses of the historic center (Laïki Gitonia) and the old Turkish quarter (Skala), an old medieval fort next to an elegant mosque, a marina and a pretty palm-fringed beach (Finikoudes). Founded in the 13th century BC under the name of Kition, Larnaka prospered thanks to its salt lake, the minerals of the Troodos and its links with the Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians... Under François I, its port became a "ladder to the Levant", a gateway to Ottoman trade. From this past, the city has inherited two interesting archaeological museums, as well as two important pilgrimage sites, one Muslim (the Hala-Sultan tekké), the other Christian (the Agios Lazaros church). Straddling East and West, Larnaka is an ideal introduction to Cypriot culture.