Limassol is the second largest city in Cyprus (after Nicosia), it’s the largest city in a geographic aspect and the largest and most important metropolis ןof the island.

It’s a beautiful city with great resorts, good food, an impressive old-city style and a nice promenade.

Recommended hotel in Limassol

We really liked the hotel Mediterranean beach hotel

It’s a modern and high-class 4-stars hotel (in my opinion it deserves 5 stars).
It has 5 different types of restaurants: a bistro, a local cuisine, Mediterranean restaurant, a sushi restaurant, and a bar.

We tried the sushi restaurant and it was a great evening. The sushi was incredibly good and was served beautifully, all the other dishes that we tried were great, too, and the service was a 5-stars service.
To read more reviews about Mediterranean beach hotel

At the hotel there is an outside pool, and an inside pool. A spa with Jacuzzi, hot sauna, and steam sauna. The entrance to the spa cost 8 euro per person a day.
There is a modern and new gym, it’s not big, but it has all you need.

Every day from 17:00-19:00 it’s happy-hour in the bar, so there are special cocktails and wine in 50% discount. We tried two cocktails that were awesome.
The breakfast is a rich buffet with a big variety of food.

In the pool area there are electronic game machines and a ping-pong table. In the yard there is also a playground for kids. There is also a babysitting service in the hotel and tanning beds in the beach

There is an option to rent a bike for a day, three days, or a week. The bikes are well maintained and it’s nice to travel with them in the city.

Things to do in Limassol

Amathus

An archaeological site of one of the most ancient monarchies of Cyprus. The city was ruined by an earthquake and now there are only remains that were found during archaeological digging. According to mythology the site was built by the king Kinyras.

The entrance to the site costs 2.5 euro
Opening time: in winter 08:00-17:00, in summer 08:00-19:30

You can get there by bike, bus, taxi, or walking .
The distance from the hotel I recommend is 2 km.
From the old city its 11 km

Promenade

The promenade in Limassol is really nice and you can do jogging there or just walk and enjoy the breeze. It’s forbidden to cycle there

The old city

A cool place to hang around. It’s full of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. We ate there at lunch in a restaurant called Noodles House. The food was good.

You can get there by bike, bus, taxi, or walking. The distance from the hotel I recommend is 9 km.

Rent bikes

Near the main road there is a bike trail that is almost all the way from the hotel to the old city. It’s really nice to cycle in Cyprus.

You can rent a bike from the hotel or another way (more convenient in my opinion) is to rent bikes from bike stations that are spread along the way. That way, if you feel tired of cycling you can return the bike to one of the stations and take a bus or taxi back to the hotel.

Limassol castle

The castle is located in the old city. It’s an impressive castle that was built in the middle ages and since then has been renovated a few times since it’s passed several conquests and earthquakes.

Until 1950 the underground room and the first floor were used as a jail. Since 1950 it started to use as a museum. Presented there coins, arts, weapons and more.

From the outside, the castle looks pretty small but from the inside it looks big and there is also a lot to the city/ it also has a nice balcony with a view of Limassol.

Opening hours:
Monday-Saturday 09:00-17:00 Sunday 10:00-13:00.
Entrance cost 4.5 euro.

Zoo

The zoo is not too big but it’s a nice attraction to visit

Entrance cost is 5 euro
Opening hours: in summer 09:00-18:00
In winter 09:00-16:00
Address
Limassol Zoo, Limassol, Cyprus

The Nutcracker house

A great store with many types of nuts, chocolates, dried fruits, and so many more. It’s worth it to enter here to see all the selection. We bought the almonds with honey and the caramel cashew. So addictive ? You can ask to taste a sample before buying.

Address:
Agiou Andreou 141

If you are looking for a nice and cheap vacation, Paphos  in Cyprus, is definitely the place to go to.

There are great resorts there, good restaurants, bars, and many things to do.

During our vacation there we stayed in 4 different hotels. Our favorite was Louis Paphos Breeze . 
We were invited to the Louis Paphos Breeze hotel for five nights, all included (You can about our full experience at the hotel).

One was an apartment hotel Panklitos tourist , one was a basic hotel near the port Pyramos ,and the other was a 4-stars hotel Capital Coast. You can read more about it here

I made a list of the things we enjoyed the most and in the end of the post I added more options about things to do in Paphos, that we didn’t have the chance to try, but looked like they were worth doing.

Things to do in Paphos

Yacht cruise in Paphos

To celebrate Roman’s birthday, I searched for a fun attraction we hadn’t done in Paphos yet, and saw that there are many different cruises there. I looked up companies offering cruises and found Paphos Sea Cruises, which had good reviews and an adult only yacht cruise. Since we’ll soon be parents, I thought this was a good opportunity to enjoy the quiet and go for a relaxing cruise.

The cruise left the port at 10:00, but it’s recommended to get there an hour early and get good seats (The seats aren’t reserved). We got seats on the third floor of the ship and realized afterwards this isn’t recommended for those who suffer from seasickness, or pregnancy. If you have a tendency for sea sickness, you’re better off sitting downstairs, which is what we did after the first stop. We just brought a chair to the side of the yacht where it was shaded and enjoyed the sea breeze. If you want to sit there, there’s no need to come early, unless you want to grab a tanning bed.

The cruise consisted of two stops. At first, we stopped at Coral Bay Beach for an hour and a half with the option of snorkeling, kayaking or just floating with a long sponge noodle floater, and there was also a lunch break with a buffet. Then we continued sailing for another twenty minutes and stopped at the stunning Sea caves, this time for an hour during which we could snorkel, kayak or swim. We also enjoyed a fresh fruit dessert there with watermelon, pineapple and melon, and some cakes.

We returned to the port around 16:00, and Roman and I agreed this was a great attraction. We had a good time and were very pleased with the company’s service.

This particular cruise costs 89 euros and is an “all included” package. The package includes transportation to and from the hotel, a glass of champagne upon arrival, a beach towel, a light breakfast, a fancy yacht with a maximum of 55 people on board, a buffet lunch, and an open bar with alcohol and light drinks.

Adonis Baths

On the third day of our trip, we decided to go and explore Paphos’ villages, starting at Chloraka village and moving on to Tala, where we stumbled upon a sign pointing towards Adonis Baths. We were in Paphos three times before, and had never heard of them until then, so we decided to check it out.

The drive was on a dirt paved road through the mountains. It was a bit rough, but suitable for any type of vehicle (Ours was a small automatic car which barely made the ascents, but it was fine). It’s about a half hour drive on an unpaved road, but it was worth the effort to find this gem in the mountains. There’s a 9 euro entrance free per person, there are two natural pools with waterfalls.

My recommendation is visiting early in the day, in the middle of the week if possible, so it’s less crowded. The water is really cold, so take note. (For example, I only dipped my feet in, but Roman enjoyed swimming in them). There’s also a museum there (We didn’t find it particularly exciting) and a food stand with sandwiches, coffee and more… There’s also a tanning bed area. By the baths is a tavern for anyone looking to have lunch there.

Oniro by the sea restaurant – A restaurant with an amazing view of an abandoned ship and water caves.

I found a recommendation for Oniro by the sea on the Bestip blog. I always do some research looking for recommendations before nay destination we travel to, and I just happened to come across this one. I knew we had to go there as soon as I read it, and it turned out to be one of the best recommendations regarding Paphos.

It’s a great Mediterranean seafood restaurant with a wonderful view. It’s recommended to reserve a table in advance, so you can sit in the first row facing the sea. We didn’t book one, but after we arrived at around 15:00, a table in the first row become available within about 15 minutes.

We ordered two salads – I had a mango, avocado and jumbo shrimp salad and Roman got a ceviche salad with salmon, they were both excellent (At about 12 euros each). We chose to split a main dish, a special dish of linguini with jumbo shrimp – it was absolutely perfect (I can only hope they have it on the menu when you’re there).  Roman had a passionfruit cocktail (About 9 euros for a cocktail) and I had a non-alcoholic cocktail of ginger and almonds (About 6 euros for a non-alcoholic cocktail). The cocktails were of really high quality, we enjoyed them immensely. This restaurant is highly recommended, regardless of the view. View included (For the sea caves and the abandoned ship), I think this is a must when visiting Paphos. You can spend hours just looking out and taking photos of the magnificent sights.

https://youtu.be/R6rH33Jbh1k

Fun Segway tour

We took a Segway tour with   Paphos Segway Tours company.

We were a group of eight and had two super nice guides, Liam and Callum.

After all the group members had arrived, we went outside for an instruction on the Segways.

During the tour, we went through several interesting sites on Paphos, stopping at each one while the guide told us about the place.

We rode along the sea a lot – it was really relaxing and I didn’t want the tour to be end.

The company has longer, special tours for those already experienced with Segways. Maybe next time we’re In Paphos we’ll try one of the advanced tours.

I wrote about the tour in detail in a post about the segway tour.

Wine tastings

About a 30 minutes drive from Paphos center there’s a great winery that offers wine tastings for visitors, Tsangarides winery. From the moment we arrived, we fell absolutely in love with the place. The area is very idyllic and the design itself is very pretty as well. We sat outside and the owner, Angelos, brought 4 kinds of wine for us to try – White, Rosa, red and organic.

In addition to that, he served us some cheese and grapes as well. We chatted a lot and found him to be a really charming and humble person. At one point, a group of Hungarian journalists showed up and he gave them a tour of the winery, which we joined in on.

The winery produces as many as 300,000 bottles a year. It was really interesting learning about the wine making process – we really like drinking wine and touring wineries. If you come as a couple or a small group the tastings are free. A larger group would have to pay 5-euros per person, which is a purely symbolic price.

We enjoyed the winery and meeting Angelos very much. If you like wine I think this is a wonderful experience for those staying in Paphos.

Archaeological site Paphos

Near the harbor there is a big archeological site. It maybe sounds boring to you, but Roman (my husband) and I were surprised for the good. First of all, there was an amazing brewing (we visited in the spring) and it was so beautiful to wander around there and to see all those flowers. Aside from the flowers, the site itself is impressive.

There are ruins and mosaics and you can walk for at least 2 hours there in order to see everything. There is also a castle near the site (outside of it but really close). We had a great time there and the weather was very good, so it was completely great.

An entrance ticket cost 4.5 euro
Opening hours: every day 08:30-17:00

Paphos zoo

A very big and impressive zoo; we were a couple (without kids) and really enjoyed it. There is a big variety of animals, there are special different owls and parrots, there is a small, cute Asian elephant that exactly when we were there, he decided to have some fun and play in his pool with the water. He was funny and sweet.

You will also see lions, tigers, camels, and beautiful giraffes that you can feed for a price.
The animals’ cages are big and spacious and some of the animals can go out from the cage like the turkey and the goat.

There is also a parrots (and owls, as well) show 3 times a day. Without additional payment and we really liked the show. It was amusing and fun and the parrots were really smart and did cool stunts.
In the zoo there is also a big playground, cafeteria, and restaurant,

The average time to spend there is 3 hours.
The show hours are 12:00, 14:30, and 17:00
An entrance ticket for an adult costs 16 euro
Opening hours: every day 09:00-18:00

Indoor local market

A great local experience. If you want to buy unique souvenirs this is definitely the place to visit and it’s worth checking it out even if you don’t plan on buying anything.

There are many shops with souvenirs, bags, wallets, statues, and more, at decent prices. Although it’s not a big market, the selection is pretty big and we saw souvenirs there that we didn’t see in other places.

You can park the car in a parking place (there is a yellow sign on the way that shows you where it is). At the parking there is also a small market with fruits and vegetables (we bought fresh kiwi, mango, and strawberries there that were very good) and from there you can climb the stairs.

In the market there is also a small shack that sells iced coffee and hot coffee for euro and a half.
Opening hours Monday-Saturday 08:00-14:00, on Sunday it’s closed (the shifts are changing but it will be open at the hours I mentioned).
A direction map

Hang out in the port

The port is really nice especially if you want to grab a drink in a lively place in the evening. There are many bar-restaurants in the port with great atmospheres and good music.

Tombs of kings

Underground tombs from the 4th century. Apparently kings are not buried there, but other important people like Alexander the Great, Captain of the Guard. The tombs are impressive and the name of the place attracts many tourists. The area itself looks over the sea. It’s a great place to visit.

Entrance ticket costs 2.5 euro.
Opening hours every day 08:30-17:00
And in the summer 08:30-19:30

Joulietta homemade chocolate store

We are not big chocolate fans, but when we found this homemade chocolate store, we had to try it. There are many flavors and you can even watch how they make the chocolates one by one.

In the summer they also do chocolate workshops. The seller, as well as the owner and chocolates maker, was really nice and she let us try the cherry chocolate which was good.

We decided to take takeaway to our hotel. We chose the cappuccino and caramel flavors and we ate them in the hotel’s bar’s balcony with a coffee 🙂 it was very delicious.

Site
Address
16A Alexandrou Ipsilandi, Shop 1, Paphos8020, Cyprus

Kings Avenue Paphos mall

A big mall with a lot of stores and a food court. There is also a great Japanese restaurant that we really liked. There is also a kids’ playroom and cinema that shows adults and children movies in English.
Opening hours: every day 10:00-20:00; on Sunday it opens at 11:00

Bicycle trip

Along the main road there is a long bicycle trail. It’s very fun to rent bikes and do a bike trip with them or use them as transportation.

Other things to do in Paphos, that we didn’t try, but they looked nice

• Water park– was closed when we were there because it wasn’t the season
• Knights’ Park
• Minigolf
• Bowling
• Karting

And there are other attractions like a fishing tour, jeeps tours, and more. You can book them from your hotel or from agencies. We saw several agencies along the port

The photos that will make you want to visit Tel Aviv, Israel

Beautiful Beaches

Amazing restaurants (with cuisines of all around the world)

Read more about great restaurants in Tel Aviv

Jaffa old City

Local Markets

Read about restaurants in HaCarmel Market

Tel Aviv City

Incredible Graffiti

More Posts about Tel Aviv

We’ve been to Cyprus twice in the last couple of months and altogether we stayed there for three weeks. It sounds like a lot of time, but actually there are many things to do and many places to visit. And we were only in Greek Cyprus.

During our time there we stayed in five different hotels in different cities: Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos.
Part of the time we stayed in apartment hotels that were cheaper and had their own kitchen, in order to save money and also to enjoy from different locations in the city.

And part of the time we stayed in 4 and 5-star hotels.
We rented a car for the entire period we were there and every hotel had a convenient parking space.

Hotels in Cyprus

Hotel in Limassol

The hotel that we loved the most was in Limassol

Mediterranean beach hotel

I also wrote about Mediterranean beach hotel in my post about Limassol.
This is a 4-stars Hotel but definitely deserves 5 stars.
To read more reviews about Mediterranean

It has 5 restaurants with amazing food, the hotel itself is designed beautifully and is very modern, it has good room service, babysitting service, spa (the jacuzzi and sauna area cost about 8 euro per person for a day), gym, heated pool, outdoor pool, video games, grassy area with a playground, a beach next to the hotel, a great bar with happy hour, and a bike rental service.

The hotel is located 9 km from the old town and near the hotel there are restaurants, a bike trail, and a bus station

Paphos Hotels

Capital Coast

Capital Coast  is 4-stars hotel with a lovely outdoor pool area with a bar and table games, good breakfast, a nice bar with happy hour, restaurant, spa area with an indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and the spa itself, minimarket and a bike rental service.
To read more reviews about Capital Coast

The rooms are clean with a big bathroom.
The hotel is near the sea but without a beach (there are many rocks and stones there)

The wifi cost 3 euro a day or 8 euro for 3 days for 2 devices.
There are a few restaurants at a walking distance from the hotel and a big supermarket. If you want to go to the beach, port or to more restaurants, I recommend you rent a car. You can also use the buses and taxies.

The hotel has a free shuttle service from the airport and back (minimum 2 people); you need to book it in advance from this link

Panklitos tourist apartments

Panklitos tourist apartments is great place with apartments, a pool, a small bar with a few tables, and a billiard table. To read more reviews about the apartments

There is also a BBQ grill that you can use. Roman (my husband) cooked lamb ribs and was very happy with it (we bought coals from the kiosk).
We booked a studio apartment with a small kitchen (with a fridge, stove, and stovetop) and a nice balcony.

There isn’t wifi in the rooms; only downstairs, close to the office.
The workers there are really nice and doing their best in order to assist and make your stay there pleasant.
This place is a great option for anyone who is looking for a cheap hotel with a pool and close to the center . 900 m’ from Capital Coast Hotel

Larnaca Hotels

A great apartment Hotel in the best city center location

Elenora apartments

Elenora apartments basic 2-stars apartment hotel without a pool, but it’s clean, nice and its location is awesome. Everything is nearby. To read more reviews about Elenora apartments

The promenade is at 5 minutes by foot. Outside the hotel there are many restaurants, coffee shops, and clothing shops. There is a market and cocktail bars at 10 minutes by foot.

The apartment is very big with a living room, big balcony, big kitchen (with big fridge, stove, stovetop, and microwave). And wifi.
At the reception the employees are really nice.

I recommend to ask for the rear apartment and not the one that faces the main street because the bars there have loud music until late hours.

Golden bay beach hotel

Golden bay beach hotel is a 5-star hotel. Has a restaurant, amazing outdoor pool area, nice bar, varied breakfast, gym, hair salon, heated indoor pool, spa area, beach next to the hotel, bus station outside the hotel.  To read more reviews about Golden bay beach hotel.

They gave us as a gift a basket of fruit and wine in the room 🙂

Some parts of the hotel look old-fashioned like the restaurant, but some parts have been renovated and look very modern like the rooms.

Larnaca is a beautiful city with many local restaurants, good cocktail bars, and nice sites to visit.
I think it is worth visiting the city for two-three days.
It’s also recommended to rent a car to explore the city and its surroundings.

Recommended restaurants in Larnaca

To Sieradiko

To Sieradiko is really great local restaurant. We enjoyed our dinner there. We chose the mezze meal (testing meal of traditional dishes). They serve dish after dish to the table and it was about 14 dishes and the price was very cheap. It cost 11 euro [er person for a lot of really filling and quality food.

We ordered also 2 glasses of wine and for dessert we ordered tea and a creme cake. The service was excellent and every dish was very good. You can also order dishes from the menu and not choose the mezze meal. But I do recommend to try their mezze because it was really delicious.

Peroutsios kabab

A small restaurant on the road that many locals eat lunch there.
If you are in the mood for a filling, cheap meat dish, then this is the place to go to. You can choose the dish on a plate or in pita bread.

A dish of sausages  actually consists of 4 homemade sausages that cost 5 euro. I ate only 2 because I was full already.
I recommend you to also choose a local beer 🙂

Opening hours Monday-Saturday 09:00-21:00 and Sunday 10:00-15:00
Address
17 Louki Akrita, Larnaca

Fiesta cafe

A great option for breakfast or a light lunch. It’s a small restaurant that serves toasts with a lot of toppings and baked potato also with many options for toppings. The owner is a very nice English guy that puts great effort in every dish. I really liked my toasts and also the potato. Everything is fresh and has been cut on the spot and not in advance. The prices are cheap.

Opening hours Monday-Saturday 07:00-21:00 on Sunday it’s closed
Address Lordou Byros 24

Across from Fiesta cafe there is a great place for gyros

It’s one of the best gyros I ate in Cyprus. You can order it in a small or large pita bread or on a plate. It’s served with vegetables, yogurt and French fries. I chose the chicken, and Roman (my husband) ordered the pork. Both were good but I think the chicken was more special and was spiced well. The cost was 5 euro for a small Pita (which is actually pretty big) and 6 euro for a large pita

Alasia cafe restaurant

Along the promenade there is a cozy, homey restaurant Alasia cafe restaurant  with a beautiful view to the beach. If you want a good coffee with pastry, then this is definitely the place for you. They serve a homemade ricotta pastry called Pourekta. It’s so good. And also the coffee was good. We haven’t tried the food but after tasting their pastry I’m sure the food they serve will also be great.

Address: 38 Pigiale Pasa Ave

The point

You can go there for breakfast to try the eggs benedict or pancakes, or you can go there to eat lunch or dinner or to drink a beer. It’s one of the most popular restaurants; it’s packed all the time with locals and tourists. They have a party vibe and it’s a modern place

Opening hours 08:00-01:00.
Address Ermou Square

Recommended bars in Larnaca

Old market

A very modern, high-class cocktails bar. The atmosphere is awesome and the cocktails are really good. They also offer cigars in their menu. So, if you want a whisky with a cigar, you can have that.

Opening hours every day 17:00-02:00. The kitchen is closed at 23:00
Address
51 Kleanthi Kalogera Street

The block

Across from old market there is another great cocktails bar called The block.
Address
Kleanthi Kalogera 53

Art cafe 1900

If you are more of a beer fan, there is Art cafe 1900, a bar that offers a big variety of beers and also good food

Opening hours: every day 18:00-02:00
Address
6, Stasinou Street, Larnaca, Cyprus

Larnaca is a beautiful city with many local restaurants, good cocktails bars, and nice sites to visit.
I think it’s worth visiting the city for two-three days.

Where to stay in Larnaca?

The Radisson Blu is a five star hotel a 10-minute drive from the city center, the beach and the new mall.We got the suite with a panoramic view and as Maya described it: “Wow what a room” ?. The suite has a bedroom, a living room, two toilets, bath, shower, coffee maker, pillow menu and a balcony with panoramic city and sea views.  The hotel has a pool, bar, gym, sauna, cafe, lounge bar, Japanese restaurant,  meat restaurant and Sky Bar.The service is really high standard and in general the hotel itself is excellent. Most of the time we rested at the pool and the rest of the time we booked room service to enjoy the room terrace. Breakfast is great with a variety of cheeses, smoked salmon, pastries, pancakes, eggs of your choice (also eegs benedict), breads, natural orange juice and more…

Things to do in Larnaca

I really recommend to rent a car to explore the city and its surroundings. Even though they drive in the opposite direction there, you get used to it pretty fast.

If you don’t want to rent a car you can travel by bus, and there is also a tourist bus that stops in some of the sites that I will mention.s

Salty Lake

a big, salty lake that the main attraction there is to see the flamingoes (in the autumn)

Hala sultan tekke

A Muslim mosque on the west side of the Salty Lake.
It is also known as the “holy mother”- because they believe that the remains of the step-mother of Muhammad the prophet are buried there.

I think that one of the special things in this place is the cats. When you arrive a lot of cats that come to you. It sounds weird, but there are many friendly cats there that are looking for attention. If you are a cat lover you will enjoy it. If you are recoiled from cats you should be aware of it.

Opening hours 08:30-17:00

Kamares Aqueduct

A lovely place that has a trail all the way to the Salty Lake. We walked there about half an hour, but it’s a 4km tail. So you can walk all the way or just a part of it.

The promenade

A nice promenade. You can wander around there, do some jogging, and also there are many restaurants along it. There is also a castle and a museum there that you can visit.

Day trips outside Larnaca

Cape Greco

A stunning reserve that I really recommend to go for at least three people and even more. You can do easy hiking in nice trails there. There are many trails that you can choose from.

There is a natural bridge there. There is also an area for picnics with a lot of picnic tables and you can just come and enjoy the nature and sit on a bench near the sea. The reserve is located in Ayia Napa.
On the way back from the reserve we were very hungry. We decided to stop in a restaurant in Ayia Napa.

We chose a modern restaurant (many restaurants were closed because it wasn’t the season). But it turned out to be a really good place. We ordered a Greek salad and two types of pasta (one carbonara and one with seafood). The pastas were excellent. I liked the way they were served.

Pano lefkara

A picturesque village known for its lace industry. You will find many lace shops there. In the village there are local restaurants and nice coffee shops. We found a great wine store that has many wines and liquors.
For lunch we ate in Adamos restaurant.

One of the best local restaurants that we ate in. We ordered a dish of fresh mushrooms with lemon and we ate the tastiest moussaka in Cyprus there. For dessert we ordered the carrot cake.

This restaurant is full all the time. I recommend you to reserve a table in advance. We had to wait 15 minutes for a table and it was in the low season.

Our top restaurants and bars in Larnaca

If you are visiting Cyprus and are in the mood to travel, I really recommend you to rent a car and to drive to awesome places. Cyprus is full of nature reserves, which are beautiful villages where you can spend days exploring,

The big advantage of travelling in Cyprus, is that this is a pretty small island, so the distances are short from one place to another. You can reach a lot of places even if you travel only for a few days.

Driving there on the opposite direction can be a little bit intimidating, but you will get used to it pretty fast. If it’s still frightening to you, then you can travel there by taxies or buses.

No matter where you land, if it’s Larnaca, Paphos , Limassol and Nicosia, you can reach every place that I mentioned here in maximum 2.5 hours by car.

Akamas

Located about one hour driving from Paphos.
In the west part of Greece, Cyprus, Akamas is one of the most spectacular landmarks in the island of Cyprus for people who want to see nature.

The reserve is beautiful and there are a lot of walking trails, and also an amazing blue lagoon. The reserve is about 260 kms. You can find there are many types of animals.
The Aphrodite trail is considered to be the most difficult trail there is because it involves an uphill climbing in order to reach the top. But the view from there is so awesome that it is definitely worth it.

There are also easier trails, like to the lagoon.
Another cool option in the reserve is to rent a bagi and to travel with it. So even if you are less in the walking mood, you will have another option there to do.

The entrance is free. In the entrance there is a map that shows the types of trails and distances.
Aphrodite’s trail duration is about 4-6 hours and you can do a longer trajectory if you add the blue lagoon to it.

This reserve is a great place for people who are looking for treks in Cyprus.
If you are hungry after travelling there, you can eat in the restaurant in the entrance. They have a varied menu and reasonable prices

Bridge Tzelefos

Beautiful Venetian bridges located 440 m in Pafos forest. They are located on the way up to Troodos Mountains so it’s worth visiting them on the same day that you are travelling to Troodos Mountains. The bridges are located at an about one hour drive from Limassol to Pafos, and from Larnaca about one hour and a half.

Gefiri tou Tzelefou is the biggest stone bridge that was built in Cyprus.
You can travel between the bridges by car or by foot. In the first bridge there’s an option to climb up the hill to a viewpoint. About 10-15 minutes climbing up by feet.

When we came to the bridges there were many photographers who took pictures of them because there are really beautiful.

Troodos mountains

The largest range of mountains in Cyprus. On the mountains there are many villages, monasteries, churches, of which nine of them and one of the monasteries were announced as a World Heritage Site by the Unesco Organisation.

Troodos Mountains are very popular among tourists and in the winter  there’s a small ski site which has four elevators.
So if you are travelling in winter to Cyprus and want to see snow you can go there.

But Troodos Mountains are worth visiting all year long because they are full of picturesque villages, restaurants, taverns, coffee shops, stalls, and shops. The most famous is the Omodos village. About one million tourists visit it per year. In the village they produce wine and every August they have a festival there. You can visit the Afames monastery and enjoy the best atmosphere in the taverns

You can also visit the Platres village and eat there in a nice restaurant called “Skylight:
Address F825, Pano Platres, Cyprus

Nicosia

If you want to do some shopping or visit a modern city full of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, branded shops, and historical sites, Nicosia is a city worth seeing.

We ate in a very good vegetarian restaurant. We ordered laganne and kish and they were very delicious. The name of the restaurant is Inga’s Veggie Heaven.

Opening hours: Tuesday- Saturday 09:00-17:00
Address: 2 dimonaktos
I recommend this restaurant even if you are not vegetarian.
There are also coffee shops where you can play backgammon

Old city Limassol

In the old city you can visit in an impressive castle and enjoy wandering around in a great place with a unique atmosphere and great coffee shops, restaurants, and bars.

We stayed in a great hotel there called “Mediterranean Hotel Beach”
In order to read more about Limassol visit my post “Vacation in Limassol”.

Lefkara village, Larnaca and natural reserve in Ayia Napa

Lefkara village is a picturesque village that is famous for its lace industry. You will see many lace shops there as well as restaurants and coffee shops.

Cape Greco is an amazing natural reserve that is suitable for easy hiking and picnics, and also just for relaxing and to enter the clear blue water.

The entrance is free.
Larnaca is a harbour city with great cocktail bars, restaurants, and historical sites.
We stayed in an apartment hotel called Elenore Hotel, which was cheap, clean, and in a great location.
To read more about Lefkara, Larnaca and Cape Greco visit my post “Larnaca things to do”

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write the itinerary we followed for 3 days. Every day was posted originally as a separate post but I merged them all into the first one to make it easier for you to read: part 1

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write the itinerary we followed for 3 days. Every day was posted originally as a separate post but I merged them all into the first one to make it easier for you to read: part 1

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write down the itinerary we followed for 3 days. (Originally I posted every day as a separate post during my trip, but I have merged them all together now to make it easier to follow)

This itinerary is packed with a lot of things to do in each day. If it’s too intense for you, you can split it into more days. We started our days at 08:00 and finished around 01:00 the following night 🙂
So let’s begin…

Tips before traveling to New York City

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in New York City

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in New York City

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in New York City

You can search for places to stay in New York City via Booking.

Day 1

Breakfast at Soho in Balthazar restaurant

Balthazar restaurant is considered as one of the top restaurants for breakfast. The food there is amazing and the service and atmosphere are great. My brother recommended us this place (he works in Manhattan). Roman ordered eggs benedict and we both agreed that it was the best we had ever eaten.

The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicate and creamy. I ordered toast with guacamole, tomato, and eggs which was a great dish but the eggs benedict were my favorite.

Chinatown

After breakfast we continued by foot to Chinatown. When we arrived there we certainly felt like we had arrived to China. We decided to buy bubble tea and to wander around. China town is full of Asian restaurants, shops, and has a great atmosphere. Because we had a very, very long flight (we travelled from India to NYC and it was a 16-hour flight) my neck and back hurt a little so I decided to have a Chinese massage for 15 minutes for my back and head for 10 USD. We saw it while we walked in Chinatown and it sounded like the perfect solution for my pain; and it was. The massage really released my muscles and I felt like a new person. I definitely recommend this break for a massage especially if your back hurts.

The place where I had the massage is called “Foot reflexology & body work”.

Best ramen soup

After two hours of walking, Roman got hungry. We passed near a Ramen restaurant  Bassanova ramen and saw an article in google that says that it’s one of the best places for Ramen soup in Manhattan. So, of course we had to try it.

The waitress recommended us the Ramen with lemon and black pepper. It sounded interesting so we took it and for a starter we ordered a dumplings dish. The dumplings were crispy and really good and the soup was wonderful. It was so delicate in its flavors and the lemon and black pepper added a sour and spicy twist to the taste.

It was so good that we thought about ordering one more soup but we wanted to leave room for the cheesecake.

One of the best cheesecakes in Manhattan

I looked again in google where the best cheesecake in Manhattan is, and I found several options. One of them was close to Chinatown and the reviews about it were amazing so we went there.
We walked to Little Italy and there was the bakery Eileen’s Special Cheesecake

There was a big variety of flavors and everything looked so good. I chose the salted caramel cheesecake and Roman chose the coconut cheesecake, and we ordered two cappuccinos. Both of the cakes were so delicious, they were in the right size (not too small and not too big). It’s definitely one of the best cheesecakes I have eaten.

The salty caramel added to the flavor but the cheesecake itself was so tasty. The price is very reasonable: it cost 3.5 USD for a cake.

9/11 memorial

After the cheesecake we continued by foot to the 9/11 memorial. It was about 30 minutes walking. The monument is so impressive. I think one of the most impressive memorials I have seen.

There is also a memorial museum. The line there was too long so we decided to spend our time watching the monument and to think about what happened in that place. I think that this place is a must to visit. Even if it’s for only a few minutes.

Central Park

From the 9/11 memorial we continued by subway to Central Park. This is the most famous park in Manhattan and it’s so huge. You can spend hours there just sitting and enjoying the park, without even having to do a picnic. You can also rent bikes and travel in the park with them. 

American museum of natural history

After the park we went to the AMNH museum which is a few minutes from where we were. We paid 22 USD per person for a ticket but you can also pay as much as you want. We arrived at the museum around 16:00 and it was closing at 17:30 so we were disappointed we didn’t have enough time to be there, because there are so many things to see.

We tried to check out as much as we could. And of course we didn’t give up on the last floor where the dinosaurs reconstructions. I was very impressed by this museum. No doubt that you can spend half a day there and even more. It is suitable for kids and adults.

Cocktail break at Jacob’s pickles

After the museum we felt that a cocktail would be great so we found a place not too far from where we were (about 20 minutes walking) which was very popular. When we arrived they had a table outside, but after 30 minutes the place was crowded and people were waiting in line for a seat.

We ordered two sangria, four types of pickles (their specialty), and a corn dish. The service was great. Roman really liked the sangria but I thought it was ok, nothing more.
When the waitress asked me about it, I told her that it’s not for my taste and she offered to replace it with another cocktail. She brought me a sour cocktail that was really good.

The pickles were great and also the corn dish. This is a great place for hanging out. Great vibes, tasty food, and good cocktails. The bill was about 65 USD (including the tip).

TIMES SQUARE

We took a subway to Times Square. We walked a little bit there and watched a street show. Because Roman is very tall (1.97m) the moment they looked for volunteers from the crowed they saw Roman and requested him to participate in the show. It was funny 🙂

Dinner at Spotted Pig- in the West Village

We took a subway to the West Village in order to meet my brother at the Spotted Pig restaurant. This restaurant has a Michelin star for its hamburger.

We ordered for starters deviled eggs, ricotta dumplings, and mushrooms on a toast. Everything was so good, but the ricotta dumplings were my favorite. For main dishes we ordered a scallop dish and the hamburger, of course. Both of them were amazing, but the hamburger… Wow! I’m still thinking about it. 😉 The bun was the same size as the burger. The burger had blue cheese and was cooked perfectly. It was an amazing ending for an amazing day.

Day 2

Breakfast at Johny’s Luncheonette

A really good American breakfast at a reasonable price at Johny’s Luncheonette. Considered as one of the best breakfasts in Manhattan. Roman ordered a typical American dish of pancakes with sausages and omelette. I ordered poached eggs with Spanish roasted pepper, Bulgarian cheese, and crunchy pita bread on the side.

We also received free coffee with it. My dish was so good. I really liked the crunchy pita and how the Spanish pepper was cooked; it was a light dish and a great way to start the morning. Roman was also very satisfied with his dish and it was pretty big, even for him. The bill was 16 USD so it’s a really good option for a tasty, fast breakfast.

The High line

After breakfast we continued to a really cool park: its height is 9m’ and it is 1.45-miles long on an old railroad. I really enjoyed the views from there and we took many pictures as well. It’s pretty shadowed, so it’s nice to walk there.

Chelsea market

From the park we continued to Chelsea market. You can go there from the park. This market is amazing! I recommend you to go there when you are hungry (unfortunately we weren’t) because there are so many restaurants that look so good.

There is also a part with cool stalls of souvenirs, jewelries, clothes, and more. There are special things that I didn’t see in other shops. In conclusion, this is a must-see market 🙂

HARLEM

From the market we took a train to Harlem, we still weren’t so hungry, but we planned to take a tour and didn’t want to get hungry during it, so we went to Jimbo’s Hamburger and we ordered a tasty tortilla with shnitzel. The schnitzel was crispy and the tortilla was good

Harlem Tour

After lunch we went to the meeting point of the tour that we had booked in advance. We took the tour of the company Free Tours by Foot. This company offers many tours that look very interesting. We decided to take this tour because we wanted to learn more about this area and also Harlem looks very cool so we wanted to tour there.

The tour was about 3 hours and the guide was funny, fascinating, and with a wide knowledge. He combined music with his explanations which was pretty awesome. The tour is free (based on tips). I’m really glad we chose this tour.

Coffee shop in Harlem – Social Corner

After the tour we wandered around a little bit more and then we decided to sit in a coffee shop-restaurant. We ordered coffee and just sat there and enjoyed the atmosphere of Harlem.

Even if you don’t go on the tour, I highly recommend you to go to Harlem and soak the cool vibes and to check-out the restaurants, bars, and more

COMEDY CELLAR

From Harlem we took the subway to a stand-up show in Comedy Cellar (we booked tickets in advance). We arrived 45 minutes before it started, which was great, because this way we got a really good seats. It’s a pretty small place with about 30 tables.

It’s intimate and fun. In a show there are 6 comedians for about 15 minutes each. The best comedians perform there, like Chris Rock, Louis C. K., and many more. We saw Allan Havey and Judah Friedlander, which were hilarious and actually each one of the comedians was brilliant.

I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a high-class stand-up and it’s a great way to spend your evening; this pleasure cost 12 USD per person and you have to order two items from the menu. We ordered one cocktail and one sandwich each. It was one of the best evenings we had and I really recommend this show if you are a stand-up lover.

Day 3

Breakfast at Johny’s Luncheonette

Johny’s Luncheonettete, The same restaurant as in day 2. A really good American breakfast at reasonable prices. Considered as one of the best breakfasts in Manhattan.

But this time we both ordered poached eggs with Spanish roasted pepper, Bulgarian cheese, and crunchy pita bread on the side. It’s a really good option for a tasty, fast breakfast

Sight-seeing boat tour

After breakfast we took a subway to the South Ferry Station in order to do a sight-seeing tour and to see the Statue of Liberty. Even though we are less into touristic attractions like this, it seems unreasonable to be in NYC and not see the Statue of Liberty, right? 

The tour was about an hour which was the right time in my opinion. It was a really nice experience, although it started to rain really heavily the moment we arrived in front of the Statue of Liberty 😉 but we still had a good time.

Broadway show- The Book of Mormon

After the tour, we took the subway to the Broadway area and we went to the cashier to take out tickets to The Book of Mormon. We booked the tickets in advance and it’s better to do so as soon as possible, because the prices are very expensive.

Especially for the good seats. The cheapest site I found was tickpick and our tickets cost 150 USD per person in the front rows. The show itself was incredible! So funny and so beautiful.

I can’t explain how good the show was. You just have to go to see it. If you are not familiar about the Mormon I recommend to read a little bit about it before going to that show

Coffee and a pastry at Bibble and Sip

After the show we wanted to drink a coffee so we walked to a bakery that looked nice from the outside and it was really good. We ordered two cappuccinos. I ordered a chocolate banana muffin and Roman ordered a brownie. They were fresh and delicious.

Brodway , Wall street

After the coffee shop we went to wander around in Broadway and Wall Street, and the sidewalks

A dinner in Hanjan

After wandering around we went for a dinner with my brother at a Korean gourmet restaurant. We ordered Makgeolli, Korean beer that was of the best drinks I have ever tried.

We ordered a spicy calamari dish with noodles, a seafood pancakes dish, and a long time cook meat. All the dishes were so tasty and surprising in their flavors. It was a modern Korean meal. We sat on the bar and the service was excellent. If you are a Korean food fan, you should go there.