Where to stay in Cyprus

Paphos, in the west, is a harbour town with the fort on the harbour, the Tombs of the Kings and the Akamas coast to the north. Paphos airport is about 18 km by road from the harbour.

Limassol has the Molos seafront, the port, a long town beach and life all year. It sits between the airports: about 61 km from Paphos airport and about 68 km from Larnaca airport. Larnaca has the shortest transfer on the island, about 6 km from the airport to the Finikoudes seafront, and it is the natural base for Nicosia, about 51 km from the airport.

In the south east, Ayia Napa and Protaras are resort towns built around the beaches, with Fig Tree Bay at Protaras and Cape Greco between the two. Inland, the Troodos villages, Platres, Kakopetria, Omodos and Pedoulas among them, trade the beach for pine forest, walking and cooler nights.

Traffic keeps to the left, and rental cars carry red plates. For the rules of the road, the cameras and the tracks a rental agreement excludes, GetCar's guide Driving in Cyprus: Left-Hand Traffic, Red Plates, Cameras and the Rules Visitors Miss covers the detail.

Paphos is the town with the clearest parking rules. Its zones are charged from 06:00 to midnight, payable in the Pafos Smart Parking app: EUR 1 for 2 hours in the main municipal car parks such as Karavella, Pervola and the Tombs of the Kings, EUR 1 for 3 hours in the secondary car parks and EUR 1 an hour on the street. The small harbour of Kato Paphos is in the free zone, and a card for 24 hours in every zone costs EUR 5.

Limassol Municipality runs 16 long-stay car parks, four of them on the Molos seafront, with 2,016 controlled car spaces in all, but it publishes no prices on its parking page. Larnaca names municipal car parks at Mackenzie and on Tasou Mitsopoulou Avenue; no rules page was found. In Ayia Napa, Protaras and the villages, no official parking source turned up, so a booking with its own space is the safe choice.

Winter changes the mountains. In January 2026 the police restricted the roads from Platres, Karvounas and Prodromos up to Troodos to cars with snow chains or four-wheel drive, so a winter stay in the villages needs a morning check of the police announcements. Taking a rental car across to the north depends on the rental agreement and on insurance: UK government advice says cover bought in the south is often not valid there.

The official sources read for this guide show no national per-person tourist tax on the bill. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism tells self-catering operators that they owe income tax or VAT to the State and, where the council has set one, overnight-stay fees to the local authority. Paphos did so for self-catering bookings from 1 July 2023; its notice gives no rate.

The register is the rule a guest can check. Since the 2020 amendment to the hotels and tourist accommodation law, a whole villa, house or apartment let to visitors must be in the Deputy Ministry of Tourism register, and its registration number must appear in the advert and in all related transactions. Owners and online platforms may not post a unit without a number, so a listing without one is worth a question before paying.

Cyprus is in the EU but not yet a full Schengen member: the Council has not lifted its internal border controls. A Cyprus visa covers Cyprus only, for up to 90 days in any 180, and non-EU passports are still stamped by hand, because the EU Entry/Exit System does not run in Cyprus.

Book the flight and the base together. A Paphos arrival suits a stay in Paphos or the Troodos; a Larnaca arrival suits Larnaca, Ayia Napa, Protaras or Nicosia; Limassol works from either. For a winter week in the mountains, book a place that confirms road access, and plan the mountain days around the police road announcements.

For a longer stay in Paphos with a car, the municipal 30-day parking cards, EUR 25 for the car park zones and EUR 50 for every zone, can be cheaper than paying by the hour.

The harbour, the Tombs of the Kings and the Akamas: Paphos.

A city with life all year, between both airports: Limassol.

The shortest transfer and trips to Nicosia: Larnaca.

Resort beaches in the south east: Ayia Napa for nightlife, Protaras for a quieter family week.

Walking, wineries and cooler nights, car essential: the Troodos villages.