Days 174 to 177: Four Days in Larnaca, Cyprus, with a Day Trip to Ayia Napa

October 29, 2025

Days 174 to 177: Four Days in Larnaca, Cyprus, with a Day Trip to Ayia Napa

I spent four days in Larnaca and on one of these days I took the bus to Ayia Napa for a day trip.

My mood has been good since the weather in Cyprus feels like summer. The temperature was in the low 80F. I learned there are over 300 sunny days in Cyprus throughout the year. Sounds like an island paradise!

I don’t rush when I travel now. I’m not excited to see all the tourist sights in the shortest amount of time. I go see them whenever I feel like and I tend to stay in a place longer. That way, I can spread out my sightseeing trips.

I stayed at Le Mat Hostel, which is a great hostel that’s centrally located. I think it’s the only hostel in town. The people in Le Mat vary in age and it’s not a party hostel or a quiet hostel. I would say it’s a very social hostel, the kind that I like. I ended up extend my initial stay to four nights in total.

There are two major beaches in Larnaca, Mackenzie Beach to the south and Finikoudes Beach that’s right by the town. I didn’t stay long in any of them since I wasn’t in the mood to sunbath. I also walked to the Salt Lake in Larnaca by the airport. I haven’t seen a salt lake before. I know there’s a famous one in Bolivia. The one in Larnaca is impressive nonetheless. I had to tread carefully because I don’t know what’s underneath the salt layer. Certainly, I don’t want to fall in some sinkhole. I also heard that there will be flamingos arriving at the salt lake in a few weeks. Too bad I will not be here.

The water is so clear in Cyprus and the beaches are very nice, though full of people during the day. I caught a sunrise the second day since I woke up early enough.

I also saw an art exhibition at Larnaca Municipal Art Gallery where they have some abstract art from a festival that’s going on right now. And I went to the Holy Church of Saint Lazarus, a 9th century Byzantine stone church that has a gold-plated iconostasis.

At the hostel, I met Jaden and Pat. Jaden is from the US and graduated from college. Pat is from Australia and is currently finishing up his senior year by studying abroad. The three of us grabbed lunch and had a great time chatting about different writers and about US politics.

The highlight in Ayia Napa for me was the Sculpture Open Park. It’s the biggest sculpture park I’ve ever been to. There must be a couple hundred sculptures on the hill. Never did I expect to see something like this in a small town in Cyprus.

In terms of food, I tried mousakka, halloumi cheese, dolmades, halva, and some Cyprus candy delights. Mousakka is similar to Shepard’s Pie but has eggplants inside. Halloumi cheese tastes more like tofu than cheese. Dolmades are rice and meat wrapped in grape leaves, halva is made from sesame seeds and is like a dessert/candy. I bought a box of Cyprus candy delights that are soft gummy candies coated in powdered sugar. They are definitely better than the usual gummy bears.

One thing I don’t like about Cyprus is that the public transit function on Google Maps doesn’t work. I had to ask people which bus I need to take when I first arrived at the airport. The taxi drivers were charging €25 when the bus was €2.40. Also the cars drive on the left side of the road since Cyprus was a British colony. Something I didn’t know about before I came here.

In this part of the world, people tend to sleep in late, eat late, and go to bed late. My sleeping habit and routine is the opposite. I’m not sure if I’ll get use to the Mediterranean routine.

Also I’ve been bitten by many mosquitoes due to the warm weather. I guess I have to get use to that. I’ll be going to Nicosia today via bus. It’s the latest divided capital. South of the border is the Greek side and the north is the Turkish side. It’ll be interesting to visit.

I will be in Cyprus until November 8 so I have plenty of time to visit more places. I will go to Jordan after Cyprus and start my Middle East backpacking tour.