Start at Kourion, the Greco-Roman theatre cut into the cliff above Episkopi Bay, then work east through the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates, Kolossi Castle and the medieval museum inside Limassol Castle. Give an afternoon to Omodos and the Krasochoria wine villages, and end on the Molos, the seafront park running from the old port to the tourist strip.
Cyprus keeps its wine country, its Greco-Roman ruins and its best-preserved medieval castle within half an hour of one seafront. Limassol is the base for all three, and the island's second city rewards a slower visit than the cruise stop it is often taken for.
The Greco-Roman theatre is cut into the cliff so the sea fills the gap behind the stage, and the House of Eustolios keeps its floor mosaics under cover a short walk uphill. Come early: there is almost no shade on the plateau, and summer closing is 19:30.
The 13th-century castle stands on a Byzantine one near the old harbour and now holds the island's medieval collection: pottery, tombstones, Byzantine silver, weapons and coins. Richard the Lionheart is said to have married Berengaria of Navarre here in 1191.
A kilometre of reclaimed seafront with a separated running and cycling track, sculpture, shade and a paved walking strip. It is the one part of the city built for the evening rather than the car, and it links the old port to the tourist strip.
The lanes behind the castle are pedestrianised limestone, and Saripolou Square is where the city drinks: open seating, students, bars that run past midnight. Cocktails sit around €7 to €12 and clubs do not fill until eleven.
Cobbled lanes, a 17th-century monastery and cellars behind stone archways, with 40-odd family wineries in the villages around it. This is the Commandaria country, and Omodos is the practical base for a day of it. You need a car or the EMEL village bus.
One of the island's great religious centres, where Apollo was worshipped as god of the woodlands. The small temple, the baths, the gymnasium and the circular monument survive, and it is quieter than Kourion for a fraction of the ticket.
One of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus, in use until about 300 BC and now spread over the slope in front of Agios Tychonas. The agora, the baths and the acropolis are the parts worth the climb, and the hotels below make it an easy walk.
A compact Crusader keep in the middle of sugar-cane and vine country, once the headquarters of the Knights of St John. The sweet wine they shipped from here is why Commandaria carries the name of their commandery.
Dark sand between low white chalk cliffs, a run of tavernas above it and one of five Limassol district beaches to hold a Blue Flag in 2026. It is the swim to make when the city seafront is busy or the water there looks wrong.
The old port rebuilt as a superyacht marina in 2014, with restaurants, shops and a small beach that also carries a 2026 Blue Flag. Walk in from the castle rather than driving: the marina sits at the western end of the Molos.
Wine, beer and cocktails under one roof, which is rarer here than it sounds.
Wide sand and a eucalyptus park behind it, but not submitted for a 2026 Blue Flag after pollution reports.
The finds from the site, held in Episkopi rather than on the plateau.
A salt lake that takes flamingos in winter, plus the long empty sand of the cape.
Ten days from Tsiknopempti to the grand parade on Archbishop Makarios III Avenue. In 2026 it runs 12 to 22 February.
A flat seafront course, and the one weekend the coast road closes to traffic.
A spring flower parade held the second weekend of May, in the Germasogeia tourist area.
The Flood festival, 50 days after Orthodox Easter. Coastal towns throw water and Limassol does it best.
Also billed as Med-Fest, and the reason July evenings in the centre are loud.
Greek drama and Shakespeare at Kourion, staged in the ancient theatre after dark.
Gravel stages in the hills above the city, 19 to 21 September in 2026.
Nine nights in the Municipal Gardens. The 2026 edition runs 26 September to 4 October.
Cyprus's main gateway, about an hour east. The Limassol Airport Express runs the route at €10 for adults and €5 for children.
The second airport, about an hour and a quarter west, and worth checking when a charter lands here rather than at Larnaca.
EMEL runs the urban network and the village routes, Omodos and Pissouri among them. Live times are in its own app, and a single fare is about €1.50.
Not a dish but the format: twenty or so small plates, ordered for the table and priced per head.
The protected-origin cheese that grills and fries without melting. Order it hot.
Large cuts of lamb or pork turned slowly over charcoal, seasoned with oregano.
Minced pork and onion wrapped in caul fat and grilled until the wrapper disappears.
Fresh vine leaves rolled around pork, rice and herbs, cooked in tomato and lemon.
Pork marinated in red wine and fried with crushed coriander seed and bay.
Smoked pork loin cured in red wine and coriander, usually griddled with halloumi.
Yeasted dough balls fried and soaked in syrup, the standard end to a meze.
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