Limassol

The sea is the main reason most visitors come to Limassol. A long run of city beaches stretches along the seafront east of the centre, from Dasoudi to the hotel strip around Amathus. Most are grey sand or fine shingle, with sunbeds, showers and calm, shallow water, so they are easy to use rather than beautiful. West of the city, Lady's Mile runs for several kilometres beside the Akrotiri peninsula and is quieter.

The better beaches are a short drive away. Governor's Beach sits below white chalk cliffs, Kourion has a long open bay under the ancient city, and Pissouri is a sheltered cove about half an hour west. The water reaches about 27°C in August and stays warm enough to swim from May into November, so the beach season runs far longer than in most of Europe.

Eating in Limassol centres on the meze: a long meal of a dozen or more small dishes, from grilled halloumi, tahini and village sausage to slow-cooked kleftiko and souvla turned over charcoal. The best of it is in family tavernas in the old town, in the suburbs and in the hill villages behind the city, rather than on the seafront, where much of the food is international resort cooking. Fish tavernas near the old port and along the coast serve the day's catch simply grilled.

Limassol is also the centre of Cyprus wine. The vineyard villages on the slopes towards Troodos make indigenous Xynisteri and Maratheftiko, along with Commandaria, a sweet dessert wine with medieval roots. The covered municipal market and the old-town coffee shops, with their thick Cypriot coffee, fill out a scene that is good and distinctive but not deep.

Limassol's own sights are modest and can be seen in a day. The small medieval castle in the old town holds a museum of the island's medieval history, and around it a few streets of stone houses, mosques and Orthodox churches show what was once a mixed Greek and Turkish quarter. The district archaeological museum covers finds from the surrounding sites.

At the eastern edge of the city, the ruins of ancient Amathus spread from the shore up the hillside, with an acropolis and a sunken harbour. Beyond that, the bigger heritage of the area is a drive away. Visitors looking for museums and grand architecture will find the city itself thin.

Going out in Limassol is pleasant and fairly late, without being a reason to come. The liveliest area is the old town around Saripolou Square, where bars fill the lanes and squares on warm nights and people drink outside until the early hours. The seafront and the marina offer smarter cocktail and lounge bars, and in summer beach bars and a few large clubs along the tourist strip keep going past midnight.

The crowd is a mix of locals, a large international resident community and visitors on vacation, and the scene peaks in summer and around the pre-Lenten carnival. It suits a relaxed evening of drinks far better than a serious club weekend.

The Troodos mountains rise behind Limassol, and within about an hour a visitor can be walking under black pine near Mount Olympos, at 1,952m the island's highest point. Marked trails such as the circuit around the summit and the path to the Caledonia waterfall are cool when the coast is hot, and in some winters there is modest skiing on the summit slopes.

Closer in, the Akrotiri peninsula has a salt lake where flamingos gather through winter, and the cliffs at Cape Aspro and Pissouri make good coastal walks. Cycling, diving and wind sports are all available along the coast. The catch is the climate: from June to September the lowlands are too hot for walking, so spring, autumn and winter are the outdoor seasons.

Limassol sits in the middle of the island's south coast, which makes it a good base for a varied list of outings. A short drive west, the ancient city of Kourion stands on a cliff above the sea, with its theatre, mosaics and stadium, and the Crusader tower of Kolossi is on the way. Paphos, about forty-five minutes on, has the UNESCO-listed mosaics of its archaeological park and the Tombs of the Kings.

Inland, the painted Byzantine churches of the Troodos valleys and wine villages such as Omodos make a full day. To the east, the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia and the lace-making village of Lefkara are under an hour, and Nicosia, about an hour away, lets you cross the Green Line and walk both halves of a divided walled capital. A hire car makes most of this far easier.

Limassol works well for a beach-based family vacation. The city beaches shelve gently into calm, warm water, the long seafront promenade is good for scooters and pushchairs, and resort hotels along the coast are set up for children with pools and kids' clubs. A large waterpark lies a short drive west, and the city has a small zoo in its municipal gardens.

Cypriot culture is warm towards children, who are welcome in tavernas late into the evening, and the city feels safe. Beyond the beach there is not much made for children, and the midsummer heat makes sightseeing hard work, so families tend to plan around early mornings and the sea.

Limassol stretches for many kilometres along the coast rather than around a compact centre. The old town, the castle, the old port and the marina sit close together and are pleasant on foot, and the seafront promenade links much of the city for walking and cycling. Local buses run along the coast road between the hotel areas and the centre, and intercity coaches connect to Paphos, Nicosia and Larnaca.

There is no railway anywhere on the island, buses inland are sparse, and most visitors hire a car or rely on taxis to reach beaches outside the city, Kourion or the mountains. Driving is on the left.

Shopping in Limassol is practical rather than a draw. Anexartisias and Makarios Avenue carry the main high-street and fashion chains, the marina has a small cluster of upmarket boutiques, and large malls sit on the edge of the city. In the old town a few workshops and small shops sell ceramics, leather and local design.

The most rewarding things to take home are edible or handmade: halloumi, carob syrup and Commandaria from the municipal market and wine villages, and the embroidered lace and silverwork of Lefkara, a short drive away.

Limassol is one of the more expensive places in Cyprus. Beachfront hotels and the smart areas around the marina charge Western European resort prices in summer, and cocktails and seafront dining follow suit. Costs drop well away from the coast: a meze in a family taverna is generous and fairly priced, buses are cheap, and the archaeological sites charge modest entry. Visiting outside the peak summer months makes a real difference to room prices.

The performing arts in Limassol are small and local. The restored Rialto and Pattihio theatres host Greek-language drama, touring concerts and dance through the cooler months, and summer brings open-air concerts to the seafront and ancient Greek plays staged in the theatre at Kourion, above the sea at sunset. The carnival before Lent fills the streets with parades. There is no opera house or resident orchestra of note, so visitors who care about music and theatre will find little to plan around.

Limassol has no thermal springs or bathing tradition of its own, so wellness means the spas of the large resort hotels along the coast, many of them well equipped with pools, hammam-style steam rooms and treatment menus. The pace helps: long lunches, an evening walk along the promenade and a slow Mediterranean rhythm outside the summer peak. For real quiet, visitors head to the hill villages and the cool pine air of Troodos.