The Best Beaches in Cyprus and the Quiet Coves Nearby
Cyprus has two kinds of beach, and the coast you stay on decides which one you get. The east, around Ayia Napa and Protaras, has the fine pale sand and shallow turquoise water from the postcards. The south and west, from Limassol to the Akamas, is pebbles, white cliffs and wilder water, with fewer sunbeds and more room.
These are the beaches worth planning a day around, grouped by coast so you can string two or three together without crossing the island. Each comes with its catch, and each coast ends with the boat trips that reach the parts you cannot drive to. For where to base yourself, see where to stay in Cyprus.
The east coast, from Ayia Napa to Protaras
This is the sand coast. The beaches run almost without a break from the west of Ayia Napa around Cape Greco to Protaras, and most of them hold a Blue Flag for water quality. They are also the busiest beaches in Cyprus from June to August, so the rule here is simple: swim before 10:00 or after 17:00, and spend the middle of the day in the shade.
Nissi Beach
Nissi is the beach Ayia Napa is famous for, a curve of white sand on the western edge of town with a low islet about 100 meters out. A sandbar joins the two, and depending on the sea you can wade across through clear water that stays shallow most of the way. It holds a Blue Flag.
The catch is the crowd. In July and August it is the busiest beach on the island, and its beach bar runs daytime parties with the music to match. Come early, come late, or come in May or October.
Makronissos
A few minutes west of Nissi, Makronissos is a string of sandy coves with shallow water, lifeguards, showers and a water-sports center, which makes it the easiest beach on this coast with small children. A cluster of ancient rock-cut tombs sits a short walk inland, if anyone needs a break from the sand.
The catch is that it is a resort beach, built up behind with hotels and lined with sunbeds, so it is pleasant rather than wild.
Makronissos Beach on Google Maps
Ammos tou Kambouri
On the eastern edge of Ayia Napa town, before the cliffs of Cape Greco begin, Ammos tou Kambouri is a small sandy cove between rocks, with calm water to snorkel along the edges and a snack bar. It is the one beach in town that has not been turned into a resort.
The catch is size. Once its few rows of sunbeds are taken, there is not much sand left to spread a towel on.
Ammos tou Kambouri on Google Maps
Konnos Bay
Konnos sits in a fold of the cliffs at the Protaras end of Cape Greco, a small cove of sand with water so clear and sheltered that the boats anchored offshore look as if they are floating. It is also where the cliff path to the chapel of Agioi Anargyroi and the trail to the Cyclops Cave begin, so a swim and a walk fit into one morning.
The catch is getting in. Most people park at the top and walk down a steep road, and the cove fills with sunbeds by late morning in summer. Arrive by 09:30.
Fig Tree Bay
Protaras's main beach is named for the old fig tree that still stands on the sand. The water is shallow and calm, a small rocky islet sits close enough offshore to swim to, and the beach runs straight into the center of Protaras, so lunch is never far away. It holds a Blue Flag.
The catch is that the whole of Protaras comes here. In August the towels are edge to edge by 11:00.
The rocks of Cape Greco
Between Konnos and Ayia Napa, the cape's coast is rock rather than sand: flat limestone ledges, natural arches, sea caves and deep, startlingly clear water. People swim from the ledges and jump from the lower rocks around the sea caves, and the inlet known as the Blue Lagoon is the boats' main swim stop.
The catch is comfort. There is no sand, no shade and nothing to buy, and the rock is sharp, so bring water shoes and more water than you think.
Off Pernera, on the Protaras coast, the Museum of Underwater Sculpture has sunk a forest of sculptures about 200 meters out and 8 to 10 meters down, some close enough to the surface for snorkelers. Visits are booked through its partner dive schools.
Boat trips from Ayia Napa and Protaras
The sea caves, the Blue Lagoon and Turtle Cove are best seen from the water. Boats leave Protaras pier and Ayia Napa harbor daily in season.
- The classic three hours. From Protaras along the sea caves to the Blue Lagoon and Turtle Cove, with about half an hour's swim at each, from around €30. Check dates for the Blue Lagoon and sea caves cruise.
- A lazy day with lunch. Five hours from Ayia Napa with the same swim stops and lunch on board, from around €50. See the lazy day cruise from Ayia Napa.
- Sunset on a catamaran. An evening sail with an open bar and buffet, swimming at Turtle Bay and the Blue Lagoon as the light goes. Check dates for the sunset catamaran.
- A private boat. Three and a half hours on a private boat from Protaras, on your own timing. It is priced per boat, so it makes sense for a family or a group. See the private Blue Lagoon boat from Protaras.
The catch with all of them: the Blue Lagoon is shared with every other boat on the same schedule, and the turtles are wild, so a sighting is likely but never certain. Do not touch or feed them. To stay close to the boats and the beaches, compare places to stay in Protaras.
Mackenzie Beach in Larnaca
Mackenzie is the beach you can reach from Larnaca airport in ten minutes, and that is most of its appeal. It is a long strip of darker sand south of the town center, lined with bars and restaurants, with showers, changing rooms and play areas, and it gets busy without reaching east-coast crowds. Planes coming in to land pass low overhead, which some people come specifically to watch.
The beach bars are the other reason to come. ALMAR Seafood Bar is a seaside restaurant and beach bar in one, with sunbeds on the sand and a long seafood menu, from grilled octopus to oysters. Lush Beach Bar is the livelier of the two, with day beds under a timber pergola, a sushi menu and a younger crowd that stays on into the night.
ALMAR Seafood Bar on Google Maps
The catch is the color. The sand is grey-brown and the water is an ordinary blue rather than turquoise. It is the right beach for a first or last afternoon, not a reason to stay in Larnaca. See hotels near Mackenzie Beach.
Mackenzie Beach on Google Maps
The south coast around Limassol
West and east of Limassol the beaches change character: white chalk cliffs, dark sand and pebbles, open water and far fewer people. The town beaches are fine for a swim. These are the ones worth the drive.
Governor's Beach
About 25 minutes east of Limassol, Governor's Beach is a run of small dark-sand coves under white chalk cliffs, with smooth white shelves of rock running into the sea. The rocks carry on under the water, which makes it one of the best snorkeling spots on the south coast, and fish tavernas sit on the cliff above.
The catch: the dark sand gets very hot in summer, facilities are limited, and the coves are small.
Governor's Beach on Google Maps
Kourion Beach
Below the clifftop ruins of Kourion, about 20 minutes west of Limassol, a long open beach of sand and fine pebbles runs for kilometers with almost nothing built on it. You can swim under the ancient city in the morning and climb up to its theater in the afternoon.
The catch: it faces the open sea and the wind, so on many afternoons the waves are big and the currents strong. Swim where there is a lifeguard post, and only in season.
Pissouri Bay
A village bay about 30 minutes west of Limassol, Pissouri is a curve of sand and shingle between white cliffs, with clear, usually calm water and a row of tavernas behind. It is the most relaxed beach on this coast, and the village up the hill is a good base in its own right. See places to stay in Pissouri.
The catch: the seabed drops off quickly, so it suits swimmers better than toddlers.
Petra tou Romiou
On the coast road between Limassol and Paphos, Petra tou Romiou is where the myth says Aphrodite rose from the sea: a tall stack of rock off a pebble beach. Stop at sunset on the drive west, when the rock turns gold.
The catch: it is pebbles all the way, the water deepens fast and can be rough, and the parking is across the main road, reached through an underpass.
Petra tou Romiou on Google Maps
The easiest way onto the water on this coast is from Limassol: the catamaran cruise with lunch from Limassol includes swim stops along the coast, with hotel pickup available.
Paphos, Peyia and the Akamas
The west is the wildest coast in Cyprus. Coral Bay has the sand, the cliffs at Peyia hide small coves, and beyond them the Akamas peninsula is protected land with turtle beaches and a Blue Lagoon of its own.
Coral Bay
Twenty minutes north of Paphos, Coral Bay is the west's answer to the east coast: a horseshoe of golden sand between two low headlands, with shallow water, lifeguards, sunbeds and bars behind it. See places to stay near Coral Bay.
The catch: it is the one big sandy beach for the whole Paphos area, so in summer it is every bit as crowded as Nissi.
Olive Tree Beach
Just up the coast at Peyia, Olive Tree Beach is a small cove at the foot of the cliff below the Cap St Georges resort. A terrace of sunbeds shaded by old olive trees sits on the clifftop, and a short path leads down to clear, sheltered water. It is one of the prettiest swims on the island.
Most of the sunbeds are kept for hotel guests, especially at weekends and in high summer, but depending on the time of day some are often free, so it is worth asking. A weekday morning gives you the best chance of one. The catch: the entry is rocky, with stones in the shallows, so bring water shoes, and the cove fills quickly at popular hours.
Olive Tree Beach on Google Maps
Lara Bay
On the Akamas peninsula, past the Sea Caves, Lara is two wide sweeps of golden sand with nothing on them at all, because green and loggerhead turtles nest here. From June 1 to September 30, umbrellas, sunbeds and tents are banned on the beach, and you must leave an hour before sunset.
The catch: the last stretch of road is unpaved and rough, best in a four-wheel drive, and there is no shade, no water and no facilities. Bring everything, and take it all away again.
The Akamas Blue Lagoon
At the northern tip of the Akamas, past the Baths of Aphrodite, the western Blue Lagoon is a sheltered bay of turquoise water over pale sand, with a low island across its mouth. A rough track reaches it by four-wheel drive, but almost everyone comes by boat from Latchi harbor.
- From Latchi. A two-and-a-half-hour cruise along the coast with a swim at the lagoon, from around €25. Check dates for the Blue Lagoon cruise from Latchi.
- From Paphos. A full day with transfers, the Baths of Aphrodite and the lagoon, from around €39, with pickup. See the Blue Lagoon day trip from Paphos.
The catch: by midday in summer the lagoon is busy with boats, so take a morning departure if there is one.
The Akamas Blue Lagoon on Google Maps
How to plan your beach days by coast
From Ayia Napa or Protaras, give the east coast two or three days. Spend a morning at Nissi or Makronissos and the afternoon at Konnos with a walk out along Cape Greco, finish at Fig Tree Bay in the evening light, and keep one day for a boat.
From Limassol, take one day east to Governor's Beach. Save Kourion, Pissouri and Petra tou Romiou for the drive to Paphos, timed to reach the rock at sunset.
From Paphos or Peyia, do Coral Bay and Olive Tree Beach on one day, and Lara or a boat from Latchi on another. The west rewards an early start more than anywhere else on the island. For more of the region, see the Europe guides.
Before you go
- Water shoes. Half the beaches in this guide have rocky entries, and Cape Greco is rock all the way.
- Shade. Natural shade is rare. Rent an umbrella, or plan the middle of the day indoors in July and August.
- Lifeguards. The organized beaches have lifeguards in season only. On the open south and west coasts, take the flags seriously.
- Turtles. On boat trips and at Lara, keep your distance and never feed them.
Common questions
Which beach in Cyprus has the clearest water?
The clearest water is on the east coast, at Fig Tree Bay, Konnos Bay and the rocks of Cape Greco, and in the two Blue Lagoons, at Cape Greco and on the Akamas peninsula. On the south coast, Governor's Beach is the clearest, which is why it is the best place there to snorkel.
Are beaches in Cyprus free?
Yes. The beaches are public and free to use, and you only pay to rent sunbeds and umbrellas. In 2026 the ceiling set for public beaches is €3.50 a sunbed and €3 an umbrella, and some towns, such as Larnaca, kept €2.50 each. Hotel and private beach clubs set their own prices.
When is the sea warm enough to swim in Cyprus?
From late May to early November for most people. The sea is warmest in August and September, and October is often the best month of all, with warm water, smaller crowds and lower prices. In winter the sea is cold but some people still swim on sunny days.
Can you swim with turtles in Cyprus?
Often, yes. The boat trips from Protaras and Ayia Napa stop at Turtle Cove, where sea turtles regularly come up near the boats, though sightings are never guaranteed. Turtles also nest at Lara Bay on the Akamas peninsula in summer. Keep your distance, and never touch or feed them.
Are Cyprus beaches sandy or pebbly?
Both, and it depends on the coast. The east, around Ayia Napa and Protaras, is almost all fine sand. The south around Limassol is mostly pebbles and dark sand under white cliffs. The west mixes the two, with sand at Coral Bay and Lara Bay and rocky coves around Peyia.
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