After spending 3 months living in Cyprus last year we had plenty of chances to try out the amazing beaches in Limassol. It’s such a great destination where you can enjoy a cosmopolitan city at the same time as beach life.
To help you plan your trip to Cyprus, I have put together my guide to the best beaches in Limassol to help you make the most of your time in this incredible city.
Limassol
Limassol is the most cosmopolitan of the cities in Cyprus with a beautiful modern marina housing very expensive yachts and huge skyscrapers dominating the skyline.
The city attracts a year-round population of Cypriots and ex-pats filling the many bars and restaurants.
The city itself is located on the south coast of the island and stretches along a 10km length of coastline.
Limassol has national importance as a major seaport and it is this industrial function rather than tourism which has put Limassol on the map.
As a result, the beaches in Limassol are not as idyllic or designed for tourists as they are in the more popular tourist spots of Paphos and Protaras/Ayia Napa.
On the flip side, the beaches are often quieter than in those tourist hotspots and are not dominated by sprawling hotels everywhere you look.
We lived in Limassol for 3 months and we loved every minute of it. It is a fantastic city with beautiful scenery and there are so many things to do in Limassol. It has every amenity you could wish for and plenty of bars, restaurants and nightlife to keep you entertained!
The beaches in Limassol are, generally, much more like city beaches but that doesn’t stop them from being well maintained and accessible year-round.
Here I give you an overview of the beaches in Limassol, from the city beaches in the city itself to some great gems just a short drive outside of the city.
Top Tip: A local rule in Limassol requires every establishment offering sun beds or loungers to offer a range of beds, loungers and umbrellas at €2.50 each.
So generally, if there are loungers on the beach with no bar or restaurant then these will be €2.50 each (€2.50 for the lounger, €2.50 for the umbrella).
If you go to a beach bar such as Colombia or at Lady’s Mile, you may be offered a lounger at more than €2.50. If you wish, ask for the €2.50 loungers and you will be shown where these are.
The City Beaches in Limassol
The city of Limassol is a long stretch along the southern coast of Cyprus.
In terms of its city beaches, these generally run the length of the city from the beautiful Limassol Marina to the southwestern end of the city to the Four Seasons hotel located in the ‘tourist area’ part of town at the southeastern end.
Generally, the beaches in Limassol don’t have official names and so are known by local names, usually linked to shops or landmarks nearby. They also don’t have clearly defined ‘borders’ so you will find that one beach runs into the other!
The distance between these two extremes of the city is around 10km and is serviced by the ‘beach road’, a long road which follows the coastline along the city (and beyond) together with a cycle path in places.
Along the beach road there are a number of city beaches so wherever you are staying in Limassol, if you are close to the beach road then you are close to a beach!
Starting at the southwestern end of Limassol, at the Marina, and working up the coast to the southeastern end, you have the following beaches in Limassol which are all worth a visit.
City Beaches in Limassol: Molos
Right next to the Marina you have a stretch of promenade known locally as Molos. This is a beautiful place to take a stroll with pathways and greenery stretching alongside the coastline.
Along Molos, there are 3 cafés for you to take a seat and watch the world go by. But that is for another blog, we want those beaches in Limassol!
City Beaches in Limassol: Deniz Yolu
After Molos, you reach the first of the beaches in Limassol which is known as Deniz Yolu (although you wouldn’t know it from arriving as there are no signs!). It is best identified by the great little café known as Thalassaki which serves food and drinks on the beachfront.
This is a classic city beach with plenty of chairs and loungers to sit on but very close to the action with the main beach road being just behind the beach itself. It is popular with the locals and still has access to the fantastic waters on Limassol but is not the best of the beaches in Limassol.
City Beaches in Limassol: Miami Beach
The next city beach further along the coast is Miami Beach. It’s where the beach road edges slightly further away from the coast with a nice buffer of trees between it and the beaches.
This long stretch of beaches starts, approximately, the Ship Inn bar which is located on the opposite side of the beach road. This stretch encompasses a few beaches in Limassol.
The first of these is a blue flag beach named Akti Olympion Beach which leads straight into Miami Beach with no discernible marker separating them! For ease, I refer to them both as Miami Beach as there are no signs of Akti Olympion!
To find Miami Beach, look for the café/bar called Thalassokoritso which is located on the beach and sells drinks and snacks. There are loungers for rent in Miami Beach and a good stretch of beautiful sand down to the water.
The water is crystal clear and not very deep; you can go out several metres before having to swim and so it’s the perfect place to cool off after a few hours in the sun!
City Beaches in Limassol: Colombia Beach
Next to Miami Beach, although with no obvious distinction between one beach and the other, is Colombia beach. So-called because it is located at the famous Colombia Beach Bar, probably the best beach bar in Limassol!
Colombia Beach is one of our favourite beaches in Limassol and I would say one of the best sections of city beach. It is very popular with the locals and tourists alike.
The beach bar is beautiful and classically ‘instagrammable’ with a beautiful pool in the middle of the restaurant, a great menu of food and drinks, beautiful grounds and plenty of beach loungers on the beach.
The food and drink prices match the surroundings so expect to pay a bit more than anywhere else but it is a great experience and definitely one to try.
You can claim a lounger at Colombia Beach Bar – with the usual loungers available or VIP Colombia loungers if you fancy splashing out on a four-poster-style beach bed!
If you prefer, you can walk a few metres down the beach to the neighbouring NOA beach bar. NOA is often quieter than Colombia so you will have no problem grabbing a lounger.
They also serve food and drink all day so you can get drinks brought to the lounger or head into the bar itself for a meal.
City Beaches in Limassol: Dasoudi Beach
Immediately after these great beaches in Limassol is Dasoudi Beach which is a continuation of Colombia beach heading up the coast. Dasoudi Beach is very popular, particularly with locals and families, as it is a large, wide-open beach.
It also has a car park which is very convenient and you will find lots of families pitched up on Dasoudi Beach with camp chairs, BBQs, beer coolers and everything else you need for a family day on the beach!
As a continuation of Colombia Beach, the quality of Dasoudi Beach is similar with nice sand and beautiful waters. There are loungers for rent as usual and there is even ‘power beach’, an outdoor industrially-designed gym if you want to get a workout in during beach hours!
Dasoudi Beach can become more crowded than Colombia Beach as it is more accessible and more open to families; you tend to see locals heading to Dasoudi Beaches whilst Colombia Beach is more for tourists or those wanting a great Instagram photo in the beach bar!
If you are just strolling past, take one of the nature trails between Dasoudi Beach and the beach road for a cooler wander through the trees.
City Beaches in Limassol: Aphrodite Beach
After Dasoudi Beach, there is a gap in the beaches in Limassol (save for a few hotel beaches) until you reach Armonia Beach located in the ‘tourist area’ or Agios Tychonas.
Armonia Beach is so called because of a great little café/restaurant called Armonia which is located at the start of this next stretch of beaches.
It is located just past Guaba Beach Bar (which has its own, small, private beach) which is another must-see in Limassol.
The beaches in Limassol in the tourist area all merge into one, from Armonia Beach at one end to Aphrodite Beach at the other end which ends just before the Four Seasons Hotel.
These beaches in Limassol cover about 1km of coastline and are, in my view, some of the best all-around beaches in Limassol.
Each section of the beach has loungers and there are various bars and restaurants along that stretch of the beach. From Armonia at the western end, through to Puesta at the eastern end which is an amazing oyster bar and fish restaurant.
As we were staying in the Agios Tychon area of Limassol, we spent a lot of time at these great beaches in Limassol and I would say these were our favourite places to stay.
They were peaceful beaches with the road set way back from the beach. The loungers were always available and the bars were great for a refreshing break from the sun.
The water was generally very calm here and beautiful to swim in as there were artificial reefs offshore to break up the waves. For the more adventurous, there were two water sports operators along here where you can do anything from banana boats and jet skis to parasailing and stand-up paddle boarding.
These blue flag beaches were very clean and connected by the beach path, which was a pathway running along the top of all the beaches to make getting around nice and easy.
The beach path was also a great place to take a wander in the evening as the sun was starting to set. It went as far as Guaba Beach Bar in one direction and in the other (to the east) it went as far as Malindi Beach, some 4km along the coast!
Overall, there are some great city beaches in Limassol. These may not be as picturesque as the beaches of Paphos or Ayia Napa but they are great options nonetheless if you are staying in Limassol.
If you want to up your beach game whilst in Limassol then you can head just outside the city to find the following fantastic beaches.
Malindi Beach and St Raphael Beach
Three kilometres to the east of Agios Tychonas, or Aphrodite Beach mentioned above, is St Raphael Marina which splits this beach into two parts.
As you arrive at the Marina, you have Malindi Beach to the right-hand side and St Raphael Beach to the left.
Malindi Beach is so named because of Malindi Beach Bar and Restaurant located on the beach. Malindi Beach Bar is the sister bar to Colombia so expect a good menu, a great setting and some slightly increased prices.
Malindi Beach Bar provides loungers for hire on the beach or alternatively, just along the beach, loungers can be rented from a small shack-style café. The café is very convenient selling plenty of cold drinks and a few snacks as a cost-effective alternative to Malindi.
On the other side of the Marina is St Raphael beach, so named because it sits in front of the St Raphael beach resort hotel. The loungers are open to the public as well as the guests of the hotel and again there are a few eateries on this side of the Marina Road.
St Raphael beach can get busier than Malindi due to the hotel and so if you are out of luck for a lounger on that side then just wander over to Malindi.
Both beaches have beautiful clear blue water and deep and long sandy beaches. These two beaches in Limassol can be a bit windier than the city beaches in Limassol and there are no artificial breaks to calm the sea.
That said, the water is nice and shallow for some way out and so even with a few waves the sea is accessible.
Beaches in Limassol: Lady’s Mile Beach
Lady’s Mile Beach is a long stretch of 5 kilometres of beaches located to the west of Limassol. This beach stretches all the way to the British Military base at Akrotiri and I think it is one of the best beaches in Cyprus.
Fun fact! Lady’s Mile Beach is reported named because a British Governor’s horse, named Lady, enjoyed running up and down the beach when the island was under British Rule.
Lady’s Mile Beach is a wide and predominantly sandy beach. It can be pebbly at the extreme end closest to Limassol and gets lighter and sandier as you head southwest.
The beach is reached along an unmade road (although there are rumours that this will be improved soon!) and is punctuated by five different bars and restaurants along its length.
Each of the bars and restaurants offers something slightly different but all offer loungers, refreshments, toilets and lifeguard/first aid facilities. Parking is available all along the unmade road.
There are stretches of beach between each of these restaurants which are much quieter and more secluded as they are away from the five main attractions of Lady’s Mile Beach.
The restaurants along Lady’s Mile Beach are known for their seafood. Our favourite place to head to is Aplostra Beach Bar which has changing rooms, plenty of loungers, good drinks and often music playing whilst you relax on the beach.
The water at Lady’s Mile Beach is often a little cooler than that of the city beaches in Limassol but still perfectly pleasant to swim in. The sea is very shallow and you can go out a long way before needing to swim which makes it a great place to visit with small children.
Lady’s Mile Beach is one of the best beaches in Limassol and is well worth a visit if you are staying in Limassol. It is around 20-30 minutes from the centre of Limassol depending on traffic.
Beaches in Limassol: Governor’s Beach
Finally, the furthest of the beaches in Limassol beaches is Governor’s Beach. Governor’s Beach is about 25 kilometres east of Limassol and will take around 20 minutes to drive. It is close to the neighbouring village of Pentakomo but still within the Limassol district.
Governor’s Beach Limassol is hard to discover because it isn’t exactly one beach. It is a series of small bays most of which can only be accessed from above so it can be difficult to pick the right one to arrive at!
Each of the bays are small although usually catered for by a bar/restaurant and loungers. Between the bays are a series of caves and rocks to explore if you are feeling adventurous!
I would recommend one of the following bays at Governor’s Beach. The first is known (at least to Google Maps, which is handy if you are driving!) as Kalymnos Beach which is on the eastern side of this stretch of coast. There is parking at the top of the cliff at the local restaurant and steps down to the beach.
Loungers are provided and a cool beach bar provides food and drinks. The spot is reasonably secluded, the beach is sandy and the water is crystal clear.
Alternatively, I would suggest Sofronis Beach Tavern which is also shown on Google Maps. It is a great family-run fish tavern with sun beds to the rear either on the grass or down on the beach. It is very family-friendly and a great place to spend the day if you are making the trip out to Governor’s Beach.
Finally, for one of the best fish taverns in the area, head back west from Governor’s beach to Agios Georgios Alamanou.
As well as a great restaurant, you will be treated to incredible views over the sea. The Georgios Alamanou beach here is pebbly but the tavern offers loungers on the grass just off the beach for the perfect place to laze after a good meal!
Conclusion
Limassol is a great place to stay in Cyprus as it is very centrally located. It is within easy reach of the popular tourist spots on Paphos and Ayia Napa and an hour’s drive to the capital of Nicosia.
Together with a vibrant nightlife and food scene, the beaches in Limassol complete a great all-around city and holiday destination!
Have you been? If so, let me know your favourite beach and any top tips!
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