Description

Limassol is the second largest major town in Cyprus and is renowned throughout the country for two reasons - for being a resort with the most active nightlife and for being the hub of wine production. The town is also generating a lot of interest in the recent past for its rapid economic growth and for the modernization of its buildings, mostly as a result of it turning very tourist friendly. Troodos Mountains, in the north of the city present delightful walks that wind through welcoming villages. Limassol being the center of winemaking on the island; hosts well a known wine festival that is held in the month of August. The resort houses first rate hotels and beaches and welcomes people of all ages throughout the year.

Shopping

Anexartiatis, Agiou Andreou and Makarious third Ave are the major shopping areas in Lissamol. Clothes, footwear, leather articles and high quality jewellery can be purchased from most of these shops. Abundant souvenir shops are found in the tourist area, but the best buys are in the old part of town which houses an overwhelming variety of leather, shoe and jewellery shops. There is a shopping area of fashion boutiques on the edge of Old Town. The market place has one of the area's largest selections of fish, vegetables, nuts etc.

Restaurants

Restaurants offer all sort of delicacies -Chinese, Russian, Indian and much more. Fast food joints like Pizza huts, McDonalds and KFC can be found. Numerous restaurants line up the main beach road. There are many Cypriot tavernas, pizzerias, fish restaurants, kebab bars and fast-food joints. Fine dining joints can be found all around the old port. Dining out is moderately cheap throughout the city.

Night Life

Limassol offers a very active nightlife to its guests, with lots of discos, bars, tavernas and clubs that offer live music. Significant discos include Mylos disco, Caribbean nightspot and Ataliotis Costakis pub. The major nightclubs are located in the Potamos Yermasoyias area, few miles towards the east of the town center.

Activities

There are numerous historical buildings to view and walk around within the old town, including the medieval castle and the museum near the old port. Dassoudi beach offers wide range of water sports, which includes scuba diving, jet skiing, paragliding and banana boating. Majority of hotels provide water sports services. A half-day’s trip can be carried out to Curium's ancient mosaics, Kolossi Castle and the wine factories. Those prepared for a full day’s trip can visit Cyprus' walled capital city, Nicosia, the ancient ruins of Paphos and the Troodos Mountains. A coastal boat trip also is a great activity and visitors get experience some amazing scenic views of the coastline.

Communications

The international access code for Cyprus is +357. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country. Mobile phone operators use GSM networks and have tie-ups with most international operators, thus offering roaming access to subscribers. However Americans need to check with their operators, as roaming agreements between local operators and American ones are rare. Phone cards can be used and is made available in shops, banks and post offices. Internet is accessible at internet cafes that are extensively present in most towns and resorts.

Contacts

Cyprus Tourist Organisation, Nicosia: +357 2269 1100 or www.visitcyprus.org.cy
Cyprus Embassy, Washington DC, United States: +1 202 462 5772
Cyprus High Commission, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7499 8272
Cyprus Consulate General, Toronto, Canada: +1 416 944 0998
Cyprus High Commission, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6281 0832
Cyprus High Commission, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 342 5258
Cyprus Embassy, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 676 3060
United States Embassy, Nicosia: +357 2239 3939
British High Commission, Nicosia: +357 2286 1100
Consulate of Canada, Nicosia: +357 2277 5508
Australian High Commission, Nicosia: +357 2275 3001
South African Embassy, Athens, Greece (also responsible for Cyprus): +30 210 610 6645
Irish Embassy, Nicosia: +357 2281 8183
New Zealand Consulate, Nicosia: +357 2281 8884
Emergencies: 199 or 112

Currency

CYP

Attractions

The dusty beach of Avmidou situated on the grounds of the British military base of Akrotiri is a great attraction in the area. The grape vineyards on the fertile foothills of Troodos Mountain are also worth a visit. Some of the other attractions are -

The Folk Art Museum:
This museum houses customary costumes, farm and domestic tools and a range of local handicrafts. Genuine Cypriot handicrafts are exhibited for sale.

Cyprus Medieval Museum:
This museum is situated in Lissamol castle, built centuries ago. The museum houses scores of fantastic wares. This is the place where Crusader Richard the Lion heart took the hands of Berengaria of Navarre, who later came to be known as the queen of England in 1191.

Mount Olympus skiing:
A wide range of winter sports is supported by Troodos Mountains in central Cyprus. The major ski slides are on Mount Olympus and Limassol and the ski season stretches from beginning of January to the end of March. Cyprus Ski Federation holds an international ski match every year.

Other attractions:
Lemesos district archaeological museum
Lemesos Municipal Art Gallery
Kourion Archaeological Museum
Kolossi Medieval Castle
Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates

Language

Language Description

Though a small percentage of Cypriots speak Turkish, the major language of Cyprus is Greek. The Cypriot dialect of Greek is quite different from that of mainland Greece. English, German and French are also spoken by a lot of people, but only in the tourist areas.

Tipping

Porters and Taxi drivers generally expect a small tip and there are no percentages predefined for such services. In Hotels and restaurants a 10% service charge is added onto the bill, so customers are not obligated to tip, nevertheless a small tip is still expected at such places.