Finikoudes is the busiest area of Larnaca all year round. It prefered by tourists and locals who like to have their frappe at cafes that have a beautiful seaview. Although I think the view is appreciated more by foreigners than by Cypriots.
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What you find on Finikoudes
Finikoudes equals 700 meters of fast food, restaurants and cafes. Beautifully lined ground floor buildings with expensive apartments with unobstructed sea views. It all starts at the marina for pleasure boats and the pontoon where you can go for a ride on the tourist boats.
Most of the terraces reach the sidewalk, so if you want to sit and watch the people walking on the street, you have a place to choose a good table. You’ll find everything from McDonalds, KFC and Ocean Bucket to Starbucks and Hobo Cafe.
There are also pubs and restaurants with local food.
🚩📽 Watch a video with the area 👉 Larnaca Finikoudes drive
Traditional food
On the way to the church of St. Lazar, you will pass by a small tavern, with tables on the sidewalk, before the parking lot of the town hall. Don’t miss it. Souvlaki.gr is a Greek tavern, and the food and prices there are hard to beat in the area.
If you don’t feel like sitting at the table, you can order and eat while walking or on the sand by the sea.
If you want to try traditional Cypriot food, with lower prices than in the resort area – Ayia Napa – Protaras – do not miss Militzis restaurant. It’s not even 250 meters from the castle, and even if the way it looks will suggest that the prices are steep, no way.
A stone’s throw from the water, with a wine mill at the entrance, with greenery and flowers and faceless waiters, you will arrive in the typical Cypriot landscape. The menu is short, with only traditional dishes. Went there for Kleftico on the recommendation of a foodie Cypriot and did not regret it.
Worth a try
Above I mentioned Ocean Basket. It’s impossible to miss, across the road from the main bus station. Here you will only find a seafood menu and the prices are sometimes lower than in Cypriot fish taverns.
And if we are still talking about fish and taverns, I discovered one with very good cuisine and acceptable prices for Cyprus. It is in the fishing port, that is, one km away from the Castle towards Mackenzie beach – Zephyros.
🚩See here what they look like in fish meze 👉 Fish meze – how to try them all at one meal
You have to take into account that if you want to go there on Sundays or holidays, there is every chance that you won’t be able to find a free table because Cypriots storm the place and make reservations in advance. At Zephyros I tried a Fish Meze and it was super good.
There are other smaller taverns where I saw locals stop to eat, so I suspect they have good cuisine.
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Larnaca shopping
Larnaca’s little shopping paradise is behind the street with all the restaurants. On any street you go up, you will come across the shopping area, with international brands such as Mango, Next or Zara and even small shops of local entrepreneurs.
In the area of the St. Lazarus church you will also find the artisans’ spaces, not too many, of course, but which have preserved the tradition and where it would be a shame not to leave with a souvenir. I think that only in these places you will be able to negotiate the price.
There will also be a Mall in Larnaca, but at the other end of the city. Now it is still under construction and for sure when it is ready there will be a bus that will take you from Finikoudes directly there. If you want to see a Mall where you will find important brands, you have to go to Nicosia.
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St. Lazarus Church, the main tourist attraction
The Church of Saint Lazarus is a must see in Larnaca. If you are walking in Finikoudes it is impossible to miss it. Before reaching the medieval castle there is a street that goes up into the town. You will reach the Square where the church is.
If you want to visit it, there is an access schedule:
📌from March 1 to October 31, it is from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, on Sundays from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 📌the winter schedule is: 8.00 – 12.30 and 14.30-17.30 daily and on Sundays, 6.30-12.30 and 15.30-17.30.
The place is always crowded during the summer. Tourists staying in all corners of the island come here to visit and pray.
As is normal, here you will also find a souvenir shop selling everything from icons to incense and myrrh.
The entire tourist area is studded with cafes hidden sometimes in the most unexpected shady corners of the old town.
Near Finikoudes beach, at a distance of about 2 km, you will also find Mackenzie beach, where you will feel like you are in a resort and from where you can see how the planes land at Larnaca International Airport.
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Distances
✔700 meters from the port to the Castle
✔1 km from the castle to the fishing port towards Mackenzie beach
✔almost 1.5 km from the fishing port to the airport fence
✔total marina – Mackenzie end – app. 3 km
Transport
✔Taxi – negotiate the price as much as possible – there is no such thing as a toll booth, even if you see it displayed somewhere.
✔Larnaca public transport company – zinonasbuses.com
✔Famagusta Public Transport Company (Ayia Napa – Protaras) – www.osea.com.cy
✔Intercity transport –www.intercity-buses.com
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