Larnaca is Cyprus' gateway and also the gateway to the eastern side of the island. Head for about 40 minutes to the east and one comes to the Ayia Napa and Protaras areas, the home of some of Europe's best beaches, in fact the number one and number three rated beaches for the whole of Europe on TripAdvisor. Go to the east and there's amazing countryside amongst the picturesque villages of the Softades coast,such as Kalavasos, Mazotos and Kiti. If one ventures inland a bit, one arrives at fabled picture-postcard hill villages such as beautiful Lefkara and Kato Drys.
Larnaca itself is a beautiful laid-back modern city and atmospheric city, with an elegant promenade, a charming Turkish quarter, superb museums and galleries with historical churches such as the Agios Lazaros and also the exquisitely situated Hala Sultan Tekke mosque which sits beside Larnaca's famous salt lake. The salt lake is the home to a flock of flamingos that visit each year.
Aside from the beauty of the surrounding countryside, one is ideally located for the cultural feast that is Nicosia with its vibrant arts scene, shopping, eating and shopping and also, Limassol, Cyprus' energetic commercial capital
Larnaca is a very quiet city. It's typified by wide boulevards, elegant housing and it's remarkably green, pleasant and pollution free. The infrastructure here is also taking a huge turn with the coming development of the 1000 berth Amphitrite marina and port complex. . This is one of the largest developments of its type in Europe and will form a new nucleus for the city.
The other arbiter of change is that Larnaca's gateway status has really only connected it with Europe and a couple of Middle Eastern destinations up until now. However, of late, no less than four new airlines have based themselves at Larnaca International Airport heralding the development of Cyprus, and more specifically Larnaca as an important international hub. It's early days yet but the city's size and profile is set to alter dramatically over the next decade and beyond.
