Home : Property Search

 

House Hunting holiday in Larnaca, Cyprus

The City of Larnaca is a major gateway into Cyprus by both air and sea. Larnaca International Airport, in an outlying district of the city, is the largest on the island. Larnaca Marina is often host to some impressive yachts, and is one of the four points of entry by sea into Cyprus. There is a wealth of cheap flights to Laranca available, from holiday firms including Monarch. Here are some points of interest to look out for on your house hunting holiday to Larnaca.

History
Larnaca is a historic town with a long history. Founded by the Phoenicians several thousand years ago, it has been an important harbour since at least 450 BC. Contested in battle at this time between the Persian Empire and the Athenians, a statue of the Athenian General Kimon, or Cimom, who was killed at sea whilst battling Persian forces, stands on the promenade of modern Larnaca today.

Attractions
With such a long and rich history, Larnaca has many historical attractions, as well as being one of the most popular tourist resorts on the island of Cyprus. The 13th Century ruins of Ancient Kitiom, the original settlement which through time developed into modern Larnaca, are the earliest remaining archaeological remains in the area, and includes the ruins of five temples.

Ancient Larnaca, then Kition, has an important footnote in the history of philosophy. In 326BC, it was the birthplace of the philosopher Zeno, who founded the stoic school of philosophy after studying in Athens – the marble bust of Zeno is another historic attraction of modern Larnaca.

Larnaca is a picturesque seaside town, augmented by rows of palm trees and host to several annual festivals focussed along the seaside promenade. The largest of these is the Festival of the Flood, or Kataklysmos which lasts for three weeks at the beginning of the summer season.

With a generous supply of cafes, bars and restaurants, Larnaca is a great place to eat out and sample the Cypriot speciality of mezes. Like the Turkish mezzes, mezes describes a style of eating similar to the Spanish Tapas. This collection of small dishes of local fresh produce is often enjoyed as a starter, and in the opinion of many who sample them can be the highlight of a meal. Cypriot tomatoes, as with much of the fresh produce on the island, are a taste explosion for those of us northern Europeans used to greenhouse grown tomatoes, and you’ll find them in many tasty mezes dishes.

There are large beaches surrounding the city of Larnaca which can be enjoyed almost all year round. To reach them, hiring a car is the easiest option – cars can be picked up from and returned to Larnaca International Airport. Just make sure that your car insurancecovers you for driving abroad. If not, you can get a quote from a company like Beat That Quote.
Although the island of Cyprus boasts extremely low levels of crime, ensure that you have piece of mind if leaving valuables lying on the beach while taking a dip; Go is a good place to look for
travel insurance.