Municipal Art Gallery

Municipal Art Gallery is one of the old 1881 colonial buildings on Europe square, at the entrance of the Phinikoudes promenade. The Municipal Art Gallery regularly hosts thematic exhibitions featuring a wide range of artists from Cyprus and abroad.

Municipal Museum of Natural History

Municipal Museum of Natural History is located within the grounds of the Municipal Gardens and its park. Larnaka’s Municipal Museum of Natural History displays a number of thematic collections, including local reptiles, insects, birds, animals, marine life, fossils and rock formations.

Larnaka Historic Archives Museum

Larnaka Historic Archives Museum is located at the entrance of the Phinikoudes promenade on Europe square and it is housed in a complex of 1881 British colonial buildings. The museum’s collection charts the life in Larnaka through books, documents, artefacts and items that cover politics, religion, professions, arts, science and culture.

Pierides Museum – Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation

Pierides Museum – Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation is the oldest private museum in Cyprus, and is housed in the ancestral Pierides family home – a colonial style building built in 1815. The museum’s comprehensive collection was assembled by the Pierides family and includes some of the most representative items of the island’s civilization. The objects on display date from 4000 BC to the 15th Century AD, and are an important testimony to a centuries-old civilization that flourished in Cyprus.

Larnaka District Archaeological Museum

Larnaka District Archaeological Museum houses a large collection of archaeological findings from the district of Larnaka, including the ancient city-kingdom of Kition, and the main Neolithic settlements of Choirokitia and Kalavasos. The museum exhibits include artefacts from the Neolithic period, the Copper Era and the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The remains of the ancient port city-kingdom of Kition is just 100 meters to the north of the museum. Kition was first established by the Mycenaean Greeks towards the end of the 13th Century BC, and later on redesigned by the Phoenicians during the 9th Century BC.

Lefkara Village & Mountainous Villages

The mountainous village of Lefkara is split into Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara (higher and lower Lefkara), and is world-renowned for its traditional handicrafts of lace embroidery and filigree silver. The village is situated at the foot of the Troodos Mountains in the south eastern region, 650 m above sea level and 43 km from Larnaka. The village took its name from the lime stone rocks of the region (Lefka Ori – White Mounts – Lefkara). Its character is very picturesque with narrow, winding streets and traditional architecture of old, terracottaroofed houses. The women of the village are often sat outside their picturesque homes, creating the world renowned ‘Lefkaritika’ lace pieces that have been made in the village since Venetian times and are on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage List. Among the village’s interesting sites are the Local Ethnological Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmith-work, the old fountain, the old olive mill and Oliva Terra – Ktima Sofokleous, where you can stroll through the olive tree orchards and learn all about the island’s ‘liquid gold’. The village also has beautiful ancient chapels, including the church of Holy Cross (Timios Stavros), and the chapel of Archangelos Michail in Kato Lefkara, with frescoes that date from the 12th and 15th Centuries AD. The Mountainous Villages (Orini) of Larnaka offer a breathtaking change of scenery and atmosphere thanks to its elevation. Here, tradition has been ardently retained, along with local pastimes and small folk-art industries. The stunning environs have remained largely untouched, and nature’s rich palette is further enhanced by traditional architecture and old churches and monasteries. Among the most popular villages to visit are Tochni, Skarinou, Kato Drys, Vavla, Ayioi Vavatsinias, Ora and Odou. All are ideal for visiting on a day trip and offer many varied sights as well as a traditional warm welcome.

Europe Square

Heralding the start of the popular Foinikoudes promenade (Athens Avenue), Europe Square is the scene of many cultural and sporting events and is flanked by the first colonial buildings the British Administration built in Cyprus in 1881, with a fountain in its centre, and dotted with contemporary benches in an abstract boat form. The colonial buildings are comprised of customs warehouses and the bureaus warehouses of the Customs Officer and Chief Port Master. At the time they were built, the island was under British administration and Larnaka was the biggest port and urban centre of the island, and thus, the housing of the British colonial administration began in the square. The buildings have been beautifully restored, winning them won the Europa Nostra award in 1996. Today, they house the Municipal Art Gallery, the Historic Archives Museum, the Museum of Larnaka and the Larnaka Municipal Cultural Services.

Palm Tree Promenade (Phinikoudes)

Larnaka’s most famous promenade of Phinikoudes (Palm Tree) is a 600 meter long stretch that combines coast, entertainment and culture along its palm tree lined length. The sands are fine and varying shades of brown and beige, and the sea waters are calm and shallow, flanked by the marina with its pier and fishing harbour at one end, and a second pier and the Medieval Fort at the other. Facilities on the Blue Flag beach include toilets, showers, changing rooms, sun beds, umbrellas, dustbins, recycling bins and beach bars, whilst the strip is also lined with cafes, bars, restaurants, kiosks, hotels and entertainment establishments, as well as benches and abundance of greenery. The beach is home to various water sports, and also hosts major sporting tournaments on its sands, as well as concerts on its Seafront Stage. As such, it attracts all crowds, and is particularly popular for families both during the day and evening.