Kato Paphos, Cyprus + Add a trip

Automobiles

A hire car is a good idea and left-hand driving makes getting around even easier for UK drivers. Scooters and bicycles can also be hired. It's advisable to book your chosen mode of transport in advance.

Planes

Expect a 40-minute drive to Limassol from Larnaka and Paphos airports. Cyprus Airways (www.cyprusairways.com.cy) and British Airways (www.ba.com) fly from most major UK airports.

Trains

There are no trains to Limassol but the central bus station, just off Anexartisias Street, provides a good service to the surrounding villages and the tourist sites such as the Kourion and Petra tou Romiou.

Dialing

Code for Cyprus: 357.

Reads

Lawrence Durrell's Bitter Lemons of Cyprus and A Birdwatching Guide to Cyprus by Arthur Stagg and Graham Hearl.

Do go / Don't Go

In early spring and autumn the region enjoy fine weather but without the high temperatures and crowded beaches of July and August. Winter is still mild but there is often snowfall in the Troodos Mountains allowing you to sunbath on the beach in the morning and ski in the afternoon.

Cuisine

Cypriot food is a fusion of Greek and Turkish cuisine. Barbecued meats such as lamb and chicken are delicious. Order traditional Cypriot meze, and scores of diminutive dishes will arrive, hot and cold, and for the full Cypriot experience end with a glass of Commandaria, a sweet desert wine with a pedigree dating back to the time of Richard the Lionheart. Coffee shops are the traditional heart of Cypriot social life; dark, rich coffee comes predominantly in the form of sketo, metrio or glyko in increasing levels of sweetness.

Taxis

Shared and private taxis are plentiful but it's advisable to book in advance. Urban taxis for journeys within the city can be hailed in the street or picked up at a taxi rank; rural taxis for journeys out of town should be booked by phone or hired from a base station, unless you pick one up at an airport taxi rank.

Tipping

A ten per cent tip is usual for good service.

Currency

Euro.

Packing

A destination that offers a myriad of choices, from beach lounging and bar hopping to mountain hiking and skiing, means that you should come prepared for everything.

Arts

The island of Cyprus boasts centuries of rich history. The 14th-century Limassol Castle close to the Old Port, is inhabited by the treasure-heavy Mediaeval Museum. Richard the Lionheart is reputed to have married Princess Berengaria of Navarre in the small chapel on site. The Archaeological Museum on the crook of Kannigos and Vyronos streets accommodates a medley of local archaeological finds dating from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period. The six-roomed Folk Art Museum is a lovingly-restored house, which provides an insight into 19th-century Cypriot folk art.

And...

The Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) offers free walking tours, with English-speaking guides, in and around Limassol. Contact the CTO on (+357 25 362 756) for more information.

Shopping

The traditional shopping streets are St. Andrew's and Anexartisias. Don't negotiate the cobbled St. Andrew's Street in anything other than flats so stock up on cheap leather sandals. Whilst there, enhance your poolside panache by snapping up silk harem pants and sheer, sequin-emblazoned tops by hot Cypriot designer Pantelis Mitsu, of Mitsu Mitsu. For feel-good frittering, visit the Cyprus Handicraft Centre on Themidos 25.

Viewpoint

Gaze upon the enchanting rock-formations of Petra tou Romiou to the west of Limassol. These rocks are claimed as the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.

Something

Feed treats to clapped-out burros at the Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary (www.donkeycyprus.com), in Vouni village; a worthwhile excuse to spend a day in the handsome Troodos foothills.

March The ten-day Limassol Carnival is an excuse for the locals to parade the main streets decked out in all manner of fancy-dress. May The Festival of the Flood takes place along the coast with a procession to the sea where people sprinkle water on each other, perhaps to commemorate the birth of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. July Sup KEO beer at the Limassol Beer Festival (www.limassolbeerfestival.com). Early September brings the Limassol Wine Festival, which takes place in the Municipal Gardens and show-cases folk dancing and music, along with the splendid local vino. Also at this time of year the Kypria International Festival is a month-long cultural festival where a host of events focused on music, theatre and dance are staged throughout Cyprus, particularly Larnaca, Nicosia and Limassol.