Limassol, Cyprus Hotels and City Guide

Limassol - Travel Tips

Tipping advice

It is conventional to pay 10% extra on a bill; for good service add an extra 5%.

Arts and Events

Throughout the high season drama companies, musical troupes and nightclub promoters arrange plays, entertainments and dancing events. Not to be missed are any plays or concerts staged at the ancient open-air theatre in Kourion, 19 km (11 miles) from Limassol.

For the first two weeks of September Limassol runs a wine festival. Every year thousands of visitors enjoy popular celebrations, comic plays and educational exhibits as well as the odd glass or two of wine. Though the event was organised for the first time in 1961 it draws on a four thousand year old tradition of wine-making in Cyprus.

Dining

Smart restaurants in luxury hotels serve fine cuisine in the styles of France, Italy and, sometimes, Cyprus. Well-run local tavernas (restaurants) use both the products of the fertile countryside and the fruits of the surrounding sea.

Mezedes (or mezes) are small dishes of hot and cold food, usually served as a first course. Olives, seafoods, and houmous are typical mezes, and many restaurants offer more unusual delicacies.

Lamb or fish are the most common bases for later courses, often char-grilled, sometimes baked or casseroled. Stuffed vegetables feature on many menus - vineleaves, peppers, tomatoes and such like. Greens grown locally often need little more than a dressing of Cypriot olive oil to become delicious. Figs, almonds and oranges abound; sugar soaked pastries make deliciously calorific puddings.

Hotels in Limassol, Cyprus