Cyprus' City centres such as Limassol, have a thriving and growing local economy, where a world class Marina is currently being built. Larnaca Airport is undergoing a major expansion to take account of a significant growth in traffic. In 2006, it was handling 2.5 million passengers a year, doubling by 2007. The new terminal will be able to serve over 9 million passengers a year.

Property in Cyprus - Nicosia - a split City

(Lefkosia to Greek Cypriots) has more than a quarter of the Greek Cypriot population.  The city of Nicosia lies pretty much smack bang in the middle of the island, right on the border between the Greek and the Turkish-administered sides of Cyprus. The island has been divided since 1974 and while negotiations between the Greeks and the Turks to reunify have so far failed to achieve an agreement, a reunified Cyprus is thought to be likely at some stage.

This is a modern cosmopolitan city that frequently hosts conferences and trade fairs.  It is home to three industrial estates that are well served by road links to the airports and seaports. The Government's largely 'hands-off' approach to economic management has made Cyprus an attractive destination for foreign investment.  It is relatively undiscovered by foreign investors BUT it has been discovered by the locals. So, it has a ready-made rental market with professional letting companies and so on.  It is both the most liquid market on the island and, of course, it has the other advantage of an all year round rental market.  The city is growing and there is significant inward migration.

Its existence can be traced back to the Bronze Age, and today the buzz of a modern city is blended with an air of history. The centre of the city is encircled by 16th century Venetian walls, and the narrow streets of old town are peppered with museums, ancient churches and monasteries.  Craftsmen keep alive traditional skills of the island in tucked-away workshops in a pedestrianised section of town called Laiki Yitonia, or Folk Neighbourhood, and nearby there are cosy tavernas and cafes as well as glitzy boutiques. The balconies of the old houses above are hung with flowers in the summer, and the streets are filled with their fragrance on summer evenings.  The city proper is centred on Freedom Square (Eleftheria), where you'll find the main post office, the public library, and city hall. Ledra Street alongside the square leads to the most lively part of the old town. 

Cyprus Property -Limassol

Limassol is on the south coast of Cyprus and is overlooked by the magnificent Troodos Mountain range.  There is much Byzantine influence in Limassol and it is renowned for its long cultural tradition. The old town of Limassol is the kernel with its old archontika (mansions), gems of architecture, which are now being restored. This part of town is characterised by narrow, but busy shopping streets.  After the English King Richard the Lionheart destroyed Amathus in 1191, the town of Limassol (Lemesos) was built up on its current position between the ancient towns of Curium and Amathus.  So, since the time of the Crusades, not least due to the fact that the Commandaria wine is produced in the region, the town has carried great importance.

After the Turkish invasion in 1974, Limassol has been greatly developed, becoming one of the most important centres for service-provision, trade and tourism in Cyprus as well as the biggest port in the Mediterranean transit trade. In September they celebrate the famous wine festival.

It is a modern town and resort with a 10 mile coastline, with entertainment venues to cater for all tastes, taverns, countless restaurants, luxury hotel complexes, shops, modern buildings and fine residences.
Limassol has increased in popularity and is staking its claim to the second most popular place to buy property on the island – the first being Nicosia.

Cyprus Holiday Home - Paphos

Paphos is one of the most beautiful and ancient towns of Cyprus with a history going back over a thousand years.  Today it is a small harbour town, but in Hellenistic and Roman times it was the capital of Cyprus. Today it seduces its visitor with its majestic landscape, lovely coastline, historical treasures and delightful villages where tradition is still a way of life.  The legacy from its remarkable history adds up to nothing less than an open museum, so much so that UNESCO simply added the whole town its world Cultural Heritage List. Among the treasures unearthed, are the remarkable mosaics in the Houses of Dionyssos, Theseus and Aion, beautifully preserved after 16 centuries under the soil. Then there are the mysterious vaults and caves, the Tombs of the Kings, the ancient Odeon Theatre and other places of interest including the various Museums and it is reputed to be close to the birthplace of Aphrodite, the greek goddess of love.

Today the town boasts an international airport which easily services the many tourists who come to stay here each year. It is a popular sea resort divided ito two main areas – Ktima which is away from the coast and Kato Paphos which is the coastal area. The town is built around the mediaeval port and contains most of the luxury hotels and the entertainment infrastructure of the city. It offers rural, traditional architecture, a very eye-catching and striking landscape, as well as areas of natural beauty such as the Akamas Peninsula.

Cyprus Holiday Home - Pissouri

A small village with its own beach resort about a 20 minute drive away from Paphos airport. The motorway has made Pissouri more accessible, but the distinctiveness of the village has been retained. It has a unique charm and attractiveness to the visitor and holidaymaker, chiefly because the authenticity of the Cypriot character has been retained. It is still very much a working village of farmers. The Pissouri area is famous for growing grapes, mainly in the valley between the main roads and the sea that leads to Pissouri Beach. During the summer there is a so called 'Cyprus night' in the lovely traffic free village square, with dancing and music. Although the idea is perhaps that it provides entertainment for the visitors to Pissouri, it is also true that a significant number of those present every week are the villagers themselves.

The views from Pissouri village are spectacular. It is set close to Cape Aspro, about 500 feet high on average. To the east it is possible to see the shore line all the way to Limassol beyond, then to the north the whole of the Troodos range, including Mount Olympus, at more than 6000 ft, the highest mountain on the island. Pissouri Beach is located a few kilometres from the village and is an area that has developed since the beginning of the 1980s from a jetty and one small taverna, into what it is today - an informal collection of excellent tavernas, a few shops, two banks, some apartments and the 5 star Columbia Hotel.

Pissouri is ideally placed for both the holiday maker and resident, as you have the charm of authentic village life, with its excellent bars and tavernas, but it is only 30 minutes away from the larger urban cities of Paphos and Limassol, as well as being 10 minutes away from the 18 hole world class championship golf and tennis resort of Aphrodite Hills.

Cypriot Property - Larnaca

Is the oldest inhabited city of Cyprus and was originally known as Kition, or Kittium. Legend has it that, the first settlement at the spot was founded by Noah' s grandson Khittim. Unlike other ancient cities of Cyprus, which were abandoned by their inhabitants, Larnaca from the time of its founding 6000 years ago, exists on the same site. Being in the crossroad of civilization from the early dawn of history, Larnaca has attracted many visitors – including today some three million travellers and tourists entering Cyprus from the town' s airport, port and the marina. The advantages of Larnaca as a tourist resort are numerous. The town is large enough to give everything one may need but still is not overcrowded especially at its beautiful beaches which extend for 25 kilometers. Summer sports, sea activities and cruises are readily available. The shops are well stocked, medical care is excellent, its cinemas are screening films simultaneously with the cinemas of Europe and the USA. The variety of restaurants, tavernas, cafeterias and bars is huge.

The Cyprus "meze" is the food specialty of the town. Because of the mild climate in the winter and the genuine hospitality of the local people, Larnaca enjoys tourism at very high occupancy rates all the year round. Within its wider area there are some 9.500+ hotel beds, about 10% of the total all island tourist capacity. Along the Larnaca bay there are luxurious beach hotels and also hotel apartments or holiday apartments of very high standards with prices generally lower than the rest of the island. Larnaca, at the centre of the country, is the ideal base for exploring the rest of Cyprus. Its international airport lies a few kilometres from the centre of the town.

Cypriot Property - Famagusta

In eastern Cyprus, is the administrative center of Famagusta District, near the capital city of Nicosia. A seaport, it is a center for the export of citrus fruits and other agricultural products and livestock; other major economic activities include cotton spinning, the distillation of brandy, and fishing. Near the town are the ruins of the ancient city of Salamis, destroyed in AD647. Famagusta was a haven for Christian refugees in 1291 after the fall of Acre (Akko, in what is now Israel) to the Ottoman Turks. The Genoese seized the town in 1376 and controlled it until 1464, when it became a part of the kingdom of Cyprus. In 1489 Famagusta passed into the hands of the Venetians, under whose control it became a rich and flourishing seaport with 30,000 inhabitants. In 1571, after a long siege, it fell to the Turks. The town came under British administration in 1878. Its harbour, once choked with silt, has been dredged. The gold sand beaches near Famagusta town are part of the Cyprus Riviera, packed with luxury hotels and the jewel in the crown of the Cyprus tourist industry. But the Turkish invasion changed all that overnight. The booming tourist industry came to an untimely end and Famagusta became a a quiet holiday backwater.

In more recent years Famagusta has enjoyed a slow resurgence as a tourist vacation resort, though nothing like the scale of its earlier days. Beaches north of the town and around the ancient city of Salamis have reopened and grown into popular holiday destinations. Historically, the long, broad sweep of Famagusta Bay and parts of the the inland Mesaoria plain are the most important areas of Cyprus, home to the mighty kingdom of Salamis and the bronze age city of Enkomi. The old Venetian city of Famagusta itself, with its many churches, is like an open-air museum.Further north, the beautiful wilderness of the Karpas peninsular has some of Cyprus's most magnificent beaches, many undeveloped and all stunningly beautiful. The long finger of the peninsular now has better roads yet it remains a timeless landscape of rolling hills, exquisite beaches and scattered hamlets.

Holiday Home Cyprus - Agia Napa

Aghia Napa has a coastline which attracts numbers of tourists, thanks to its golden sandy beaches. Watersports such as windsurfing, diving, waterskiing, snorkelling are prevalent. The Cyprus Tourism Organisation supervises the beaches and is responsible for protecting the interests of all tourists.

All beaches in Agia Napa have been awarded with the EU blue flag for their level of cleanliness and the comprehensive facilities offered in line with the uniform standards set by the EU.There are a few beaches which are perfect and deserve a visit – one is the Nissi beach. a sandy exotic beach with crystal clear waters it is visited mainly by clubbers and young people at summer it gets very busy. Another is the harbour beach or Limanaki or Pantahou beach -  it is one of the longest beaches of Cyprus and the longest beach of Agia Napa; sandy with crystal clear waters, the harbour beach is a family and relaxing beach with no noise or parties just people who like to relax.

The Square, central to the town, is filled with restaurants, nightclubs and shops, and for many is seen as the focal point of the Agia Napa night-life.Cape Greco is a 10 minute drive from the centre of Ayia Napa, and is considered one of the most beautiful places on the island.  Here lives the reputed Agia Napa Sea Monster – a cross between a porpoise and a dragon!Agia Napa is one of the better known landmarks - it has a charm and charisma that represents a time when Agia Napa was just a sleepy fishing village. It seems that in ancient times, the location where the monastery and the village exists today, was covered with a thick forest, visited only by hunters from the neighbouring villages.

To give you more background as to why you might consider investing in Cyprus, go to the Cyprus Property - Why Invest section, or maybe look at the profile in Snapshot Profile section.

To see what property is available in Cyprus, click here on Cyprus Property. If you cannot find what you like, please contact us on +44 (0)1932 849536, as we have lots more properties than are shown on the website.

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