Limassol, Cyprus

Has anyone done a private shore excursion at this port? If so, who did you use and what did you see? Would you recommend the company you booked with? Any information will be helpful. We will be there in November.

I can't answer your question but have a related one. I am thinking of renting a car for our stop in Cyprus. Does anyone have any experience with this? I hear it is a beautiful place for scenic coastline drives.

I can't answer your question but have a related one. I am thinking of renting a car for our stop in Cyprus. Does anyone have any experience with this? I hear it is a beautiful place for scenic coastline drives.

Traffic is pretty heavy in Limassol, and once outside of the city they tend to drive pretty fast ... plus they drive on the left side of the road.

We went to Paphos - a very nice harbor town and UNESCO World Heritage site. Took a private shuttle there (arranged at the port) and a taxi back. Paphos is about 45 miles from Limassol and during the time that we had in port (7 hours), that's about as far as I would want to go on my own there.

Thank you so much Susan for the heads up. We will not be driving in Cyprus!

Has anyone done a private shore excursion at this port? If so, who did you use and what did you see? Would you recommend the company you booked with? Any information will be helpful. We will be there in November.

What sort of thing interests you as part of the other plans for this trip?

Historic; then consider heading west along the coast to Kurium and/or on to Paphos and the Tomb of the Kings. Stop and look at Aphrodite's Rock and the fantastic coastline along the way.

Cultural; then think about Nicosia. Wander the old city on the south side then walk across to the northern side of the island via the Ledra Street crossing. This is the last remaining divided capital city of the world. Have lunch in the Han, the old camel station, before you head back.

Food, Drink, Culture; take a trip up into the Troodos mountains. Visit wineries along the way, enjoy a winetasting session and pick up a bottle or two to take back to the ship. Come back via some of the older villages on the island, such as Lefkara, where lace and silver-work is still carried out.

Some links that might give you more ideas;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourion

http://www.paragliding-cyprus.com/curium.htm

http://www.placesonline.com/europe/c...f_the_king.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akamas

http://kypros.org/Sxetikos/Monastiri...rovouniE-1.htm

http://www.swaypage.com/tsiakkas/

http://www.lefkara.org.cy/

http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city...mis/index.html

http://www.pbase.com/omeryagiz/great_inn

http://www.cyprus44.com/kyrenia/st-hilarion-castle.asp

Getting from the port, in a hire car, onto the highway shouldn't take very long. Perhaps 30 minutes at the most. Yes, driving is on the left but apart from that is remarkably similar to that in any major north American city.

Mands

We went to Paphos - a very nice harbor town and UNESCO World Heritage site. Took a private shuttle there (arranged at the port) and a taxi back.

Hi Susan!

So if I understand you correctly, you did not make prior arrangement for Limassol but found something at the port? I'm hoping to go to Paphos or Curium but I can't remember last time we were there if there were any taxis offering tours... thanks for clarifying for me!!

Again, thanks for your help!

MC

I went on a tour over to Paphos. I'd seen exquisite mosiacs in Antioch a few days earlier so didn't go to the museum in Paphos, but those who went said they were lovely. I just wandered around the port a bit.

We also went to the historical site where St. Paul had been.

The drive back along the coast was spectacular.

You know how some ports are nice but nothing more. My one day in Cyprus left me wanting more.

Hi Susan!

So if I understand you correctly, you did not make prior arrangement for Limassol but found something at the port? I'm hoping to go to Paphos or Curium but I can't remember last time we were there if there were any taxis offering tours... thanks for clarifying for me!!

 

Again, thanks for your help!

MC

Hi MC,

We used a shuttle service (Travel & Express) that we arranged at the port. We decided to try to duplicate what another poster had done (see the link below), and it went very well for the trip to Paphos but the shuttle was a 'no show' for the promised pick up at 11:30. At 12 p.m. we hired a taxi at a cost of 60 euros to take us back to Limassol ... expensive but still worth it to see a bit of Cyprus and to spend time at Paphos.

Here's the post which gives info on this shuttle, as well as other options for transportation: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=13223272#post13223272

Traffic is pretty heavy in Limassol, and once outside of the city they tend to drive pretty fast ... plus they drive on the left side of the road.

 

We went to Paphos - a very nice harbor town and UNESCO World Heritage site. Took a private shuttle there (arranged at the port) and a taxi back. Paphos is about 45 miles from Limassol and during the time that we had in port (7 hours), that's about as far as I would want to go on my own there.

Susan,

What was the cost of the shuttle and taxi. The RCL tour to Pathos is $49 a person. Wondering which way to go.

Susan

We will be in Cypress on Nov.24,09, and are looking for a tour. Does anyone know someone that does tours and is recommended? There are four of us and we like historical and cultural tours, also the women like any shopping that can be done at the same time.

Thank you for any help.

tjone

Traffic is pretty heavy in Limassol, and once outside of the city they tend to drive pretty fast ... plus they drive on the left side of the road.

 

We went to Paphos - a very nice harbor town and UNESCO World Heritage site. Took a private shuttle there (arranged at the port) and a taxi back. Paphos is about 45 miles from Limassol and during the time that we had in port (7 hours), that's about as far as I would want to go on my own there.

We only have 5 hours in Limassol and I have tentatively hired a car. But since they won't deliver to the port, I don't think we can waste the time looking for the car rental place in town.

Therefore, can anyone give any links or emails to private tour operators who can take 5 of us to Kourion for about a 4 hour tour?

I cannot vouch for them yet, but two groups on our upcoming cruise have hired mini busses from Christours:

christours@cytanet.com.cy

http://www.christours.com

They are taking us to Paphos, Kourion and Kolossi.

We will be in Cypress on Nov.24,09, and are looking for a tour. Does anyone know someone that does tours and is recommended? There are four of us and we like historical and cultural tours, also the women like any shopping that can be done at the same time.

Thank you for any help.

tjone

We also will be in Cyprus Nov 24, 09. Are you on Brilliance of the Seas? Perhaps we could arrange a tour together.

What sort of thing interests you as part of the other plans for this trip?

 

Historic; then consider heading west along the coast to Kurium and/or on to Paphos and the Tomb of the Kings. Stop and look at Aphrodite's Rock and the fantastic coastline along the way.

 

Cultural; then think about Nicosia. Wander the old city on the south side then walk across to the northern side of the island via the Ledra Street crossing. This is the last remaining divided capital city of the world. Have lunch in the Han, the old camel station, before you head back.

 

Food, Drink, Culture; take a trip up into the Troodos mountains. Visit wineries along the way, enjoy a winetasting session and pick up a bottle or two to take back to the ship. Come back via some of the older villages on the island, such as Lefkara, where lace and silver-work is still carried out.

 

Some links that might give you more ideas;

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourion

http://www.paragliding-cyprus.com/curium.htm

http://www.placesonline.com/europe/c...f_the_king.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akamas

http://kypros.org/Sxetikos/Monastiri...rovouniE-1.htm

http://www.swaypage.com/tsiakkas/

http://www.lefkara.org.cy/

http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city...mis/index.html

http://www.pbase.com/omeryagiz/great_inn

http://www.cyprus44.com/kyrenia/st-hilarion-castle.asp

 

Getting from the port, in a hire car, onto the highway shouldn't take very long. Perhaps 30 minutes at the most. Yes, driving is on the left but apart from that is remarkably similar to that in any major north American city.

 

Mands

Found these links most helpful.

I cannot vouch for them yet, but two groups on our upcoming cruise have hired mini busses from Christours:

christours@cytanet.com.cy

www.christours.com

 

They are taking us to Paphos, Kourion and Kolossi.

I've emailed this guy twice with no response. Even tried ringing. Has anyone had a recent response from him?

I've emailed this guy twice with no response. Even tried ringing. Has anyone had a recent response from him?

I emailed yesterday; no response.

Has anyone gone from Limassol to the Turkish side of the Island? If so, what tour company did you use or just rent a car? At a minimum, is it quick to make the crossing at Nicosia? Do you need to bring your passport to have it stamped going over and back?

thanks,

marc

Has anyone gone from Limassol to the Turkish side of the Island? If so, what tour company did you use or just rent a car? At a minimum, is it quick to make the crossing at Nicosia? Do you need to bring your passport to have it stamped going over and back?

 

thanks,

 

marc

Hi Marc,

I live in Cyprus and cross a few times a year. As with so many things whether it's quick really depends on a number of factors.

There are two crossing points in Nicosia/Lefkosia; a pedestrian and car crossing to the west of the city and a pedestrian-only crossing within the old city.

Did you have one or the other in mind? If you want to explore old Nicosia then park the car on the south side of the city walls and walk through the Ledra Street crossing. If you aim to explore outside Nicosia then you'll need to drive through the western crossing point.

Unless you have an exceptionally long time in port then you'll struggle to get time to see much beyond Nicosia. If you allow an hour to get to Nicosia, and another to get back plus, say half an hour to cross and a margin of error for getting back then there's not much time left for driving in the North.

If you want to explore the two sides of Nicosia then you should be fine. Collect your car, hit the motorway and drive into Nicosia. Park up and then walk over. You'll need your passport and to apply for a visa at the border. Depending on traffic that should take anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes.

There's a fantastic old camel station, the Great Inn, which has been renovated. Stop and have lunch or a coffee there. From there take a wander over to the old cathedral, now a mosque, and so on.

When you are done walk back through, showing passport and visa again, collect the car and head back to Limassol.

Mands

Did anyone ever use Christours in Limassol. It has been mentioned above but it seems there was no responses to requests.

We will be in Limassol in Dec. and looking for a tour. Do you think it would be best to just get a taxi on arrival?

Thanks for any information.

Did anyone ever use Christours in Limassol. It has been mentioned above but it seems there was no responses to requests.

We will be in Limassol in Dec. and looking for a tour. Do you think it would be best to just get a taxi on arrival?

Thanks for any information.

I would strongly recommend you stay away from this person. I booked him for a 8-2 pm tour, rang him twice and emailed many times. When the ship arrived he was NOT there and when I called, he sounded like I had woken him up. He said he'd send someone, but fortunately by that time I had found a taxi driver called Nick who took us for the few hours we had. Sure, his English was poor and his taxi old, but we saw the main sites within the few hours we had.

Thanks for your info. Exactly what did you see? We are in port from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Most people in CC recommend Kurion and/or Paphos. Do you remember the cost for the taxi? We are 4 adults.

Thanks for your info. Exactly what did you see? We are in port from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Most people in CC recommend Kurion and/or Paphos. Do you remember the cost for the taxi? We are 4 adults.

I doubt you'll have time to do both Kourion and Paphos in the short time you have. We did Kourion, Apollo's sanctuary, Aphrodite's birthplace and Paphos for a lunch stop as it has a nice port area. But we didn't have time to do the Paphos ruins. It was a very pleasant day. The taxi charged us about 150 euros for 5 of us last December. Organise the price before you start the tour- it should be anything from about 140- 180.

That got us back to the ship just in time, and with your time limits, probably some of the ruins will be closed after 5.

Thanks again for your info. Does anyone have an email for George who is mentioned above? I just emailed Andreas Stamos for his rates and schedules.

Thanks for your info. Exactly what did you see? We are in port from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Most people in CC recommend Kurion and/or Paphos. Do you remember the cost for the taxi? We are 4 adults.

Please keep in mind that Paphos is about 1 hour from Limassol on the Motorway, so 2 hours are gone in transit. With your time limits, I'd recommend Kourion and Apollo's sanctuary which are next to each other.

Cyprus was a lovely place, but the cruiselines don't give enough time there.

Kaz,

Thanks again for your useful information in Limassol.

I am confusing Limassol with Katakolon! I did get an email for George and a response from Andreas. Will see who has the better deal! Being the only ship in port I would assume would make a difference in price in Limassol and Katakolon.