Getting Around Limassol
Limassol stretches along the Mediterranean coast, with its historic centre clustered around the medieval Limassol Castle and the Old Port, and its suburbs reaching eastward along the shore. Because the city is long and linear rather than compact, how you get around depends a lot on where you're staying and what you want to see. The good news for visitors is that the main tourist areas are reasonably well served by buses, bicycles and taxis, and the three principal roads — the Beach Road, Makarios Avenue, and Griva Digeni (which becomes Kolonakou and then Spyros Kyprianou as it continues east) — form the backbone of most journeys.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Limassol has no rail, metro or tram network. There is no train service into or within the city, and no urban rail system to plan around. For practical purposes, your options are buses, taxis, bicycles, rental cars and walking.
Buses and Public Transport
The city bus service has been upgraded in recent years, with more routes and better schedules, though waiting times can still be long. Detailed information and maps are available on the EMEL bus company website.
The principal route for visitors is the #30, which runs along the beach road from the Le Meridien hotel up to the New Port (and to the Old Port after 18:00). It runs roughly every 15 minutes, making it the most convenient way to move between the beachfront hotels and the port area.
- Cost per trip is €1.50.
- Day tickets cost €5.
If you're arriving from elsewhere on the island, intercity buses connect Limassol with Larnaca, Paphos, Nicosia and Troodos. These are usually green and make multiple stops within the origin and destination cities, but no stops once on the highway. Updated timetables are on the intercity bus website.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the most popular way for tourists to get around, but they are expensive and it is common for drivers to ignore the meter. Sharing a taxi is also popular and can work out to a more reasonable fare.
Ride-hailing is available through the Bolt app, which calls an official taxi and runs the meter through the app. The initial value will be slightly higher than hailing a taxi yourself, but if a Bolt taxi arrives, drivers usually stick to the app — especially if you pay within it. Availability can be patchy, though, and cars are regularly unavailable.
Be aware that taxis can be hard to find outside a few central tourist locations. You're unlikely to catch one even a kilometre or two away from those spots, and companies may decline to send a car if you call, particularly outside the ring road or at peak hours. Drivers sometimes hand out business cards, but these typically represent the same taxi companies. Don't expect to find a taxi easily outside the city or in a random location.
Official urban taxi tariffs (as of 2022) are €3.80 initial, €0.95 per kilometre, and €17.00 per hour waiting between 06:00 and 20:30, rising to €4.80, €1.10 and €19.00 at night. Extra surcharges apply: €2 on public holidays, plus 20% for taxis carrying five passengers and 50% for six. The minimum fare was €5 before 2022, and it is unclear what it is now. In practice, expect to pay more than the official rate — roughly €3 extra with Bolt or unofficial companies, and up to one and a half to two times the official fare with official taxis. That can add up to about €10 for a short one- to two-kilometre trip.
For intercity travel, Travel Express runs a shared minibus service between the major towns, and can pick up from Larnaca and Paphos airports. It is much cheaper than a taxi but more expensive than the intercity buses, and it takes you door to door. Bookings should be made in advance, though if a minibus isn't full you can normally get on the next one.
Walking and Cycling
The beach road has a dedicated bicycle lane stretching from the Old Port to the Dasoudi area. In summer it gets very hot, so plan rides for cooler parts of the day.
Shared bikes are available in Limassol centre and along the bicycle lane to the east, operated by Nextbike. The easternmost location is near the Grand Resort, well beyond the city centre. Pricing is €2 for the first 60 minutes, or €8 for 24 hours.
Walking works well within the historic centre around the castle and Old Port, and along the beachfront, but the city's linear layout means that longer hops between the centre and the eastern suburbs are better done by bus, bike or taxi.
Driving and Car Rental
Driving in Limassol mirrors the rest of Cyprus: often aggressive, with a lax attitude toward traffic rules. Be aware that there are a number of fixed red-light and speeding cameras across the city. Tourists are most likely to encounter them along the coastal road, where several are installed.
Traditional car rental is available at both airports and within Limassol itself. RideNow offers minute-by-minute rental within Limassol and covers nearly the whole city; for short trips it is often significantly cheaper than a taxi. Cars are scattered throughout most areas and rented via an app, but you must hold a European driving licence to create a RideNow account.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Limassol is about a 40-minute drive from both Larnaca International Airport (LCA) and Paphos Airport (PFO). Larnaca mainly serves traditional airlines, while most Ryanair flights land at Paphos. Transfer from Larnaca is generally slightly cheaper even though the distance is the same.
On taxis: the official fixed fare from the airport has not been updated since the early 2000s and is still listed at €55, but no driver will accept that. As of late 2023, official taxis charge around €100 per car with luggage between Paphos and Limassol. Unofficial transfer companies that you find online and pre-book tend to be about €20 cheaper, and transfers from Larnaca are slightly cheaper still.
There is a regular shuttle bus service from both Larnaca and Paphos airports. Limassol Airport Express runs a shuttle roughly every hour or so, and tickets can be bought at a desk in the airport. One important caveat: the final bus station for this service is next to Agios Georgios Havouzas Church, in the outer suburbs of Limassol, so be prepared to take a taxi or rental car onward to your accommodation. If you arrange a pick-up from a shuttle bus stop, note that these stops are away from the central areas — the bus driver may be able to help arrange a taxi.
If you're spending time in Larnaca or Paphos before continuing to Limassol, you can take one of the green intercity buses instead, which have multiple stops in each city but run non-stop on the highway.