Holiday in Cyprus: The hottest winter escape

The Christmas villages are open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, and daily from December 22 to January 6. The full information about the fairs and the activities is found on the tourism board website: https://www.visitcyprus.com/

A particularly beautiful village known for its artisans and cozy cafés, it’s best to arrive during daylight to explore and stay until nightfall. Visitors can enjoy scenic entrances, lace cookies, colorful cafés, and streets adorned with bougainvillea, complementing the blue doors and windows against cobbled stone streets. Local stories say that Leonardo da Vinci visited Lefkara and admired its lace.

While in Lefkara, the House 1923 restaurant is highly recommended. The restaurant serves tavas, a traditional local casserole made with lamb, rice, potatoes, and tomatoes, slow-cooked over coals for three hours, delivering rich, authentic flavors.

The main part of the Christmas fair takes place right in front of the restaurant, featuring festive stalls, guided tours, and a variety of arts and crafts workshops for visitors to enjoy.

A picturesque medieval village, where narrow cobbled streets wind past traditional stone houses. Once nearly abandoned, with only eight residents remaining, the village is now experiencing a revival. It features a small rural museum and a cozy café, where brunch is particularly popular. Visitors can wander the village’s historic alleys, beautifully illuminated for the holiday season, and as part of the Christmas festivities, enjoy a charming fair with family-friendly activities including dancing, face painting, and meeting Santa.

The Christmas market stretches across several corners of the town, each with its own charm. In the main square, colorful souvenir stalls mix with lively performances, creating a festive buzz. A short stroll leads to the park, where a bridge spans a stream with noisy swans happily fed by visitors. Along the path, food stalls tempt visitors with seasonal treats, and the crowd favorite is the marshmallows roasted over open bonfires, filling the air with a sweet, smoky aroma.

This is one of Cyprus’s most special Christmas markets, known for its location and decorations. It stretches along the riverside avenue, and the best way to reach it is by funicular (€2), which offers a bird’s-eye view of the market before descending. Trees along the avenue are adorned with festive lights, creating a truly spectacular atmosphere.

Be sure to walk to the far end of the market to see the illuminated Christmas carriage, perfect for photos, and enjoy the cozy area with food stalls, benches, and a bonfire. During Christmas, the village comes alive with arts and crafts workshops, festive houses, live music, and offers walking, cycling, and guided tours.

Limassol perfectly blends coastal charm with vibrant culture. We started exploring it at the Old Port and marina, then hopped on Nextbike e-bikes to ride along the scenic promenade. After the ride, we continued exploring on foot, wandering through narrow alleys lined with centuries-old houses alongside modern buildings adorned with colorful graffiti and blooming bougainvillea. Along the way, we discovered the bustling market and lively Graffiti Square, where an annual event brings together emerging artists to create fresh murals. The Paradox Museum is especially great on rainy days and perfect for the whole family. There are also plenty of shops to browse.

Limassol’s Old Town is full of restaurants, with the covered Agora food market perfect for rainy days. To eat like a local, we tried Sykaminia Tavern, where everyone around us was Cypriot, and the dishes served are exactly what you would find in local homes – authentic homemade cooking at fair prices.

For a more Instagram-worthy experience, a little further away, Loca is a beautifully designed pink floral café with colorful drinks and charming corners, while New York Sweets is the go-to spot for excellent cakes.

If you’re ready to explore beyond the city after your culinary adventure, a short trip to Kourion rewards you with stunning mosaics and a massive cliff-top theater overlooking the sea, or you can head to the mountain villages.

From Limassol, a drive into the Troodos region revealed some of Cyprus’s most picturesque villages. In Lania, we wandered through narrow streets, while I admired the yellow and blue doors, cozy cafés, and hidden arts workshops. Omodos, with its beautiful square and the Holy Cross Church, is famous for its crunchy bread, freshly baked throughout the village. At Stou Kyr Yianni, we enjoyed fusion cuisine in a historic stone house while weekend live music filled the room; I savored both the flavors and the atmosphere of the full set menu for around €30-€35.

For wine enthusiasts, the Oenou Yi Winery is a modern, expansive estate with a stunning visitor center. We joined a guided tour, tasting local grape varieties while exploring the winery’s impressive tanks, learning about the freeze-filtration technique, and wandering through the enormous barrel room. The estate also features a restaurant, making it a full sensory experience combining wine, food, and breathtaking views.

Visitors can easily combine this itinerary with nearby Christmas markets like Kalopanayiotis and Kakopetria, and for those who want to linger, staying overnight allows you to fully soak in the festive atmosphere.

Cyprus offers a wide range of accommodation options, from private rooms and holiday apartments to boutique hotels and luxury resorts. Here are some particularly indulgent choices across the island. Some of these hotels also offer kosher dining options; check with them in advance.

This Marriott luxury property offers an upscale beachfront stay with an indoor pool and a thalassotherapy spa. The gym is fully equipped and offers classes. When we arrived before Christmas, the entrance was decorated like an elf winter village. The hotel features several restaurants, including Italian, French, and Greek, as well as the famous Nammos, where we had a superb dinner. There are also elegant private villas with pools, an adult-only wing with a pool, and an exceptional kids’ club offering full supervision from four months old.

City of Dreams is the Las Vegas of Limassol – a favorite of Israelis. It is a vast resort built around a central casino, offering top-tier spa facilities, an indoor pool, a fully equipped gym, saunas, and a pampering spa. Outside, you’ll find multiple pools, including a heated sea-style pool, a tennis academy, and plenty of activities for kids and teens, such as mini-golf, a ropes park, and a climbing wall.

The location is close to the Old Town, and the property is on a luxury shopping boulevard, with a major designer outlet mall just across the road. The hotel also provides free shuttles to key tourist sites, and comes with a unique “sunshine guarantee” – if it rains during your stay, you’ll receive a free night voucher!

Dining options at the resort are excellent, with at least eight restaurants to choose from. For example, Prime Steakhouse serves premium cuts from three regions, alongside a whiskey selection and a cigar room. We dined at Amber Dragon, an outstanding Asian restaurant with Michelin-starred sister locations.

If you prefer staying in the Troodos Mountains, Pendeli Hotel is an upscale boutique hotel in Platres with 85 rooms, most of which overlook the Troodos range. Reopened in 2025 after a complete renovation, the hotel features a refined, elegant design, a heated outdoor pool open year-round, a spa, a modern gym, a kids’ club, and several dining options. It’s ideal for a mountain retreat.

While planning a trip to Cyprus, the visitcyprus.com website is an excellent resource. The site offers detailed travel itineraries, maps, and free audio guides in multiple languages, including English and Hebrew, making it easy to plan your visit. Also, Cyprus Airways flies daily from Tel Aviv to Larnaca.