How to do Cyprus on a budget

Cheap places to stay in Cyprus

You can save money on your Cyprus holiday by staying in a self-catering apartment even if you don’t intend to do much cooking. Having your own fridge means you can stock up on soft drinks, beer and wine from the nearest market instead of paying hotel prices.

You can often find excellent deals too – a double room with a kitchenette at the Sea N Lake View Apartments in Larnaca starts from around €70 (£59) a night, while a night’s stay in one of the serviced apartments at Lakis Court will set you back as little as €54.80 (£46).

All over Cyprus, you’ll pay a premium for a hotel right on the beach. For budget deals, look for apartments, private hostel rooms or villas with pools on the outskirts of Paphos and Limassol. At Lima Sol House, for example, room options start from around €44 (£37) a night.

Cheap eats in Cyprus

Eat like a local in Cyprus and your stomach will thank you as much as your wallet. Meaty snacks such as souvlaki and sheftalia, served up in pitta bread with onions, tomato and salad, hit the spot without needing to fork out on a full dining experience.

Don’t be talked into ordering the full meze platter in restaurants either – instead, do what Cypriots do: order dish by dish.

And, tempting as it is, seafood such as red mullet and lobster comes with a hefty price tag. Opt for squid and whitebait instead – you’ll pay around €15 (£12.60) for a generous plateful.

Even cheaper are savoury pastries such as tahinopita (tahini pie), tiropita (cheese pie) and eliopita (olive pie) from local bakeries. They cost just a couple of euros each.

Free and cheap things to do in Cyprus

Cyprus isn't short on cheap things to do if you know where to look. Keep your itinerary budget-friendly with these activities.

Beaches

It’s the beaches that draw most people to Cyprus. You’ll find the best sandy stretches around Ayia Napa and Protaras, including Nissi Beach.

Access to all beaches is free – but you’ll pay at least €2.50 (£2.10) a day for a lounger and the same again for an umbrella. You’ll find long, empty stretches of sand unsullied by sunbeds at Lara Bay on the Akamas peninsula, but you’ll need your own transport to get there.

Consider bringing your own snorkel to save on rental costs. The calm, shallow waters around Cape Greco have some of the best snorkelling spots on the island.

Museums

Most of Cyprus’s major museums and archaeological sites, such as the spectacular ruins at ancient Kourion, cost around €5 (£4.20) to enter.

The Cyprus Museum, however, is free to visit, as is the Open Air Sculpture Park on Limassol’s seafront promenade.

You’ll also find quirky little village museums full of embroidered costumes, jewellery, old photographs, embroidery and ceramics in villages such as Fiti, Fasoula and Kato Akourdalia.

Architecture

You won’t pay a cent to get into the famous ‘painted churches’ of the Troodos Mountains, with their dazzlingly colourful 12th-century frescoes. The most accessible are inside the walls of ancient Agios Ioannis Lampadistis Monastery, near Kalopanagiotis village.

There are plenty of castles to add to your sightseeing list, too. Originally a Byzantine fort, you can check out dungeons and battlements at Paphos Castle, plus get a bird’s-eye-view over the harbour.

Or visit Kolossi Castle near Limassol to see the former Crusader stronghold for the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Both cost €2.50 (£2.10) to enter.

How to get around Cyprus on a budget

The cheapest way to get from Paphos and Larnaca airports to the resorts is by bus. Local buses, including airport buses, cost €2.40/£2 (€4/£3.30 during night hours) for a single adult ticket within the municipal boundaries of Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca and Nicosia, or a Paper Motion Bus Card allows you to take four trips for €7.50 (£6.30).

Car hire in Cyprus can be a bargain, with rates starting at €10/£8.29 a day from Larnaca Airport when booked online. Look for rental companies that offer ‘fair fuel’ policies – if the fuel gauge reads the same when you return the car as it did when you rented it, you won’t be charged extra.

Cycling is also a cost effective and fun way to get around the island’s cities. Look out for bike sharing systems such as nextbike in Limassol. Prices start from €2.50 (£2.10) for your first sixty minutes and then €1 (85p) for every additional hour.

Insider tips

• Stay in a hotel where a buffet breakfast is included and you’re on to a good thing – Cyprus’s buffets are lavish, all-you-can-eat affairs that combine the best of British with local treats like Cypriot sausages, cheeses, cold meats, olives and lots of fruit.
• The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) offers free guided walks around Paphos, Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia on various weekday mornings. Feeling more energetic? Follow one of the island’s many waymarked walking trails – you can pick up free maps and guides at CTO offices in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Ayia Napa.
• Make the most of Limassol’s festivals. Pay €5 (£4.20) to enter the Limassol Wine Festival and you can taste several different wines for free, courtesy of Limassol Municipality and half a dozen local wineries. You also get a 20% discount voucher you can use on one bottle of wine. The festival lasts for nine days between 27 September and 9 October 2025. In the lead up to Lent, you can enjoy free parades, concerts and dances, and local wine and food tastings at Limassol’s colourful Carnival.

*All prices correct as of 30 May 2025.