Places to avoid in Cyprus

@excellentia69

Hi Martin,

Renting first is a very sensible plan. Cyprus varies a lot from district to district, and a winter spent somewhere tells you far more than a summer holiday.

There are no real "no go" areas in the Republic in the safety sense. It is more about finding the right fit, so it helps to know whether you will be working, retiring, bringing children to school, and whether you want a town or a village. As a rough guide:

1. Limassol: busiest, most international and most expensive for rent. Good if you are working there, less good if budget matters.

2. Paphos: large British community, quieter pace, good for retirees. Some coastal tourist strips (parts of Kato Paphos, Coral Bay) are lively in summer and very quiet in winter, so view them out of season.

3. Larnaca: central, near the airport, generally better value than Limassol, with plenty of rental stock in town.

4. Nicosia: the capital and where most government and corporate jobs are. Hotter in summer, colder in winter, and you are inland.

5. Famagusta (Protaras, Paralimni, Ayia Napa): beautiful but strongly seasonal, and Ayia Napa in particular is party-focused in summer.

@Ohad Crystal

Hi, thanks for this.

It would be just me in Cyprus.

I'm wanting to live a sort of normal life...I don't want it to be loud etc. all week, but do want to be able to go to a gym, shops, a few bars and restaurants, watch sport etc. in a relatively busy environment at weekends or sometimes during the week.

Can you give me a better idea based on the above.

Are the hill villages such as Souni ok?

Thanks again.

If you don't have a car, then life in  some of the villages could be quite limited as public buses are not frequent.

If you live in a village with few English speakers, your social life, obviously, could be fairly restricted beyond "Good morning". But as said above, rent for a year first. 

The villages are lovely, though, if you like quiet and tranquility.

Thanks Neptune. Do you have any recommendations as to where to try/look at etc?

Hi,

I made the move to Kapparis in Farmagusta earlier this year. 

Protaras in very seasonal but Paralimni and Kapparis are open all year round.  I'd recommend researching the areas you are considering and possibly posting on forums like this or the many Cyprus groups on Facebook to see if any locals can provide additional background information.

As others have said try before you buy rent first. Explore the areas that take your fancy ..think long and hard about what you need want and the nice to haves. When you do look visit morning noon and night as the dynamics change

Your choices will be dictated by budget locations and daily personal and family needs.

And remember when it comes to the paperwork .. best to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...

Don't worry to much about making a mistake we have all done it.

Good luck in your search