Larnaca

About Larnaca

Larnaca is Cyprus's cruise port on the island's southern coast and a less-crowded Eastern Mediterranean alternative to Limassol. Ships dock at the commercial harbor a short walk from the Finikoudes seafront promenade and the Byzantine Church of Saint Lazarus. Excursions run to the Troodos Mountains' UNESCO-listed painted churches and the ancient city of Kition. Larnaca's airport is 10 minutes from the port — unusually convenient for fly-cruise.

• Larnaca is built on the ruins of Kition, an Ancient Greek city-state founded around the 13th century BC; it is believed to have been a major Mycenaean settlement and later a Phoenician city.
• The Stoic philosopher Zeno of Citium — founder of Stoicism, one of the most influential schools of ancient philosophy — was born in Kition (modern Larnaca) around 334 BC.
• The Church of Saint Lazarus in central Larnaca is said to be built over the tomb of Lazarus of Bethany, whom the Bible records Jesus raised from the dead; Lazarus is believed to have become the first Bishop of Kition after fleeing to Cyprus.
• Larnaca's palm-tree-lined seaside promenade, Finikoudes (Greek for 'palm trees'), is one of the most recognizable seafronts in Cyprus and gives the waterfront its distinctive tropical-Mediterranean character.
• Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus's primary gateway, though it is actually located in the neighbouring village of Dromolaxia rather than Larnaca itself — the airport name is something of a geographic misnomer.