Cyprus – Larnaca

Larnaka revolves around its seaside position. The coastal promenade – known universally as the Finikoudes – is where locals and visitors alike come for a morning coffee or an evening beer, to flop out on the beach during the day and to stroll at sunset. It’s the hub of the scene, with restaurants, cafes and bars galore, and during summer it fully revs up for the annual flood of holidaymakers.

Take a few steps inland, though, and a less tourism-centred side of Larnaka unfolds. The modern downtown district has stayed determinedly low-rise and has a proper community feel and working-town atmosphere, while the old Turkish quarter of Skala is a slice of days-gone-by Cyprus, with plenty of quaintly dilapidated shutter-windowed and whitewashed houses. Between the two you’ll find the Byzantine church of Agios Lazaros and Larnaka’s little fort, both of which – in their own ways – have kept an eye on the town for centuries.