Found on the eastern side of Cyprus, Ayia Napa is a popular spot for young travellers, especially Brits. As there is no airport at Ayia Napa, the easiest entry point into Cyprus is to fly into Larnaca International Airport (LCA). Larnaca Airport is located on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca and is approximately 60km west from Ayia Napa. These locations lead you to the next obvious question: How do you get from Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport? Read on to discover the different options for getting to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport as well as a step-by-step guide for getting there by bus (fantastic if you’re on a budget!)
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Where is Ayia Napa?
First things first, Ayia Napa is found in Cyprus on the eastern side of the country. This place is known for being a young British party spot and therefore attracts thousands of young British adults each summer. As mentioned above, Ayia Napa is approximately 60km east of Larnaca Airport, which is the easiest entry point into Cyprus for your Ayia Napa holiday.
How to get to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport
There are a few options available online to transfer you from Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa.
Taxi
You can catch a taxi between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa. The journey between the two places will take approximately 40 minutes and online taxis are advertised at being about €40 one way. If you are travelling with friends or a group of people where you can split the cost a taxi can be a very convenient and inexpensive way to transfer from Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa.
Airport Transfer
Many hotels in Ayia Napa offer paid airport transfers between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa. Like a taxi this is a convenient option as you will be delivered from door-to-door. When I visited Ayia Napa I was quoted €90 for an airport transfer from Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa by my accommodation, which I declined as I had planned to take the bus. It is always worth asking your hotel if they offer this service (and if they don’t you can find companies online that will offer transfers between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa) and compare it with your other options. Find and book your Ayia Napa hotel here.
Car Hire
For those wanting independence and freedom to move as they wish, car hire in Cyprus is a great option to consider. In Cyprus they drive on the left (which is good news for us left side driving countries!) and the roads are well maintained – and easy to navigate between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa. Conveniently, there are many car hire companies available at the airport so you can jump into your car hire and go. Book your car hire in advance here.
Public Bus
Now as mentioned above, there is also the option to transfer from Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa by bus. Unfortunately there is not a direct bus between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa, which means you’ll need to take two different buses to get between. This added step initially put me off travelling to Ayia Napa by bus (as well as the fact I found it hard to find clear and easy information online about how to travel between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa) but the more research I did into it, the more I realised it was going to probably be quite simple. Read on to discover how to get to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport by public bus (or at least how I did it!)
How to get to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport by public bus
As mentioned above, there are two buses you need to take to get to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport. This is because the main bus between Larnaca and Ayia Napa doesn’t leave from the airport but from within the Larnaca city itself. Therefore you need to catch a bus from Larnaca Airport into Larnaca first.
Larnaca Airport to Larnaca
To meet the Larnaca to Ayia Napa bus, I wanted to get as close as possible to Larnaca Marina as this was the closest point I could find to Finikoudes Beach where the Larnaca to Ayia Napa bus departs (more on this below). When I visited there were a number of buses that will take you from Larnaca Airport to Larnaca and I chose line 425. You can find out the most up-to-date information on what bus route is available to take on Cyprus Public Transport’s Journey Planner (side note: I find this website easier to use on a desktop rather than a mobile) where you can put your Starting Point as the Larnaca Airport and Destination as Larnaca Marina. In my experience, this Journey Planner website shows the departing times as several hours after you’ve searched – however, the buses came frequently in real life.
Finding the right bus stop at Larnaca Airport is the most (and probably only) complicated part of your journey between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa. When you first enter the arrival section of Larnaca Airport, you’ll see a sign saying ‘buses.’ Thinking the obvious, I followed this sign outside of the arrival hall to a number of buses, only to find the buses I wanted… weren’t there. Luckily someone saw this and asked where I was going and pointed me in the right direction.
Instead of following the ‘buses’ sign at Larnaca Airport, head upstairs to the departures area (this is easy via the escalators). From here you want to exit Larnaca Airport to the outside area where people are being dropped off.
Once outside, walk to your left (if you are facing away from the airport entrance) and walk to the end where you’ll find the bus stop you need.
You have to pay cash to the bus driver when you board. When I visited a one-way ticket for an adult was €2. There was luggage racks to put your luggage if needed.
The journey took approximately 25 minutes. I put Larnaca Marina into Google Maps and used that to track when to get off but the bus driver was also helpful so you could ask them to make sure they stop at the closest spot for you. The bus didn’t take me quite to Larnaca Marina but close enough that it was only a 10 minute walk to the next leg of the journey.
Larnaca to Ayia Napa with Intercity Buses
One bus company that takes you from Larnaca to Ayia Napa is Intercity Buses. The journey between Larnaca and Ayia takes just over an hour or so. I confirmed with the company the day before that this stop below was their bus stop in Ayia Napa that is closest to the Larnaca Marina. You can find this location on Google Maps here.
You have to pay cash to the bus driver when you board. When I visited a one-way ticket for an adult was €4; however, there were other options for daily, weekly, monthly and annual tickets as well. You can find the latest information on the timetable as well as ticket prices for their Larnaca to Ayia Napa route on their official website here.
The bus stop was well marked and easy to find and I only had to wait about 15 minutes for the bus to arrive.
About 5 minutes before the bus did arrive, a large black car pulled up offering €5 pp journeys to Ayia Napa. Being new to the country and travelling by myself I was cautious, but a lot of people jumped at it. He was saying the journey with him would only take 20 minutes (opposed to the hour it takes via the bus).
When the bus arrived, I put my bags in the compartment underneath the bus, paid the driver for my ticket and sat down. I’m not sure how busy the bus between Larnaca and Ayia Napa normally gets but it was pretty empty for my journey. There are other bus stops in Larnaca where more passengers are picked up and then we were on our way.
Larnaca to Ayia Napa with OSEA Buses
In addition to Intercity Buses taking people between Larnaca and Ayia Napa, there is also OSEA Buses – Line 711. When I visited Ayia Napa, I caught the bus from Larnaca to Ayia Napa with Intercity Buses and the return journey from Ayia Napa to Larnaca with OSEA Buses. The journey with OSEA buses was very similar as the journey with Intercity Buses, with one major advantage: Larnaca to Ayia Napa bus tickets on OSEA buses were only €1.50! By travelling between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa with OSEA Buses, the entire journey only cost €3.50 as opposed to €6.
The journey between Larnaca and Ayia Napa on OSEA Buses was slightly longer than with Intercity Buses at 1 hour 20 minutes. OSEA buses also have luggage storage underneath the bus for your bags and this bus did fill up. This bus also has a digital screen updating where you are and what the next bus stops are for your awareness.
You can find out more about the bus route between Larnaca and Ayia Napa with OSEA Buses here. Just click on route 711 for the up to date timetable and prices.
Ayia Napa Bus Stop
There were a few bus stops in the Ayia Napa region you could disembark at, including the popular Nissi Beach. As I was going into the centre of Ayia Napa I disembarked at the Ayia Napa Monastery, which is one of the main bus stops in Ayia Napa. Both Intercity Buses and OSEA buses depart and arrive at this bus stop and it is well marked with OSEA bus signs. You can find its exact location on Google Maps here. Please check what side of the road you need to be on when you arrive as the buses going in different directions will be on either side of the road.
The benefits of travelling to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport by bus
The real obvious benefit I saw in travelling to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport by bus was the cost. The entire journey between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa cost between €3.5 and €6, depending which bus company you went with. There is a bit more fuss getting to Ayia Napa via bus but I found overall it to be a very easy experience and considerably cheaper than all the alternative ways. Travelling between Larnaca Airport and Ayia Napa by bus is a great option if you are travelling solo or you and your friends are on a budget and want to save your money for your holiday, not travelling to it!
If you are interested in how to get to Ayia Napa from Larnaca Airport, you may also be interested in:
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- How to get to the Ayia Napa sea caves (and sea window!)
- A day in Northern Cyprus
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- The best photo spots in Ios Greece
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- How to do Europe on a budget: The ultimate tips and tricks
