Protaras

Fig Tree Bay's shallow turquoise water, a chapel on a rock with 153 steps, and evenings that end at midnight rather than five.

Protaras is Ayia Napa with the volume turned down, which for most people is an improvement. The centre of gravity is Fig Tree Bay: a broad, pale-sand bay with a small rocky islet a short swim offshore, water that stays waist-deep for a long way out, and a fig tree that has been there since the sixteenth century. It is regularly voted among Europe's better beaches and it earns it — the sand is fine, the shelf is gentle, and there are lifeguards, showers and sunbeds at around €5-7 a pair through the season.

The town itself is essentially one road, Protara Avenue, running behind the beaches with hotels on the sea side and restaurants, mini-markets and a few bars on the other. It is not beautiful architecture and nobody claims it is. What it does have is a run of good coves in both directions — Sunrise Beach and Vrissiana to the south, Pernera and Kapparis north, Konnos Bay in its pine-lined amphitheatre towards Cape Greco — all within a few kilometres and all swimmable.

At nine in the evening the seafront is families walking off dinner, ice creams at €3, and the dancing fountain shows that a couple of venues run nightly in summer. Bars exist and stay open until one or two, but there is no club scene and no promoters; Ayia Napa is ten minutes away by bus if you want that. Above it all sits Profitis Ilias chapel on its rock — 153 steps up, floodlit at night, and the best free view on this coast, taking in the whole bay and Cape Greco.

Base here with children, with parents, or if you want the eastern coast's water without the eastern coast's noise. Skip it if you are after nightlife, if you want history — this stretch has almost none beyond the chapel and Paralimni's churches — or if you are travelling from November to March, when a large share of the hotels close and the seafront is empty. May, June, September and October are the sweet spot: warm sea, half the price, room on the sand.

Where to stay in Protaras

The seafront road either side of Fig Tree Bay is the premium band: four- and five-star hotels with direct beach access at €150-280 in August and €80-130 in May or October. One street back from Protara Avenue you save €30-50 a night and lose a three-minute walk, which is the smartest trade in the resort. Pernera and Kapparis, two to four kilometres north, are quieter and more apartment-heavy at €60-110, with small sandy coves and a much more residential feel — good for two-week stays, less good if you want to walk to dinner variety. Konnos-side hotels towards Cape Greco are the calmest and priciest and effectively require a car. Avoid booking blind on "Protaras" alone: the name is used loosely from Kapparis to Cape Greco, a spread of eight kilometres, so check the exact distance to Fig Tree Bay before you pay.

The essentials

Fig Tree Bay to Konnos Cliffs (6 km)

Begin on the sand at Fig Tree Bay, take the coastal boardwalk south past Vrissiana and Sunrise Beach, then follow the shore path as it climbs onto low limestone cliffs. Pass the small chapels and rock inlets, drop into Konnos Bay for a swim, then climb the far side towards the Cape Greco boundary before turning back along the same route.

Getting there & around

Larnaca airport is 55-65 minutes away; shared transfers cost about €14-20 a head and a taxi €65-80. Intercity coaches run from Larnaca to Paralimni and Protaras for roughly €5, several times daily. Locally, buses 101 and 102 loop between Protaras, Paralimni and Ayia Napa every 15-30 minutes in summer for €1.50 a single or €5 a day pass, with the Protaras stops strung along the main seafront road. Within the resort a road train also shuttles the beaches in season. Everything from Fig Tree Bay to Sunrise Beach is walkable in twenty minutes; you only need a car for Cape Greco at dawn or trips north to Famagusta.