# The 10 best beaches in Cyprus, ranked > Our ranked guide to Cyprus beaches: where the water is calmest, which have lifeguards and facilities, and which are worth the drive — family-tested. - Canonical: https://periodiko.com/best-beaches-cyprus/ - Updated: 2026-07-04 --- Cyprus has one of Europe's highest densities of Blue Flag beaches — 64 certified in 2025 — which means clean water, lifeguards in season, and real facilities are the norm, not the exception. This ranking weighs what matters when you actually live here: water entry, shade, parking, and how a beach handles an August Saturday. ## 1. Fig Tree Bay, Protaras ![Fig Tree Bay and its islet, Protaras](/media/articles/imported/beaches-fig-tree-bay.jpg) *Photo: Catauggie, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons* The benchmark. Cyprus's first Blue Flag (1996), regularly ranked among Europe's best beaches, with fine pale sand and water so shallow and clear that small children can paddle for an hour before it reaches their waist. The islet just offshore is a 50-meter swim for confident swimmers. Arrive before 10:00 in summer — parking and front-row sunbeds go early. ## 2. Konnos Bay, Cape Greco ![Konnos Bay in season, Cape Greco](/media/articles/imported/beaches-konnos-bay.jpg) *Photo: Motorsporteditor, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons* The prettiest setting on the island: a pine-backed cove inside Cape Greco National Forest Park with famously calm, deep-turquoise water. Best snorkeling of any organized beach here. The walk down from the parking is steep — manageable with a toddler, hard with a pram. ## 3. Nissi Beach, Ayia Napa ![The shallow lagoon at Nissi Beach, Ayia Napa](/media/articles/imported/beaches-nissi-beach.jpg) Five hundred meters of pale sand and a knee-deep lagoon to the islet. Before noon it is one of the best family swims in Cyprus; from early afternoon in season the beach bars turn the volume up and it becomes a party beach. Go early, leave at lunch, and it earns its ranking. ## 4. Coral Bay, Peyia ![The crescent of Coral Bay, Peyia](/media/articles/imported/beaches-coral-bay.jpg) The west coast's answer to Fig Tree Bay: a sheltered golden crescent with gradual entry, full facilities, and easy parking. The default family beach for the Paphos side of the island. ## 5. Lara Beach, Akamas ![Lara Beach on the Akamas peninsula](/media/articles/imported/beaches-lara-beach.jpg) *Photo: Dm Bsg, [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons* The wild one. A protected loggerhead and green turtle nesting ground on the Akamas peninsula, reachable only by dirt track — high clearance or a 4x4 recommended. No sunbeds, no kiosks, no shade: bring everything. In exchange you get the most unspoiled major beach in the south. ## 6. Makronissos, Ayia Napa ![The main cove at Makronissos, Ayia Napa](/media/articles/imported/beaches-makronissos.jpg) *Photo: Marek Ślusarczyk, [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons* Nissi's quieter sibling: a chain of small coves around a headland with soft sand, calm water, and a fraction of the crowd. The most underrated family beach on the east coast. ## 7. Mackenzie, Larnaca The city beach: dark-gold sand, shallow water, a strip of cafés and tavernas at your back — several of which we have verified — and low-flying arrivals into Larnaca airport overhead that children adore. The most practical beach on this list: bus routes, parking, and lunch within 50 meters. ## 8. Governor's Beach, Limassol district Black-grey sand against low white chalk cliffs — the most photogenic contrast on the coast. Small coves, a couple of long-standing fish tavernas, and warmer water than most thanks to the shallow shelf. ## 9. Kourion, Episkopi A big, breezy sweep of beach below the ancient Kourion theatre. The steady wind makes it the choice for windsurfing and for anyone who finds the east-coast bays too still — but it's the wrong pick for small children when the swell is up. ## 10. Lady's Mile, Limassol Seven kilometers of flat, hard-packed sand and ankle-deep water stretching toward the salt lake. Zero glamour, maximum practicality: drive up, park at the water, and let small kids run. Café shacks dot the length of it.