Christmas in Cyprus 2026: Restaurants, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Menus and Festive Parties

Christmas in Cyprus is a family affair, but plenty of families, expats and office teams book a table rather than cook. The big hotels lead the way, with Christmas Eve dinners, Christmas Day buffets, Boxing Day lunches and party packages for groups. This guide covers where to go in each district, what a festive meal usually costs and when to book.

What is confirmed for 2026: when we checked on 4 November 2026, Four Seasons in Limassol had published its 2026 festive prices, and Adams Beach Hotel in Ayia Napa had confirmed it stays open for events until 4 January 2027. Most other hotels and restaurants had not yet announced their 2026 menus or party dates, so for them we describe what they offered in 2025, clearly marked as 2025.

When are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2026?

• Thursday 24 December, Christmas Eve: shops must close by 18:00. It is a big night out for dinners, jazz and DJ evenings.
• Friday 25 December, Christmas Day: a public holiday. Lunch is the main meal, eaten after the morning church service.
• Saturday 26 December, Boxing Day: also a public holiday, known locally as the second day of Christmas. Several hotels serve a Boxing Day lunch buffet.

Because 25 and 26 December fall on a Friday and Saturday, you get a long weekend running into Sunday 27 December. Many family tavernas close on Christmas Day, so do not count on walking in.

What to expect when you book

• A fixed price per person. Expect a set menu or buffet, not à la carte. Check whether drinks are included.
• Children's prices. Hotels charge less for children, usually under-12s, and some let toddlers eat free.
• A deposit or full prepayment. In 2025 Crowne Plaza Limassol asked for a 50% deposit; for 2026 Four Seasons asks for full prepayment for 24, 25 and 26 December.
• Three price levels. Village tavernas outside the towns are the cheapest, usually with a generous meze and no entertainment. Restaurants with a festive set menu sit in the middle. Hotel lunches with live music, shows or a well-known chef cost the most.
• Book early. In early December 2025 Christmas bookings were 40–50% full, with the main rush still to come. Book in November for a particular hotel or time.
• Dress code. Hotel festive meals are usually smart casual.

Limassol: the widest choice

Limassol has the most hotel options, mostly along the coast east of town.

Four Seasons has already published its 2026 festive programme. On Christmas Eve (24 December 2026) dinner starts at 19:00: a set menu costs about €135 per adult and €95 per child under 12, and the buffet dinner at Tropical costs €90–€95 per adult and €60 per child (the hotel's two 2026 menus give slightly different adult prices, so confirm when you book). On Christmas Day lunch starts at 12:30, with a set menu and a live duo for about €145 per adult and €80 per child, or a buffet lunch at Tropical for about €150 per adult and €108 per child. The Boxing Day buffet lunch at 12:30 costs about €130 per adult and €95 per child. Prices include VAT, full prepayment is required and the dress code is smart casual. Book through restaurant reservations on 25 858 144.

Crowne Plaza is the more affordable hotel choice. In 2025 its Christmas Day buffet started at 13:00 in the Sea View Ballroom with a saxophonist, and cost €75 per adult and €40 per child. The spread had a carvery with turkey, gammon and veal, a sushi station and desserts.

At Parklane, the Lanes restaurant served Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch in 2025, LPM did a Christmas Day brunch and dinner and a Boxing Day brunch, and Nammos had festive lunches and dinners. At City of Dreams, the resort ran a free Christmas Market in the evenings from 20 to 26 December 2025, alongside festive menus in its restaurants; the reservations number in 2025 was 25 086686.

Paphos: resort lunches and Christmas villages

Leonardo Plaza Cypria Maris published a detailed 2025 programme. The Christmas Eve gala buffet ran from 19:00 to 21:30 at €70 per person for bed-and-breakfast guests, with wine, beer and soft drinks included. The Christmas Day lunch buffet ran from 12:30 to 14:30 at €60. The Boxing Day lunch buffet was €30, after a Cypriot sweets workshop in the morning. These were prices for hotel guests; ask whether you can book as a non-resident.

Aphrodite Hills was open in 2026, serving a Green Monday lunch at its Pithari Tavern in February. Its Christmas offers page lists a Christmas Eve dinner at €85 per adult and a Christmas Day lunch at €75 per adult, with under-2s free and children aged 3–12 at half price. The page gives no year, so check these are the 2026 prices before you book.

Cap St Georges opened its Christmas village by the church of Agios Georgios on 6 December 2025, with a festive market, food and drink and children's games. It is a good outing before a long lunch by the sea at Peyia. For more places to eat in town, see our Paphos restaurant guide.

Nicosia: city hotels and Christmas Eve evenings

The capital has no beach resorts, so festive meals happen in city hotels and restaurants, and Christmas Eve is a busy evening for jazz, DJ sets and bar parties. Hilton Nicosia, near the city centre, is one of the main hotels for festive events; in 2025 it held a New Year's Eve gala buffet in the Ledra Ballroom. We could not confirm a Nicosia hotel's Christmas Day lunch menu for 2025 or 2026, so call before you plan, and book early, as there are fewer big hotel ballrooms than in Limassol. Laiki Geitonia, inside the old walls, is lovely for a walk and a drink before dinner; see our Laiki Geitonia at Christmas guide.

Larnaca: fish tavernas and Christmas markets

Larnaca's festive season is more about the town's Christmas markets than hotel lunches. We could not confirm a Larnaca hotel's Christmas Day menu for 2025 or 2026, so ask your nearest hotel directly.

For a relaxed lunch over the long weekend, the fish tavernas on the coast at Zygi and Agios Theodoros served all year round in 2026. Pentaschoinos Seafood Experience, on Agios Theodoros beach, is a third-generation family fish taverna (€€€); its kitchen is closed on Wednesdays, so check its holiday hours. Book weekend and holiday lunches ahead.

In 2025 the Larnaca Christmas Market in Zouhouri Square had street food and live music, including on 26 to 28 December, and Aradippou held a Soup Fest on 27 December, which is a cheap and cheerful way to eat out after Christmas.

Ayia Napa and Protaras: quieter in winter

The Famagusta district resorts are much quieter in December, and some hotels close for the winter, so check before you drive.

• Adams Beach Hotel, Nissi Bay, Ayia Napa (€€€): open for events until 4 January 2027, then closed for its winter break. It hosts corporate events and has a Festive Season 2026 page on its website, so ask for its Christmas menus; in 2025 it held New Year's Eve dinners in its Glasshouse Lounge and Socrates Ballroom.
• Vassos Psarolimano, Ayia Napa harbour (€€€): a fish taverna open all year since 1962, and one of the restaurants listed by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for its Christmas villages programme. Call ahead on 23 721884 for holiday hours.

In 2025 the Ayia Napa Marina Christmas Village ran until 28 December, and was open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, from 11:00 to 20:00.

Office and festive parties

Most office Christmas parties in Cyprus are held in hotels in the first three weeks of December, because hotels can offer a room, food, drinks and entertainment in one package.

• Crowne Plaza Limassol had a 2025 festive party menu with a festive buffet (turkey, gammon and Christmas pudding), a plated menu, a set menu for up to 20 guests, finger food at 12 pieces per person and sushi platters. Drinks packages and extras such as a DJ, a band or a Santa visit cost extra; prices are on request.
• Columbia Beach Resort, Pissouri, offered Christmas parties in 2025 with a welcome drink, a festive buffet or set menu and drinks with dinner.
• Adams Beach Hotel, Ayia Napa, hosts corporate events until it closes on 4 January 2027.

Tips for organisers: book early for a December Friday, get a per-person quote including drinks, check minimum numbers and cancellation terms, and arrange taxis home. Police run alcohol checks across Cyprus over the festive season.

Cypriot Christmas food: what you'll find on the table

Many Orthodox Cypriots keep a 40-day fast from 15 November to Christmas Eve, so the Christmas Day meal is a real feast:

• Avgolemono: a thick, lemony chicken soup with rice, thickened with egg and lemon, served first.
• Souvla: large chunks of pork or lamb slow-cooked on a charcoal spit. It is more popular than turkey in Cyprus.
• Christopsomo: "Christ's bread", a slightly sweet loaf marked with a cross, baked on Christmas Eve.
• Melomakarona: soft honey and walnut biscuits.
• Kourabiedes: almond shortbread covered in icing sugar.

Hotel buffets usually mix these with turkey, gammon and Christmas pudding. If you are cooking at home instead, see our Christmas shopping guide and our pick of Cypriot wines and Commandaria for Christmas.

Related guides

• An expat Christmas in Cyprus: church services, traditions and what closes
• Christmas with kids in Cyprus: Christmas villages, Santa and children's events
• Christmas markets in Cyprus
• Hosting guests in Cyprus at Christmas
• New Year's Eve 2026 in Cyprus: street parties and hotel galas by city