Larnaca Old Town on Foot: Agios Lazaros, the Turkish Quarter and the Fort

Larnaca's old town is small enough to see on foot in one morning. Our route of about 2.5 km starts at Europe Square, follows the Finikoudes promenade to the Church of Agios Lazaros, then ends at the medieval fort, the Grand Mosque and the potters' studios of the old Turkish quarter. If you have more time, add ancient Kition and the District Archaeological Museum to the north.

This is a route guide, not a list of sights. For short descriptions of each place, see our 10 best things to do in Larnaca. If you are thinking of moving to the area, read our Larnaca city centre and Finikoudes area guide. All opening hours below are winter hours, which apply from mid-September or November to mid-April. Prices are as of October 2026 and can change without notice.

How long is the Larnaca old town walk?

The core route is roughly 2.5 km from Europe Square to the art workshops behind Piale Pasha. Distances are approximate and come from the map. The walk itself takes under an hour. With visits inside, allow two and a half to three hours. The streets are flat, and most of the seafront section is a wide, paved promenade.

The optional northern loop to Kition and the Archaeological Museum adds about 2 km, so the full walk comes to about 4.5 km. You can also do the loop on its own as a short second walk.

Which day is best for the walk?

Pick a Tuesday or Thursday morning. The museums' closing days overlap in a way that is easy to miss:

• the Agios Lazaros Byzantine Museum is closed on Wednesdays, Saturday afternoons and Sundays;
• the Pierides Museum is closed on Sundays and closes at 13:00 on Fridays and Saturdays;
• Kition is open on weekdays only;
• the District Archaeological Museum is closed on Mondays;
• the Historic Archives Museum is open only on weekdays, until 14:30.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays everything on the route is open. Avoid public holidays, when the fort and most museums close. Winter is the best season. Mornings are mild, the promenade is quiet, and in December to February you can finish on a sunny seafront bench instead of looking for shade. In summer, start before 09:00 and carry water.

The route, stop by stop

1. Europe Square and the Municipal Cultural Centre

Start at the northern end of Finikoudes, by the Seagulls in Flight fountain and the statue of Zeno of Kition. The row of colonial buildings from 1881 on the square forms the Municipal Cultural Centre. The European Heritage Awards archive records that they were built as customs houses, used as offices and stores. Today they house the free Municipal Art Gallery and the Larnaka Historic Archives Museum. The archives museum has rooms on Zeno, local theatre and the Kataklysmos festival, and it is wheelchair accessible. The Zeno statue is one of the Tourism Board's "storytelling statues": scan its code to hear its story on your phone. You will pass several more along the route. Larnaka Marina lies just north of the square. Look at the boats from here before you set off. If you want the full story of the flood festival held on this seafront, see our Kataklysmos guide.

5. Church of Agios Lazaros and its Byzantine Museum

The 9th-century church built by Emperor Leo VI over the tomb of St Lazarus is the heart of the old town. From November to February it opens 08:00–12:30 and 14:30–17:30, and on Sundays 06:30–12:30 and 15:30–17:30. From 1 March to 31 October it opens 08:00–18:30. You can see the tomb in the crypt under the sanctuary. The Byzantine Museum is in the cells of the arcade on the south side. It opens 08:15–12:30 and 15:00–17:30 and costs €1. Dress modestly, and remember that the museum is closed on Wednesdays.

6. The Medieval Fort

Walk back to the seafront and south to the end of the promenade. One chronicler credits it to the Lusignan King James I (1382–1398), but it owes its present shape to the Ottomans. The British used it as a prison, with gallows in use until 1948. From 16 September to 15 April it opens Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00 and at weekends 09:30–17:00. Entry is €2.50, or €1.25 for pensioners. A Department of Antiquities one-day multi-site card costs €8.50, more than the fort and Kition tickets together, so buy single tickets on this route. Visit Cyprus still lists the three-room Medieval Museum inside, but the Larnaka Tourism Board says it is closed for renovation until further notice. Expect the walls, the courtyard with its Ottoman cannons and the views rather than the displays. The Winged Lion of Venice statue stands nearby.

7. The Grand (Kebir) Mosque

Directly across the road from the fort, the Kebir (Büyük) Mosque began as a 13th–14th-century Latin church of St Catherine and may be the first Ottoman mosque in Cyprus. The fountain outside is mentioned in a 1747 document from Bekir Pasha, who built the town's aqueduct. The mosque is free to visit outside prayer times. Take your shoes off and dress modestly.

8. Skala: the old Turkish quarter and its potters

South of the mosque begins Skala, the former Turkish Cypriot quarter. Two streets run parallel to the Piale Pasha seafront, including Akteniz, Mehmet Ali and Lala Mustafa Pasa Streets, and they form the Larnaka Art Workshops Neighbourhood. The Tourism Board's map lists ceramic studios such as Studio Ceramics at 18 Akteniz Street and Emira Pottery at 13 Mehmet Ali Street, alongside painters and sculptors, some of whom open by appointment only. Artists often let you watch them at work, so step in if a door is open. Finish in Mediterranean Park, opened in 2024 among these streets, with shaded seats and local artworks, or carry on along the Piale Pasha sea walk.

The northern loop: Kition and the Archaeological Museum

From Europe Square, walk north-west for about 1 km to Kition on Archiepiskopou Kyprianou Avenue, in the Kathari area. Here you can see the cyclopean walls and the remains of the Phoenician temple of Astarte. It opens Monday to Friday 08:30–16:00 in winter, costs €2.50 and is wheelchair accessible, with disabled parking. Then walk about 600 m back towards the centre to the District Archaeological Museum on Plateia Kalograion. It is free, open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–16:30 and fully accessible. It shows finds from Kition, Choirokoitia and Tenta, and it was redisplayed in 2022. From there it is a short walk back to Europe Square.

Practical tips for walking Larnaca old town

What about the free Wednesday walking tour?

The Larnaka Tourism Board advertises "Larnaka – Past and Present", a free guided walk every Wednesday at 10:00. It lasts about two and a half to three hours and is led by a licensed guide. Visit Cyprus says it is not held on public holidays and needs at least five people. Its route covers much of ours, plus the Kyriazis Medical Museum, and ends at the Municipal Market. The tour officially starts at the Tourist Information Office on Vasileos Pavlou Square. However, the office closed for renovation in mid-April 2026 and, as of 8 May 2026, had no reopening date. Call the Tourism Board on +357 2465 4322 before you go. Note that the Byzantine Museum is closed on Wednesdays, so you will see the church but not the icons.

What to do next

• Spend a winter afternoon with the flamingos: our Larnaca Salt Lake guide covers the lake trail and Hala Sultan Tekke.
• Browse all our Larnaca guides for areas, beaches and family days out.
• Plan around the seafront's biggest week with our Kataklysmos guide.