What's Open at Christmas in Cyprus 2026: Supermarkets, Shops, Pharmacies, Banks and Buses

Christmas in Cyprus means two public holidays back to back, early closing on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and a second round of closures on 1 and 6 January. This guide sets out what is open and what is shut on each key day, so you can plan your food shop, prescriptions, bank errands and travel.

What is confirmed for 2026: the dates and weekdays, the 18:00 closing rule for shops on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, the bank holidays and the duty pharmacy system. When we checked on 4 November 2026, supermarket chains, malls and bus companies had not yet published their 2026 holiday hours, so for them we describe what happened in 2025 (or 2024 for malls), clearly labelled. We will update this guide as the 2026 hours are announced.

The key dates at a glance

Because Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Friday and Saturday, most people get a long weekend from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 December. New Year's Day is also a Friday, so 1 to 3 January is another long weekend.

Shops and the festive shop-hours rules

Shop hours in Cyprus are set by law and enforced by the Ministry of Labour. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism's official guidance says shops must close by 18:00 on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and that shops are closed on public holidays, although many shops and services in resorts and coastal areas stay open.

In its Christmas notices the Ministry of Labour has said that shops close on 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January, and that staff who work on a public holiday must be paid double. The most recent ministry notice we could find dates from 2016. We could not find a 2026 announcement on 4 November 2026; the ministry usually confirms the rules in December, and we will add it here.

In 2025, the shop workers' union PASYLE said shops would stay closed on 25 and 26 December and reopen normally on 27 December, when the first winter sales in clothing and footwear began. Shops closed at about 18:00 on Christmas Eve, which was expected to be the busiest shopping day of the season.

Supermarkets: Alphamega, Sklavenitis, Lidl and Metro

None of the big chains had published 2026 Christmas hours when we checked on 4 November 2026. Here is what we know from 2025:

• Christmas Eve: supermarkets close by 18:00, with everyone else. Expect long queues from lunchtime.
• 25 and 26 December 2025: shops and supermarkets were closed, reopening on 27 December.
• 2 January 2026: although it was not an official holiday, most supermarkets stayed closed. Alphamega opened at normal hours in its tourist and out-of-town branches at Astromeritis, Skarinou, Trimiklini, Mandria, Limassol Marina and Ayia Napa Marina.
• Sklavenitis, Lidl and Metro: we could not find their 2025 holiday hours. Check the store finder on each chain's website in the week before Christmas.

In resort areas such as Ayia Napa, Protaras and Kato Paphos, smaller supermarkets and mini-markets are more likely to open on holidays. For everyday shopping, see our supermarkets guide, and for festive food and decorations, our Christmas shopping guide.

Plan ahead: do your main Christmas shop by Wednesday 23 December, buy bread and fresh items on the morning of the 24th, and stock up again before New Year's Eve, as 1 January is a Friday and the next shopping day may be Saturday 2 January.

Shopping malls

Malls had not published 2026 holiday hours by 4 November 2026. In 2024, the pattern was:

• Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve: shops open until 18:00. At Nicosia Mall, restaurants stayed open until 20:00; at Neo Plaza, the dining area and VOLTA play area until 20:00 on the 24th.
• 25 December and 1 January: shops closed. Some malls, such as Nicosia Mall, closed completely; at Metropolis Mall in Larnaca and The Mall of Engomi, cafés, restaurants and entertainment stayed open.
• 26 December: shops and supermarkets closed. Nicosia Mall's cafés, restaurants and entertainment opened until 22:30.
• Mall of Cyprus: shops closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but restaurants and cafés stayed open through the festive season.

For 2026, the Mall of Cyprus Christmas Market runs at weekends from 21 November to 20 December, then daily from 21 to 31 December, except on 25 and 26 December. See our shopping malls guide for addresses.

Pharmacies: the on-duty rota

Pharmacies take turns to open late, at weekends and on public holidays, so there is always a duty pharmacy in your district on 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January.

• Call 11892, the island-wide directory line, or the recorded line for your district, which has a message in English:

• Duty lists are also printed in the daily papers and published online.
• As of July 2026, duty pharmacies stay open until 23:00. After that the pharmacist on call can come in for genuine emergencies only.

Order repeat prescriptions before 24 December rather than relying on the duty rota. For A&E and out-of-hours doctors, see our night pharmacies and out-of-hours doctors guide.

Banks

Christmas Eve is a public holiday but not a bank holiday, so banks open on Thursday 24 December 2026. Banks close on:

• Friday 25 December 2026 (Christmas Day)
• Friday 1 January 2027 (New Year's Day)
• Wednesday 6 January 2027 (Epiphany)

Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026. Banks open on New Year's Eve. In 2025 the Central Bank of Cyprus listed 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January as closures. Pay rent and bills before the holidays to be safe. See our banks guide.

Government offices and public services

The official holiday list includes 24 December, so government departments, district offices and municipal counters close on Christmas Eve as well as on 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January. On normal working days, including 31 December, public services open Monday to Friday from about 07:30–08:30 to 15:00–16:00. If you need a document, a certificate or a renewal before the new year, aim to finish it by Wednesday 23 December.

Buses and airport shuttles

Bus companies had not published 2026 Christmas timetables on 4 November 2026. In 2025:

• Nicosia district (Cyprus Public Transport) treated 24, 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January as holiday days, published special timetables for the days in between, and ran a separate New Year's Eve timetable on which some routes finished at about 21:00–22:00. Normal weekday timetables returned after 4 January 2026.
• Pafos Buses ran its Sunday timetable on public holidays: routes with no Sunday service did not run, while airport lines 612 and 613 kept their normal schedule.
• Kapnos Airport Shuttle added trips for busy days, but ran no Paphos airport shuttles on Christmas Day and paused Larnaca airport services from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 22:00 to midnight. On New Year's Eve the last shuttle left Nicosia at 22:00; services restarted at 05:00 on New Year's Day.

Check your route on Cyprus by Bus or your district operator's website before you travel. More in our public transport guide.

Restaurants and cafés

Eating out is a big part of the festive season, and hotels carry most of the Christmas Day trade: for 2026, Four Seasons in Limassol has already published its Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day menus, with full prepayment required. Most hotel festive meals are set-price and need booking well ahead.

Opening at family tavernas varies on 25 December, so ring ahead rather than turning up. Mall restaurants and cafés often stay open when the shops are shut, and the official Christmas Villages keep going over the holidays: Kalopanagiotis, for example, opens from 15:00 to 22:00 on 25 December and 1 January 2027. For menus, prices and party venues, see our Christmas restaurants and parties guide.

A simple plan for the holidays

1. By Wednesday 23 December: big food shop, prescriptions, bank or government errands.
2. Christmas Eve: fresh bread and last-minute items in the morning; shops close by 18:00.
3. 25 to 27 December: note your district's duty pharmacy line and check bus times.
4. New Year's Eve: shop before 18:00 for the long weekend.
5. Before 6 January: remember Epiphany is another full closure, on a Wednesday.

Related guides

• Christmas restaurants and parties in Cyprus 2026
• An expat Christmas in Cyprus: traditions, church services and what closes
• Cyprus public holidays 2027
• Hosting guests in Cyprus at Christmas
• New Year's Eve 2026 in Cyprus