Cyprus Yacht Charter Itinerary: Limassol, Paphos and the Akamas Coast
Cyprus is not a classic island-hopping destination. It is one large island with a long, fairly straight coastline, so a week here is about a handful of very good stops rather than a new island every day. What it does have is a long season, with the sea warm enough to swim from May to November, and serious archaeology within walking distance of the anchorages.
This route starts and ends at Limassol Marina, about 45 minutes from Larnaca airport, and follows the coast west to the Akamas peninsula, the least developed corner of the island.
LIMASSOL TO THE AKAMAS AND BACK
Limassol → Kourion → Pissouri → Petra tou Romiou → Paphos → Sea Caves → Lara → Blue Lagoon → Latchi → Paphos → Limassol
7 Nights | 10‑knot cruising speed | April to November
Theme: Archaeology, long lunches and the wild Akamas coast, with a season that runs well into autumn.
DAY 1 — LIMASSOL MARINA → EPISKOPI BAY (Kourion)
Distance: 17 NM
Duration: ~1 hr 40 min
Morning Routine
Board at Limassol Marina, next to the old port and the medieval castle. If you arrive early, the old town behind the castle is a five-minute walk.
Afternoon Routine
Round Cape Gata at the tip of the Akrotiri peninsula and into Episkopi Bay. The cliffs above the bay hold the ancient city of Kourion, whose theatre, restored and still used for summer performances, faces straight out to sea. Tender ashore and take a taxi up for the late-afternoon light.
Evening Routine
If there is a performance at the theatre while you are here, go. Otherwise, dinner on board at anchor below the cliffs.
DAY 2 — EPISKOPI BAY → PETRA TOU ROMIOU → PAPHOS
Distance: 25 NM
Duration: ~2 hrs 30 min
Morning Routine
West along the white cliffs past Pissouri to Petra tou Romiou, the sea stack where, in legend, Aphrodite came ashore. Stop for a swim; local tradition says a swim round the rock keeps you young.
Afternoon Routine
On to Paphos. The harbour is small and busy with fishing boats and day-trippers, so larger yachts anchor off and tender in. The medieval fort at the end of the harbour wall is your landmark.
Evening Routine
Dinner in Kato Paphos by the harbour, or up in the old town, Ktima, where the restaurants are more local.
DAY 3 — PAPHOS → PEYIA SEA CAVES
Distance: 8 NM
Duration: ~50 min
Morning Routine
Start with the Paphos Archaeological Park, right behind the harbour. The Roman villas here have some of the finest floor mosaics in the Mediterranean, and they are best seen early, before the heat and the tour groups. The Tombs of the Kings, cut into the rock just up the coast, are worth an extra hour.
Afternoon Routine
Lunch on board on the short run up the coast to the sea caves near Peyia, a stretch of low limestone cliffs worn into arches and caves. Snorkel along the cliffs or explore them by paddleboard.
Evening Routine
For the night the captain will choose between the sea caves and Coral Bay, a little to the south, depending on the wind. Dinner on deck facing the sunset.
DAY 4 — SEA CAVES → LARA BAY → BLUE LAGOON
Distance: 17 NM
Duration: ~1 hr 40 min
Morning Routine
North past Lara Bay, a protected nesting beach for green and loggerhead turtles. The yacht stays well off, but slow down here anyway: there is nothing on this stretch of coast but scrub, sand and sea.
Afternoon Routine
Round Cape Arnaoutis, the western tip of Cyprus, and anchor in the Blue Lagoon on the north side of the Akamas peninsula. From late morning to mid-afternoon it fills with day boats from Latchi; by four o’clock most have gone and you have it largely to yourselves.
Evening Routine
Stay the night in the lagoon, one of the better-sheltered anchorages on this coast and the clearest water of the week.
DAY 5 — BLUE LAGOON → LATCHI
Distance: 5 NM
Duration: ~30 min
Morning Routine
A short run into Latchi, a small harbour town with a marina and a row of fish tavernas along the front.
Afternoon Routine
Walk the Aphrodite trail from the Baths of Aphrodite, just west of Latchi, for views over the peninsula and the bay below. Or take a car up into the Paphos hills, to the villages and their small family wineries.
Evening Routine
Dinner at one of the fish tavernas on Latchi’s harbour, where much of the fish comes off the boats moored in front of you.
DAY 6 — LATCHI → PAPHOS
Distance: 29 NM
Duration: ~2 hrs 55 min
Morning Routine
Back round Cape Arnaoutis and south down the west coast, with a swim stop wherever the sea is calmest.
Afternoon Routine
Into Paphos by mid-afternoon, with time for anything you missed on Day 3, or a quiet afternoon on board.
Evening Routine
Dinner ashore in Paphos.
DAY 7 — PAPHOS → LIMASSOL MARINA
Distance: 39 NM
Duration: ~3 hrs 55 min
Morning Routine
The longest leg of the week, east along the coast with breakfast underway. The afternoon breeze on this coast is usually westerly, so it will be behind you.
Afternoon Routine
Lunch at anchor off Pissouri or in Akrotiri Bay, then on into Limassol Marina.
Evening Routine
A last evening in Limassol, at the marina restaurants or in the old town. Disembark the next morning; Larnaca and Paphos airports are each about 45 minutes away.
Good to Know
Getting a yacht here: we do not have a yacht permanently based in Cyprus. We either charter from the small local fleet in Limassol or bring a yacht across from Greece. The nearest Greek base, Rhodes, is around 230 miles away, so a delivery fee applies; it makes most sense on a charter of 10 nights or more, or as a one-way trip from the Dodecanese.
Weather: July and August are very hot, often 35°C and above inland. May, June, September and October are the best months, and the sea stays warm into November.
Anchorages: there are few natural harbours, so overnight stops depend on the wind more than in the Greek islands. The captain may swap Days 3 and 4 around.
The most suitable yachts for this itinerary are larger motor yachts that can make the passage from Greece comfortably, such as:
LADY DEE - 154ft Motor Yacht
THAT’S AMORE - 141ft Motor Yacht
To book your luxury yacht charter in Cyprus please contact your broker at charter@supersailyachts.com
Photography via Unsplash: Secret Travel Guide, Datingjungle, Antoine Angoulvant, Datingscout, Anastasius, Nikolai Rubanov.