agia thekla has a wonderful unspoilt beach, with little rock pools too.

Hi there...We hired a car and drove to Pyla which is not touristy at all but is a lovely little village where the Cypriots and Turkish live together..when we visited we were the only tourists...

Also Liopetri where the wicker baskets are made in the village...these are lovely places to go...we walked past a house and a lady called us to buy some and we asked if she could show us how to make them..she did start making a basket but they take 2 hours to make 1....personally myself we have been to Nicosia many times and would say it was worth a visit.

As for beaches just drive along and you will pass many to stop of at.

Lisa

Nicosia is definately worth a visit..

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http://www.protaras-cyprus.co.uk

Get yourself over to the villages between Troodos and Nicosoia.
You'll hardly see a Z car all day.

Kakopetria does attract a few tourists in peak season, but october...
Pedoulas has a 15th century church.
Peristerona has a mosque and church almost side by side. Good views of the mountains in the North, beyond Morfou, and the 'backside' of the Troodos massif.
Pera Pedi, some nice scenery - Keo winery.
Moutoullas in the Marathassa Valley. Nice scenery - 13th century chapel.

Much of the above are scenic villages, well worth a wander around.
No beaches I'm afraid.

Mark

If you've got your self a car there are plenty of places for you to find for your self.
Get your self a map and head out there. If you get a little lost it makes the trip a little different, the locals will always help you get back on the right road.
I would recommend a trip over the north side of Cyprus.
The North side of Cyprus is a beautiful part of the island. Depending on how long your holiday is for I would recommend a stay over the North for a couple of nights. The hotels are a reasonable price, the ones I have stayed in are not 5Star but they are comfortable.
The food is also much better on the North than the South. Much more tasty.
If you head out past Kyrenia on the coast road you can cross back over the boarder via Troodos Mountain which is near to the village already mentioned where both Turkish and Cypriots live together.

Enjoy yor stay

try Polis - Pomos road (Pomos is 15km north from Polis) - great long beach about 5km, absolutely no tourists
it's about 2.5 hour drive from Larnaca, 1 hour from Paphos.

Lara Bay is supposed to be well worth a visit if you like good beaches..So AOL is telling me...

Lara Bay is very nice, but the road to it isn't! Very rough.
It is navigable in a normal car, I've done it a couple of times. Best with a 4 X 4.
If you do go, the Viklari/Last Castle restaurant is supposed to be worth a visit. You will need to be fit as the last few hundred yards are unsuitable for normal cars and uphill.

There is also the Lara Restaurant further north on the coast, run by a very nice couple. Further along the rough road but you can park right outside.

Mark

we stayed in pernera in june for 2 weeks and hired a car for 5 days it was fab we just drove anywhere and everywhere it was great some of the dirt tracks off the main roads are the best places to find the best and quietest beaches and scenery ever. we even ended up on a beach alone out in the ocean opposite the shore of another beach you could walk from one to the other across shallow water it was amazing. my husband drove barefoot the whole time as the pedals weren't freezing like they are at home. would definately recomend it as it is the best thing we ever did and will continue to do so at every opportunity we get to go back to Cyprus!!!!

enjoy i'm so jealous lindsay.

I would recommend a trip over the north side of Cyprus.

Our Car hire company last week said we couldn't take the car across the border. Other people said that you buy insurance at the border. The girl in the office said the insurance is not worth the paper it's written on and it would be on our heads if we decided to go there.
We didn't bother going.

We drove to Nicosia and didn't get out of the car as it was 47 deg!!! 14 deg hotter than Larnaca!

It's always hotter on - as the weather forecasts on BFBS call it - the Central Plain.

The insurance you buy at the crossing points is accident only (probably TPF&T). If the car were to break down, it would be down to you to get it back to a crossing point. If you were to have an accident you were deemed to be responsible for..............who knows!

Mark

Only certain car hire companies allow you to take cars over the border. Insurance has to be purchased at TC checkpoint and is probably third party. You are responsible for getting car back if any problems.