Limassol Tourist Attractions

Near the Limassol Public Gardens is the Limassol District Archeological Museum. It houses an interesting collection of antiquities found in the Limassol area from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.It has a pleasant garden containing a sundial, which was once owned by Lord Kitchener.Room One contains Neolithic tools and pottery covering a huge time span from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1300 from Amathus, Kourion and Limassol itself. There are six amphorae in one corner from 2,300 B.C.Room Two has figurines and jewelry from 1700 B.C., Roman coins and even early razor blades. Also of interest is a bronze bull.Room Three contains some of the most important finds, including statues of the Egyptian god Bes and Artemis found at Amathus and some other fragments of statues representing other deities.

Parallel to the main promenade in Limassol is Odos Anexartissias or Independence Street. The street starts beyond the Cyprus handicraft service and is the best shopping area in the city. There are some good specialist's shops selling silver, pottery and leather goods, and at the far end of the road there is a new shopping precinct.

The Limassol Carnival takes place in early spring, before Lent. The 10-day festival reaches its climax on the weekend when there are singing competitions, called Cantades, in which rival groups of singers compete with each other. On the last Sunday there is a grand parade of lavishly decorated floats through the town.

The current Limassol Fort was rebuilt in the 14th century, the previous fort was destroyed in an earthquake. A noted event at the earlier fort was the marriage of Richard Lionheart to Berengaria of Navarre in 1191.It now houses the Medieval Museum of Cyprus.

The promenade in Limassol runs parallel to the beach. It is lined with cafes, restaurants, English-style pubs, souvenir shops and boutiques and is quite popular with tourists and locals for strolls after dinner.The public gardens are also on the promenade.

Omodos is a village located north-west of Limassol and surrounded by tall mountains. It was founded at the end of the Byzantine era. The village is noted for the cultivation of grapes, apples, pears, plums and apricots. Handicrafts is another notable feature of Omodos, they include hand embroidery.

Dhassoudi beach, just east of the city center, is a public beach run by the Cyprus Tourist Organization. There are many sports facilities in the complex, including a swimming pool and tennis courts.

On Saint Andrew Street (Ayiou Andreou) is the Folk Art Museum, which has a collection of national costumes, tapestry and embroidery in a restored house.Next door is the municipal library.

There are two mosques in Limassol: Djami Djedd, a little west of the Limassol castle, and Djami Kebir. These are reminders that this was once the Turkish part of the town.

The largest shopping mall in Cyprus is My Mall Limassol with 150 stores as well as cafes and restaurants. There is an indoor ice rink that is located on the lowerl level.

The Limassol Festival is held annually in June. The program includes music, dance and plays. More details are available from the tourist office.

The Limassol Municipal Art Gallery contains a permanent collection highlighting local artists.

All libraries in Cyprus are open to the public for reading and local research on the premises.

Features of interest within easy reach of Limassol include the citrus-fruit plantations of Phasouti, the monasteries of Trooditissa and Omodos (Stavros, the Holy Cross) and the picturesque villages of Fini, Kilani, Platres, Prodromos and Tróodos in the Tróodos Mountains.