Leben in Larnaca

If you are looking to move to a city with a palm-tree seafront, a rich history, and a semi-arid climate, then Larnaca is the place to be! It is a wonderful city in Cyprus, located in the Mediterranean Sea, below Turkey. After reading this blog you will know more about Larnaca’s environment, nightlife, culture, public transport, housing, health care, and some words to get you started.

Fun Facts about Larnaca:

• It has been under the rule of the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottomans, and the British
• It was once known as Kition
• During the winter, Larnaca Salt Lake fills with water and sees migrating birds return. These birds include flamingos, wild ducks, and other water birds.
• Larnaca is home to some top-ranking wrecks, such as the Zenobia Wreck and Alexandria Wreck, which attract visitors from all over the world. 

• Some of Larnaca’s notable residents include stoic philosopher Zeno of Citium, singer Anna Vissi, and Cypriot racing driver Tio Ellinas.
• The Larnaca International Airport is one of the two major airports in Cyprus

City overview 

Larnaca is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the oldest city in Cyprus. It was established in the 13th century BCE. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol. The city has a population of 72.000 and it has seven neighborhoods: Skala, Prodromos, Faneromeni, Drosia, Kamares, Vergina, and Agioi Anargyroi. Larnaca was originally called ‘Kition,’ because it was believed that Kittim, Noah’s great-grandson, had founded the first settlement roughly 6,000 years ago.

Environment

Temperature
Larnaca has a hot semi-arid climate. The summers are hot and the winters are mild. The warmest month is August with an average temperature of 27.6°C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is February with an average temperature of 11.8°C. In autumn, the average temperature is around 22°C and during spring you can expect the temperature to be around 17°C.

Precipitation
Larnaca has an incredibly low annual precipitation. On average it has 37.7 rainy days per year. With December being the wettest month and July and August being the driest months. The city is sometimes seen as having a Mediterranean climate, but the winter rainfall is below the required amount to be called a Mediterranean climate.
Throughout the year, Larnaca has over 3,356 hours and approximately 320 days of sunshine!

Landscape
Larnaca is known for its famous Salt lakes. Larnaca Salt Lake is a complex network of four salt lakes of varying sizes located west of Larnaca. Lake Aliki is the largest, followed by Lake Orphani, Lake Soros, and Lake Spiro. After the Limassol Salt Lake, they form Cyprus’s second-largest salt lake. The lakes have a total surface area of 2.2 km2.

Culture & Nightlife

Culture

Larnaca has a lot to offer. Once you move to Larnaca you must see some of the cultural attractions in the city. For example, the Pierides and Larnaca District Archeological Museum where you can take in the history of Larnaca. Furthermore, you can visit the monuments of Larnaca: The bust of Kimon the Athenian, the bust of Zeno, and the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Another famous place to visit in Larnaca is the church of saint Lazarus. Lazarus was forced to flee Judea came to Cyprus. There he was appointed by Paul the Apostle and Barnabas as the first Bishop of Kition (now Larnaca).

The Larnaca castle is also worth visiting. It was constructed to defend the southern coast of Cyprus and Larnaca and was later used as an artillery station, prison, and museum. Finally, you cannot live in Larnaca and not have seen the beautiful Mackenzie Beach on the coastline of Larnaca. Mackenzie Beach is considered the favorite beach for local Larnaca families to relax and enjoy the Cyprus sunshine

Food

The Cypriot cuisine is similar to the Greek cuisine. Dishes are considered very healthy and are based on a Mediterranean diet. The main ingredients that are used in Larnaca are pork, lamb, chicken, fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and cheese. Furthermore, a lot of dishes involve beans, such as Fasolaki and Louvi me lahana. Aside from the local seafood restaurants, there are also many continental and international restaurants in Larnaca.

Nachtleben

Do you want to go for a fun night out in Larnaca? Let me tell you about the nightlife that this city offers. Larnaca’s clubbing scene is known for its beach parties. The Laiki Yitonia neighborhood in Larnaca is where you can find these vibrant beach parties. They offer all kinds of music from DJ’s and dance music to local musicians playing ambient tunes. These beach parties are on the Mackenzie strip, at clubs like Ammos and Lush Beah Bar Resto.
The locals prefer to go to a row of bars and clubs behind the Mackenzie beach. They are not as big, but just as vibrant and give you a more authentic Cypriot experience.

Public transport

The public transport system in Larnaca is a little underdeveloped compared to other international cities. The only public transport in Larnaca is bus lines. The buses are operated by Cyprus By Bus. In Larnaca, there are sixteen rural bus lines and a bus to Larnaca Airport. Some of these bus lines also have night buses. 

Furthermore, Cyprus By Bus has an app where you can plan your route and see an overview of all the bus stops. At the moment this app is only available for Android. To download the app, click here

Tickets

When you make use of the bus network, it is necessary to hold a valid ticket throughout the duration of your journey. Tickets can be purchased on the bus. There are six types of tickets. I listed all of the tickets and prices below.

• Single ticket: a single journey within a city and city suburbs from 04:00 until 21:00. Price: €1.50
• Night – Single ticket : a single journey within a city and city suburbs from 21:00 until 04:00. Price: €2.50
• Daily ticket: valid for a single day to be used in journeys within a city and city suburbs from 04:00 until 21:00. Price: €5
• Weekly ticket: valid for 7 days from 04:00 until 21:00 to be used in journeys within a city and city suburbs. Price: €20
• Monthly ticket: valid for a month to be used in journeys within a city and city suburbs. Price: €40
• Intercity Daily ticket: valid for all intercity and city bus routes for one day. Price: €15

Tips

Die folgenden Kategorien fahren zu allen Zeiten kostenlos: Kinder bis 6 Jahre, Schüler mit Schülerausweis und Soldaten mit Militärausweis aus Zypern. Zusätzlich erhalten Studenten einen 50% Rabatt auf Busfahrten.

Wohnen

Das Wohnen in Larnaca ist relativ günstig, besonders im Vergleich zu anderen Städten wie Limassol oder Nikosia. Aber wie viel müssen Sie für die Miete rechnen, wenn Sie nach Larnaca umziehen? Das hängt davon ab, welche Art von Unterkunft Sie suchen. Ein Zimmer in einer Wohngemeinschaft kostet durchschnittlich zwischen €300 – €400 pro Monat. Für eine Wohnung müssen Sie etwas mehr einplanen. Je nach Lage und Zustand können Sie für eine Einzimmerwohnung mit €500 – €800 pro Monat rechnen. Wenn Sie nicht allein umziehen und eine Zweizimmerwohnung benötigen, liegt der Preis zwischen €650 – €1000 pro Monat.

Du weißt nicht, wie du anfangen sollst? Kein Problem! Um dir die Wohnungssuche zu erleichtern, habe ich eine Liste mit Websites zusammengestellt, auf denen du Mietobjekte finden kannst. Zusätzlich kannst du dich in Facebook-Gruppen umsehen, in denen Personen Mietangebote veröffentlichen.

Websites für Wohnungen:

• Bazaraki – Häuser & Villen
• Spitogatos
• Cyprus Dreamhomes

Websites für ein Zimmer:

Bazaraki – Rooms & Flatmates

Gesundheitswesen

Das erschwingliche und effiziente Gesundheitssystem Zyperns ist ein weiterer Grund, um auf die Insel umzuziehen.

Öffentliches Gesundheitssystem
Das Gesundheitsministerium beaufsichtigt das öffentliche Gesundheitswesen in Zypern, das hauptsächlich durch Steuern und obligatorische Sozialversicherungsbeiträge finanziert wird.
Nach einer Aufenthaltszeit von drei Monaten oder länger wirst du als Einwohner anerkannt und kannst dich im General Healthcare System (GHS) registrieren und einen Hausarzt wählen. Dies ist möglichhier

Privates Gesundheitswesen
Viele Expats wählen eine private Krankenversicherung, um Zugang zu einem breiteren Netzwerk von Krankenhäusern und Einrichtungen zu erhalten und lange Wartelisten zu vermeiden. In Zypern können Sie aus verschiedenen Programmen wählen, die auf Ihre Bedürfnisse zugeschnitten sind.

Für Expats gibt es zwei Hauptoptionen bei der privaten Krankenversicherung. Einige bevorzugen die Sicherheit und Flexibilität einer internationalen Privatversicherung, während andere die niedrigeren Beiträge eines lokalen Anbieters bevorzugen.

Normalerweise zahlst du die Behandlung im Voraus und erhältst die Erstattung innerhalb eines Monats. Je nach Versicherungspolice ist es möglicherweise nicht erforderlich, den Anbieter vor einer Behandlung zu benachrichtigen, aber die meisten Unternehmen bieten eine kostenlose Hotline rund um die Uhr an, falls Patienten Fragen haben.

Hier sind einige Telefonnummern für den Notfall:

• Europaweite Notrufnummer:112
• Lokale Notrufnummer in Zypern:199
• Hospital Larnaca Old General:24 304 312
• Hospital Larnaca Makareio:24 800 500