Sunshine, a warm sea, fewer crowds: why Cyprus belongs on your autumn holiday itinerary

Words: Harriet Cooper

Think Cyprus is a one-season wonder? You need to reconsider. When the summer months wind down, the island opens up to a smarter kind of getaway, offering pleasant temperatures, uncrowded coastal paths and peaceful cultural viewing. From scenic hikes along empty coastlines to long meze lunches in ancient city centres, off-peak Cyprus delivers all the Mediterranean allure with none of the rush. Here’s why canny members of The British Airways Club are swapping dark UK skies for a spell beneath the Cypriot sun.

Culture, the canny way

You know how it goes. You’re visiting a new country and have turned down the corners of the guidebook for its must-see cultural treasures, but as you leave the hotel… bam! The heat is so intense that you just want to hide beneath a parasol, swapping historical landmarks for a lounge-by-the-pool day. That’s why the sightseeing-savvy visit Cyprus in autumn’s shoulder season, when daytime temperatures hover around the mid-20s and many cities offer free walking tours. Whether you’re checking out prime Neolithic real estate at Choirokoitia; time-travelling to an ancient Greek and Rome city in the archaeological park at Paphos; walking the ramparts of Larnaca’s mediaeval fort; snaking up a mountain to the thermal springs at Kalopanayiotis or falling head over heels for Aphrodite’s Rock, the legendary birthplace of the goddess of love, you won’t break a sweat. 

As nature intended

The term ‘nature’s playground’ was invented for Cyprus. The island’s scenery is a rich tapestry of pine-carpeted valleys and sapphire-coloured coves, jagged peaks and dramatic sea cliffs – an invitation to grab your walking boots or a snorkel and explore. When the sunbaked landscape is seasonally cooler? Even better. Climb the Atalante or Madari trails that crisscross the Troodos Mountains, take the shady path to the Caledonia Waterfall or hike the pristine Akamas Peninsula – all are quieter now than in summer, when holidaymakers flock to these breezier altitudes. The days may be getting shorter, but the Mediterranean Sea is still warm and water sports centres are open for business, whether that’s snorkelling in the protected Blue Lagoon, kayaking the sea caves near Ayia Napa or wreck diving off the coast of Larnaca.

Cream of the crop

Harvest is celebrated from September, when the vines are heavy with grapes and winemaking is in full swing, particularly around the Krasochoria region and the wine routes of Laona-Akamas and Vouni Panagias, where oenophiles can join winery tours, tastings and vineyard walks. Olive harvesting is also under way, a tradition harking back millennia. You won’t be able to visit a taverna without trying glistening green tsakistes, fresh-from-the-oven elioti bread and meze featuring locally produced oil – be sure to order the smoky red-wine-and-coriander spiced loukaniko sausage and grilled halloumi drizzled with pomegranate molasses. Mountain foraging will unearth an abundance of wild mushrooms, so much so that there’s a festival dedicated to fungi every November in Erimi in Limassol. 

Entertainment factor

The bustle of the Cyprus tourist season becomes a gentle murmur from September, when visiting families are back home doing the school run and the island rhythm slows. Or does it? While there are fewer crowds (read: no queuing for Unesco Heritage Sites or long waits for tables), autumn brings with it a wealth of festivals. These are authentic affairs, where the streets ring with ‘kalos orisate’ (welcome!) and ‘kopiaste’ (come join us), whether you’re at the annual Seaside Street Food Festival in Paphos, the Limassol Wine Festival, the Mediaeval Ayia Napa Festival or the Kypria International Festival, the latter an island-wide celebration of the performing arts. Amusement and water parks may not be open all year, but the big-hitters such as Parko Paliatso and Paphos Aphrodite Waterpark deliver an adrenaline rush until late October or early November.

Call of the wild

Cyprus averages 300 to 340 days of sunshine a year, so you’ve every reason to pack your swimmers for golden days on its favourite beaches, such as Nissi Beach, Fig Tree Bay and Coral Bay – and you won’t have to jostle for lounger/towel space either. It’s not just beach bunnies that thrive on Cyprus at this time of year. Autumn-into-winter is an optimum time for wildlife spotting, specifically birds of prey (keep eyes to the skies for buzzards, falcons and harriers) and avian visitors (herons, egrets and passing flocks of demoiselle cranes). Although nothing can beat the sight of the clouds of pink flamingos that descend on Larnaca Salt Lake from November. The milder days encourage the island’s other residents to make an appearance – lizards, chameleons and the Cyprus Grayling butterfly among them.

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