Paralimni town center, Cyprus

Paralimni is a small town in the southeast of the Republic-controlled part of Cyprus, in the Famagusta District. The nearby resort of Protaras belongs to it administratively (today within the Paralimni–Deryneia Municipality), and the town serves as the main shopping and service center for Protaras and Ayia Napa. Although Paralimni is not located on the coast—the nearest beaches are approximately 3 km away—it attracts visitors primarily for shopping and for exploring its compact historical center.

Town Overview

The town center consists mainly of one- and two-story buildings of relatively modern construction. The streets are narrow and functional, with few notable architectural features. Apart from a small central park with a children’s playground, there are no significant public green spaces in the town.

Churches Square

The main cultural and historical sights of Paralimni are concentrated around Churches Square, one of the largest town squares in Cyprus. The square is home to three churches, several historic buildings and a number of cafés.

The churches include:

• Panagia – Agia Anna – a small 13th-century Byzantine chapel built of local limestone, dedicated to the Virgin Mary but commonly called Agia Anna (St. Anne). It is the oldest church in the town and now serves as an ecclesiastical museum with icons from the 16th to 19th centuries, holy relics and old books.
• Old Church of St. George – according to its marble inscription, built in 1859 on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church and dedicated to the town’s patron saint. It has a covered arcade, several arches and a bell tower added shortly after the main building.
• New Church of St. George – a large three-aisled church in the Byzantine style, completed in 1966, which dominates the square and serves as the main place of worship for the local Orthodox community.

Lake Paralimni

The town is located near Lake Paralimni, a large seasonal lake from which the town takes its name (Greek for “by the lake”). The lake fills with water only in winter and usually dries up in summer, so winter and early spring are the best time to see it. It is a protected Natura 2000 site, best known as a refuge of the rare Cyprus grass snake, which was believed extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Unlike the Larnaca Salt Lake, however, it does not attract large flocks of flamingos.

Transportation

The main bus station is located next to Churches Square. Local bus lines 101 and 102 connect Paralimni with the nearby resorts of Pernera, Protaras and Ayia Napa; the ride from Protaras takes about 20 minutes, or about 10 minutes by taxi. Intercity buses run several times a day between Paralimni and Larnaca (Finikoudes stop) via Ayia Napa, taking about 1–1.5 hours.