The resort of Ayia Napa is the center of a beach holiday in Cyprus. Here are the best sandy beaches of Cyprus, which are visited by millions of tourists every year. In addition to the beaches, there are interesting natural and historical sites outside of the city.
In the 11th century, there was a dense forest on this site. According to legend, a hunter found an icon of the Holy Virgin Mary in a cave here, which was called "Icon of Our Lady of Agia Napa", which means "Icon of Our Lady of the Holy Forest". Then the icon was called Ayia Napa, and a temple was built over the cave. Many pilgrims came here. The area close to monastery was called by the name of the icon - Ayia Napa. Later, there appeared a fishing village, which was also called Ayia Napa.
The site of the village is now the old port of Ayia Napa. Yachts and pleasure boats are moored here, where tourists can take excursions along the coast of the National Park Kavo Greco. In the park you can see the Sea Caves, the Bridge of Love in Ayia Napa and the Observation deck at Cape Greco. On the east coast is another Bridge of Love in Kavo Greco, which is also called the Bridge of Sinners. Konnos Bay, one of the best beaches in Cyprus, is also located here.
Ayia Napa is one of the most fashionable youth music place in Europe. On Louka Louka Street, in the center of the old town, there are more than two dozen nightclubs and bars of all music styles. Every night hundreds and even thousands of young people come here to dance and have fun until the morning.
Near the port of Ayia Napa begins the sandy beach of Pantachou, which stretches for a kilometer. This is a magnificent sandy beach, with plenty of sun beds and places for sports games. In addition to the city beach of Pantachou, several sandy beaches are located in the western suburbs of Ayia Napa: Makronissos beach, Nissi beach, Landa beach. One of the largest water parks in Europe, Water World, is located near Makronissos Beach. Best hotels in Ayia Napa are located on these beaches.
On the eastern outskirts of Ayia Napa, there is a Sculpture Park and a Cactus Park. They are located on a high rocky coast and cover an area of more than 20 hectares. In 2014, the Mayor`s Office of Ayia Napa approached the famous sculptors with a proposal to organize a symposium where they could work together and exchange experiences. Several dozen sculptors came here, and the first sculptures appeared in the park. Now there are more than two hundred of them and new ones are constantly appearing. In 2015, next to the Sculpture Park, Mayor`s Office decided to create a Cactus Park, where they planted hundreds of different types of cacti and succulents. As a result, here is appeared one of the most interesting attraction of Ayia Napa.
