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Free things to do in Protaras

Our top five free things to do in Protaras are Fig Tree Bay, Konnos Bay, Louma Beach, the Protaras Coastal Promenade and the Konnoi to Cyclops Cave trail. All of them can be used without a ticket; the extras you may pay for are sunbeds and umbrellas at the organised beaches. Vrysi Beach, its Seatrac section Vrysi C and the longer Prophet Elias to Konnoi trail complete the list.

Checked on 17 October 2026

Every place on this page can be visited without a ticket. “Free entry” means exactly that: Visit Cyprus states that the beaches are public and free of charge, the promenade is a public walkway, and the Visit Cyprus hiking guide calls nature trails free for public use. In the cost row, sunbeds at the beaches are marked as charged, without an amount, because prices vary by operator and change. Showers and umbrellas at the organised beaches are charged as well. Parking is not part of the cost row; where an official page mentions a car park, the place text says so, without a word on fees. Each place shows the date we last checked it. Please check on site before you go, because lifeguard cover, facilities and bus timetables can change from one season to the next.

Beaches

Sandy beach with rows of blue sunbeds, swimmers, moored boats and a low rocky island offshore
Photo: Catauggie · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Fig Tree Bay

Sandy beach with a small island offshore, a promenade behind it and beach services

Cost
Free entry · Sunbeds charged
Time needed
60–180 min
Best time
Summer
Parking
Car park available

Fig Tree Bay takes its name from a single fig tree said to have stood here since the 17th century. The municipality calls it the most famous beach in Protaras and the Famagusta district tourism site the most popular, so expect company in high season. A small island lies only a few metres offshore, and a pedestrian promenade with restaurants, cafés and beach bars runs behind the sand. Toilets, changing rooms and water sports are on site; sunbeds and umbrellas are available for a fee. Lifeguards are stationed from April to October. A special wheelchair at the lifeguard tower helps disabled visitors into the sea, and a floating wheelchair is listed for the beach, free for the public; ask the lifeguards. An open lending library stands on the beach, where you can borrow a book or swap one. Car-parking facilities exist.

Tip Come at sunrise: the municipality names the Xystaria peninsula next to the bay as a viewpoint for the first light, with a landmark sign and seating.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Hillside view over a turquoise bay with blue sunbeds on the sand, a white yacht and a wooded headland
Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

Konnos Bay

A small sandy bay between Cape Greco and Protaras, with a beach bar and the start of a coast trail

Cost
Free entry · Sunbeds charged
Time needed
60–180 min
Best time
Summer
Parking
Car park available

Konnos Bay is a sandy beach of about 200 m on the road between Cape Greco and Protaras, 4 km east of the centre of Ayia Napa. The way down runs through pine trees and greenery and gives a view from the top. Visit Cyprus calls it an ideal swimming spot for children and adults. Toilets, changing rooms, a beach bar with music and water sports are on the beach, and sunbeds and umbrellas are available for a fee. Lifeguards are stationed from April to October. A transit point for small boats lies in the bay, so watch the boat traffic when you swim. The municipality says turtles can often be spotted at Konnos Beach near the rocky coves. The Konnoi to Cyclops Cave trail starts at the Konnos beach parking area, and car-parking facilities exist.

Tip Arrive early at weekends: the municipality’s guide advises it to secure a parking spot, and it lists the bay among its sunrise and sunset spots, where the sky is reflected on the sea.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Louma Beach: a shallow sandy bay with swimmers, sunbeds on a grassy bank and a small white chapel at left
Photo: Pedro Krtička · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Louma Beach

The largest beach in northern Protaras, a bay of golden sand with a rocky seabed at its edges

Cost
Free entry · Sunbeds charged
Time needed
60–180 min
Best time
Morning
Parking
Car park available

The municipality calls Louma the largest beach in the northern part of Protaras; it lies in the Pernera area. The bay has golden sand and clear water, and its size leaves room for everyone even on the busiest summer days. The rocky seabed at the edges is described as ideal for snorkelling. The municipality lists a pedestrian promenade, tavernas and easy access, the beach lies in front of the well-known fish tavern Kalamies, and a wooden swing stands near the marina and the fishing shelter. Toilets, changing rooms and water sports are on the beach, with sunbeds and umbrellas for a fee, and lifeguards are stationed from April to October. A Seatrac and a floating wheelchair are listed here, free for the public; ask the lifeguards. A small chapel, Ayios Nicolaos, stands between the fish harbour and the beach. Car-parking facilities exist.

Tip Take snorkelling gear for the rocky edges of the bay, arrive early in high season to claim a spot near the water, walk to the small Ayios Nicolaos chapel for a view over the sea, and go on along the coast to Pernera, the next beach to the south, which our Paralimni guide covers.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Aerial view along the Vrysi strip, with jetties, hotels and streets behind the beach and turquoise water
Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

Vrysi Beach

The longest sandy stretch in Protaras, with shallow water, a promenade and quieter ends

Cost
Free entry · Sunbeds charged
Time needed
60–180 min
Best time
Summer
Parking
Car park available

Vrysi is the longest sandy stretch in Protaras: about a kilometre of golden sand along the seafront, divided into the sections A to D. The municipality describes a smooth sandy seabed where the water stays shallow for several metres, and a promenade along the beach that suits walking or cycling in the early morning and at sunset. Hotels, restaurants and bars line the shore, and stops for juice, coffee and ice cream sit along the sections. Because the beach is so long, you can choose between the busiest, fully organised spots and quieter ends. On Vrysi B, toilets, changing rooms and water sports are on the beach, sunbeds and umbrellas are available for a fee, and lifeguards are stationed from April to October. Floating wheelchairs are listed for Vrysi A and B, free for the public. Car-parking facilities exist.

Tip Walk the promenade at sunrise or sunset, and head for one of the quieter ends of the beach if you want more space.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Rocky shore with clear shallow water, a few swimmers by a small sandy beach and a white hotel behind
Photo: Ssu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Vrysi C Beach

The Vrysi section with a Seatrac, giving wheelchair users independent access to the sea

Cost
Free entry · Sunbeds charged
Time needed
60–240 min
Best time
Summer
Parking
Car park available

Vrysi C is the third lettered section of the Vrysi strip, and Visit Cyprus gives it a page of its own. What sets it apart from the sections around it is the Seatrac: an innovative system installed on the beach that offers disabled visitors autonomous, full access to the sea. The municipality also names a floating wheelchair for this section. Both are free for the public, and the lifeguards, who are stationed here from April to October, give the information. Toilets, changing rooms, water sports, sunbeds and umbrellas, the latter for a fee, are the same as along the rest of the strip, and Visit Cyprus adds restaurants and kiosks nearby. Because the promenade follows the whole beach, you can swim at C and still walk on to the other sections. Car-parking facilities exist.

Tip If you want to use the Seatrac or the floating wheelchair, ask the lifeguards when you arrive, and outside the April to October season check on site what is available.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Nature & hikes

Aerial view of Konnos Bay: a sandy beach with rows of blue sunbeds, a wooden jetty and turquoise water
Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

Konnoi to Cyclops Cave Trail

A circular coast trail from Konnos Bay to the natural Cyclops Cave, about 45 minutes

Cost
Free entry
Time needed
45–90 min
Best time
All year
Parking
Car park available

The Konnoi to Cyclops Cave trail is a circular nature trail inside Cape Greco National Forest Park, a Natura 2000 area, and the Visit Cyprus hiking guide lists nature trails as free for public use. It starts at the Konnos beach parking area and follows a smooth path along the rugged shore, through mostly shrubby vegetation, with views back over the turquoise bay and signs about the plants on the way. At the end waits the natural Cyclops Cave. The municipality says you descend 30 m, follow a path and reach one of two entrances, which you can enter; the cave lies 15 m above the sea. Visit Cyprus and the municipality both give about 45 minutes for the round trip. There is no drinking water on the route, but a café with facilities operates at Konnos Bay.

Tip Take water and sturdy shoes, because there is no drinking water on the route, and keep children close on the way down to the cave.

Source www.visitcyprus.com ·

Small stone chapel with a domed roof and arched doors on a paved terrace, with the town and the sea behind
Photo: Ssu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Prophet Elias to Konnoi Trail

A one-way trail from the Prophet Elias chapel in Protaras to Konnos Bay and the Cyclops Cave

Cost
Free entry
Time needed
180–300 min
Best time
Spring

The Prophet Elias to Konnoi trail starts at the stone chapel of Prophet Elias on a hill in the heart of Protaras. 153 steps lead up to it, with a panoramic view of Protaras from the top. The municipality describes this popular trail as situated within Cape Greco National Forest Park: it runs parallel to the rugged shore and through mostly shrubby vegetation, passing the chapels of Ayii Saranda and Ayios Ioannis before it ends at Konnos Bay and the Cyclops Cave. Its guide gives 8.5 km and about 3 hours for this linear route, so start and end lie in different places and you need to plan your way back. The trail is free, because the Visit Cyprus hiking guide calls nature trails free for public use; the chapel is only a landmark you see from outside.

Tip Start early and take water, because the route has little shade, and decide how you will get back from Konnos Bay before you set off.

Source pdm.org.cy ·

Towns & harbours

Wooden boardwalk beside a sunbed-lined beach, with a lawn and a café on the right and the sea on the left
Photo: AyianapaProtaras · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped

Protaras Coastal Promenade

A seafront walkway with benches, a playground and open-air sculptures, from Pernera to Vali tou Hadjixeni beach

Cost
Free entry
Time needed
30–120 min
Best time
Morning

You walk the Protaras Coastal Promenade like any seafront path. The municipality describes it as beginning at the Ayios Nicolaos chapel in the Pernera area and stretching to the small Vali tou Hadjixeni beach, with views of the sea, trees and flowers on the way. Benches invite you to stop, a playground keeps children busy, and many restaurants are close by. Along the walk you meet open-air sculptures by the Cypriot artist Philippos Yiapanis, among them the Fig Tree of Protaras, the Centaur Nessus and Poseidon, and a large red heart frames the sea near Fig Tree Bay. The municipality recommends the promenade for watching the first sunrise in Europe and the full moon. It says the promenade is still being extended and is to run from Konnos Bay towards Kapparis, so for now you walk the stretch that is there.

Tip Go early: the municipality suggests sunrise, and you can take in the sculptures and the red heart frame near Fig Tree Bay on the same walk.

Source pdm.org.cy ·

Costs something, still worth it

Bookable with Explorio

Private Yacht Charter Tour

Recommended3 hours
Boat Toursfrom €274/h

MUSAN & Green Bay Try Dive

10+
Divingfrom €219/person

Discover Scuba Protaras

10+
Divingfrom €139/person
All activities in Protaras

Nearby guides

  • Ayia Napa

    The free places around Ayia Napa and Cape Greco, from Nissi Beach and the Sea Caves to the monastery and the Konnoi to Agioi Anargyroi trail.

  • Paralimni

    The town of Paralimni with its square, plus Pernera, Kapparis and the villages inland.

  • Cyprus

    For Troodos, Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia, see our guide to the rest of Cyprus.

Frequently asked questions

Are the beaches in Protaras free?
Yes. Visit Cyprus states that all beaches in Cyprus are public and free of charge. At the organised municipal beaches, showers, sunbeds and umbrellas are available for a fee, so bring your own towel and sunshade if you would rather not pay.
Do sunbeds and umbrellas cost money?
Yes, at the organised beaches they are available for a fee, as are showers. We do not show an amount, because prices vary by operator and change, so ask on site before you settle in, or bring your own towel and sunshade and spread out on a free stretch of sand.
Are the hiking trails around Protaras free?
The Visit Cyprus hiking guide describes nature trails as organised walking routes, free for public use. That covers the Konnoi to Cyclops Cave trail and the Prophet Elias to Konnoi trail, which both lie in Cape Greco National Forest Park. The Cyclops Cave route has no drinking water, so take your own, and check the weather before a long walk.
Can I walk the Protaras Coastal Promenade?
Yes, it is a public seafront walkway, and you simply walk it. The municipality describes it as running from the Ayios Nicolaos chapel in Pernera to the small Vali tou Hadjixeni beach, with benches, a playground, restaurants nearby and open-air sculptures along the way, and says it is still being extended.
Can wheelchair users get into the sea?
At some beaches. A Seatrac is listed at Vrysi C and at Louma, and floating wheelchairs at Fig Tree Bay, Vrysi A, B and C and Louma. According to Visit Cyprus they are free for the public, and the lifeguards give the information, so ask at the beach. Lifeguards are stationed from April to October.
When are the free places less crowded?
In the morning. The municipality says Louma has room for everyone even on the busiest days, describes the ends of the Vrysi strip as quieter and advises arriving early at Konnos at weekends. On the trails an early start also gives you cooler hours, as there is little shade.
Travel guide: Protaras