Limassol

What they say is true; Limassol really is a city of two halves. First there’s the old Turkish quarter, with its shabby-chic cafes and dusty stone frontispieces concealing cool cocktail bars to boot. Then there’s Potamos Germasogeias, the touristic new district, laden with shopping strips, modern cruise ship harbours and bubbling nightlife joints. Given the town’s location on the southern edge of the island, rising from the Mediterranean swells of picturesque Akrotiri Bay, it’s hardly surprising that the beaches here are a major attraction, with most Limassol tourist guides recommending the beautiful Lady Mile Beach to the south, or majestic Governor's, with its chalky cliffs and lizard-speckled boulders. Shoppers and café lovers should head out to explore the bustling strip of Anexartisias in the heart of the old town area, while party-goers are sure to enjoy Limassol’s offering of hedonistic hideaways—from the quirky local microbreweries, to the pumping international bars that helped to forge the town’s reputation as one of the veritable nightlife kingpins of Cyprus as a whole.