Cyprus in the low season without sugarcoating: how to get from Kyiv via Chisinau, where to stay in Ayia Napa, what you’ll spend on food and buses, and the real total – under €1,000 per person.
😌 A low-season girls’ getaway (with zero heroics)
The crew was classic: my wife, her friend, and the friend’s daughter – a 10-year-old traveler who has probably collected more boarding passes than some adults who still think “a weekend trip” means going to the mall.
The mission was simple and very grown-up: Cyprus at the end of the season (October 2025). Sea, beaches, good food, and minimal sightseeing – because we know the island well and have already done the “must-see everything” routine more than once. No rental car this time. Just a calm beach holiday with a few short side trips around the area.
The budget was limited by common sense. Meaning: yes, we could have spent more (and gotten prettier photos), or spent less (and gotten more character-building experiences). We chose the middle lane – not because we’re boring, but because we like sleeping indoors.
I’m writing this report with a delay, which is actually great: emotions have cooled down, so the story stays useful and honest. If you’re considering Cyprus in the low season – March to late May or October to late December – it’s a solid option. You can still swim and sunbathe, and the weather is usually perfectly fine… unless you’re only happy when it’s 40°C and your phone overheats in your pocket.
🧭 Where to stay: Ayia Napa or Protaras (no plot twist here)
I know Cyprus well – we visit almost every year, sometimes more than once per season. This trip was planned without a car. The goal was warm sea, beaches, and easy local logistics – and the group was very much “girls’ trip energy,” not “let’s drive 200 km daily.”
So the realistic options were:
- Ayia Napa
- Protaras
For beach-first travel with simple transport, these two areas are hard to beat. We chose Ayia Napa. Getting to Protaras is easy by city bus, there are plenty of beaches around, and you can find reasonably priced cafes with predictable food (which is underrated when you travel with a child).
🚌✈️ Route from Kyiv: when Ukrainian airports aren’t an option
With Ukrainian airports not operating, the route options were basically: fly via Romania, Poland, or Moldova. We weighed everything, remembered last year’s Malta logistics, and picked the most reasonable plan.
Route: Kyiv → Chisinau → Larnaca → Ayia Napa
Travel period: early October 2025
Group: 2 adults + 1 child
Duration: 7 nights
🚌 Bus Kyiv – Chisinau (airport)
Cost: €50 round trip (per person)
Carrier: GalTrans. Comfortable enough, but don’t expect business class. The ride there went surprisingly well: about 8.5 hours, via Odesa, and the border felt almost invisible. The bus stops right near the airport, and we didn’t bother going into the city – it was raining and nobody wanted a wet sightseeing quest.
The return trip used a different route via Mohyliv-Podilskyi and… let’s just say the road quality had a personality. Over 11 hours in total, long border waiting, three stops, and we got back to Kyiv late in the evening.
✈️ Flight Chisinau – Larnaca
Airline: Wizz Air
Cost: €200 round trip per person
We paid for the larger carry-on – without it, “low-cost” quickly turns into “low-cost but somehow expensive.”
Chisinau Airport: tiny. It feels more like a bus station that successfully applied for an airport title. Comfort in the waiting area is not guaranteed: lots of people, not enough seats, many sitting on the floor.
So yes, I ended up buying lounge access for everyone: €30 per person, regardless of age. The lounge was modest, but it did the job: you can sit like a human, food and drinks are included, Wi-Fi is stable, and a few hours pass without drama.
The flight itself was smooth and on time. We landed in Larnaca late in the evening, exactly as scheduled.
🚕 Transfer: Larnaca Airport → Ayia Napa (apartments)
I booked a taxi online in advance.
Cost: €22 per ride (so €66 for three people, one way). There was an option to extend waiting time if the flight was delayed, but we didn’t need it. The driver met us with a sign, we got in, and in about 45 minutes we were at the apartment door in Ayia Napa. Simple, efficient, no surprises.
🚌 Ayia Napa → Larnaca (return day)
On the way back, they took the bus from Ayia Napa to Larnaca: €7 per person. They walked around Larnaca a bit and then took a convenient bus from the seafront straight to the airport. Logistics were easy – which, honestly, feels like luxury these days.
🚌 Local transport
Around Ayia Napa and to/from Protaras they used buses 101/102. No taxis needed. They didn’t travel far inside the island, so local rides came to around €20 per person.
🏠 Accommodation in Ayia Napa: a “choose your compromise” game
Finding decent accommodation in Ayia Napa is not the easiest quest, even in the low season. The pattern is predictable:
- everything that looks genuinely nice is expensive (often €150+ per night)
- everything that fits the budget is either… tired, or located in a place where you’ll spend half your vacation commuting
In Protaras, it’s usually a bit easier: more newer apartments and hotels, and prices can be slightly lower. But the general rule stays the same: the better the location (closer to the sea, transport, and the “center of life”), the higher the price. Shocking, I know.
Eventually I found what they needed, with a few “details.” The apartment was not far from the center of Ayia Napa, about 10 minutes’ walk to the sea, with two bedrooms (important, because two adult households), a balcony, a small kitchen, and all basic equipment.
Total cost: €572 for 7 nights, or €286 per adult. We split the price between two adults since each had a separate bedroom.
Cozy balcony breakfasts, palms, and the sea somewhere in the distance – the usual postcard formula… right until the evening soundtrack starts.
🔊 The downside (because the price wasn’t allowed to be perfect)
At this price point, perfection is not included. Nearby there was a very loud bar street that didn’t really fall asleep until around 3 a.m. We expected it: we read reviews carefully, we knew the exact location, and Ayia Napa wasn’t new to us.
Funny detail: reviews mentioned noisy parrots in a building across the street. The parrots were the least of the problems. The real headliner was nightlife.
What helped? Earplugs and a bottle of dry white wine in the evening. Morning sea and sun made the night noise feel like “a small inconvenience,” at least when you’re motivated enough.
There were also minor issues: no regular cleaning rhythm, small missing “welcome details” like the bottle of water that was supposedly included, and a balcony view that featured not only distant sea and palms but also a small trash area in the foreground. Cyprus can be brutally honest like that: beauty and everyday reality in one frame.
Apartment name: Elenapa Holiday Apartments. I left my honest review on Booking.
Would I recommend it? Only if your priorities are price, balcony, and distant sea view – and you’re either not sensitive to noise or plan to be part of it (because you’ll be out late anyway).
If you want a similar level of accommodation but quiet and with a proper sea view, expect to pay roughly double. It’s always the same deal: you sacrifice either comfort or budget. Sometimes both, if you’re unlucky.
🍳🍽️ Food
Breakfast was always at home: simple cooking and eating on the balcony. It’s cheaper, easier, and it actually feels like a proper holiday routine.
A couple of dinners were also at home, but more often they ate out. Ayia Napa has plenty of cafes and restaurants – enough options for different budgets, and enough tourist traps to keep you alert.
Lunch, coffee, desserts, and “something tasty” usually happened in cafes near the sea. Not because it’s necessary, but because it’s hard to say no when the sea is right there.
Average food budget: about €300 per person for the week. They didn’t restrict themselves too much, but also didn’t throw money around like they were sponsoring the island.
💶 Other expenses
Not many:
- Medical insurance: €10
- Souvenirs and entertainment: €100
📊 Budget breakdown (per person, in EUR)
- Round-trip flight tickets: 200
- Bus Kyiv – Chisinau – Kyiv: 50
- Taxi to Ayia Napa: 22
- Return bus: 7
- Local transport: 20
- Insurance: 10
- Accommodation: 286
- Food (groceries, cafes, restaurants): 300
- Entertainment & souvenirs: 100
Total: €995 per person for the week.
✅Final Thoughts
A week in Cyprus with sea time, good food, and sunsets came in at under €1,000 per person. If you skip shopping sprees and don’t turn every dinner into a lobster festival, this budget is doable.
🌊 What they did in Cyprus
The main goal was a sea-focused holiday. After a heavy year in Kyiv, they needed something simple: water, sun, beaches, and mental silence (or at least a decent attempt at it).
They alternated between Ayia Napa and Protaras, visited Cape Greco, and checked out all the well-known beaches in these two areas – including the more distant ones around Paralimni, plus the classics like Nissi Beach and Makronissos.
Autumn is a great season for historical sites, mountain villages, and wineries in Cyprus. But we’ve done those many times in previous trips, so this time it was intentionally minimal: sea, sun, food, and wine. No sightseeing marathons, no “must see everything,” no stress.
Mission accomplished.
✍️ Don’t Forget:
- Book your hotel or apartment ahead — places fill fast in high season
- Rent a car if you want to explore beyond the beaches
- Travel insurance: optional, but smart (and cheap)
