If you arrive in Cyprus after dark, your first taste of island hospitality might come with a meter that spins faster than a roulette wheel.
Last week, travelers landing at both Larnaca and Paphos airports shared stories that could make even Poseidon sweat — taxi drivers quoting late-night prices that belong in a dystopian board game.
At Larnaca Airport, one woman traveling with children said a driver informed her that no buses ran until morning, then gallantly offered a ride to a nearby village for €300. After some dramatic sighing and “special discount” magic, the price dropped to €200. She declined. Minutes later, she discovered that, indeed, buses were operating right outside the terminal.
In Paphos, the story was the same melody with new lyrics. Travelers reported late-night fares of €70–€80 for short hops into the city — rates that could make a London cab blush. Those who sought refuge in public transport discovered that buses had gone to bed early.
What It Should Actually Cost
According to the Cyprus Tourism Organization, there’s a perfectly civilized pricing system in place — on paper, at least.
Indicative night-tariff fares (from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.) for a four-passenger taxi are:
- Larnaca Airport → Nicosia: €47.37
- Larnaca → city center: €11.59
- Larnaca → Ayia Napa: €51.88
- Larnaca → Protaras: €59.70
- Larnaca → Limassol: €63.86
- Paphos Airport → city center: €16.77
- Paphos → Limassol: €54.26
- Paphos → Nicosia: €124.21
Holiday surcharges are limited to ten days a year — around Easter, Christmas, New Year, and May 1 — while a 20% supplement applies for a five-passenger taxi and 40% for six passengers.
So yes, it’s supposed to be expensive after dark — just not life-altering.
The Mystery of the Missing Bus
The late-night public transport question remains murky. Official timetables show some airport-to-city routes running well past midnight, but tourists insist they couldn’t find them. Whether it’s poor signage, lack of information, or strategic invisibility, no one seems sure.
What’s certain is that misinformation is doing laps around the arrivals hall. For tired visitors juggling luggage and children, it’s easy to believe the man with the cab keys when he says, “There are no buses.”
Cyprus authorities have not yet announced any investigation, but travelers are calling for stricter enforcement of posted rates and clearer visibility for public transport at airports.
Until then, the rule of thumb remains simple: if the fare sounds like a flight ticket, it probably is.
And while haggling at 2 a.m. under fluorescent lights is nobody’s idea of paradise, at least the moral is clear — on some nights in Cyprus, the real adventure starts after you land.
