Nissi Beach

Located in the resort town of Ayia Napa, Nissi Beach is a popular 600-meters-long curve-shaped beach with white sand and some rocks.  This beach is located in the town of Ayia Napa in southeastern Cyprus’ Famagusta District.  

The travel insurance website Quotezone.co.uk listed this beach as one of the best beaches in Europe for 2024.  In addition, TripAdvisor also listed this beach as one of the best 25 beaches in the world as part of its annual Travellers’ Choice awards in 2024 – and it is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  This beach has also been awarded a Blue Flag for its cleanliness.

Nissi Beach has lifeguards between April and October, usually from 9 am to 5 pm.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach offers many other amenities including restrooms, volleyball courts, showers, changing rooms, and rental facilities for beach umbrellas, sunbeds, and water sports equipment.

Nissi Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, bodysurfing, bodyboarding, paddleboarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, beach volleyball, jet-skiing, boating, surf-skiing, water-skiing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.

Nissi Bay is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the shallow, clear, and calm water here usually has gentle waves.  In addition, snorkelers also visit this beach to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity.  If you are planning to swim, snorkel, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents.

There is an islet near the beach named Nissi that has some shrubs and rocky cliffs – you can easily walk to this islet and explore it during low tide.  This islet offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Mediterranean Sea and the southeastern Cypriot shoreline.   

If you like shopping, there are some fun shopping stores near the beach along Nissi Avenue.

Nissi Beach has a wheelchair-friendly path for disabled visitors.

Getting to Nissi Beach is easy and the Nissi Beach directions are easy to follow – this beach is located near a hotel named Vassos Nissi Plage Hotel, which in turn is located near 83 Nissi Avenue.  There are two free Nissi Beach parking lots nearby.  Nissi Beach is easily accessible from the town center of Ayia Napa.

We recommend visiting Nissi Beach early during summers because this beach can get quickly crowded during this time.

Nissi Beach hosts many fun events in summers including many fun beach parties and foam parties.  In addition, the beach’s name – Nissi Beach – means “island” in Greek – this beach received this name from the nearby islet of Nissi.

There are many attractions near Nissi Beach.  Cape Greco National Park is a national park that is set in a cape named Cape Greco or Cavo Greco – this national park offers many fun things to explore including sea caves, a church, multiple rock arches (including the famous Crow’s Arch), an environmental center, viewpoints, and a beach named Konnos Beach.  MUSAN – also called Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa – is an underwater museum that displays around 93 unique sculptures.  These sculptures are arranged to mimic a forest and they are made up of materials that attract local marine life – this makes this underwater museum an ideal snorkeling site.  Thalassa Agia Napa is a museum that offers interesting exhibits on Cyprus’ history and wildlife, along with interesting paleontological exhibits.  Parko Paliatso Luna Park is an amusement park that offers many fun rides including roller coasters, a giant wheel, a carousel, a spooky-themed train, and bumper cars and it also offers fun carnival games and arcade games.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Ayia Napa Sculpture Park is a sculpture park that offers many beautiful sculptures that are made by over 50 artists – many more sculptures continue to be added to this park.  In addition to the sculptures, the park also has a smaller portion that displays desert plant varieties from Cyprus including cacti succulents. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants and beach bars near Nissi Beach.  Nissi Bay Beach Bar is a beach bar that offers a variety of excellent dishes including wraps, sandwiches, burgers, and chicken nuggets – it also offers refreshing alcoholic beverages and frequently hosts parties.  Glasshouse Lounge Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that offers amazing Mediterranean cuisine with innovative culinary influences, along with a variety of uniquely-crafted cocktails.  Mangas Restaurant Cyprus is known for serving excellent dishes for lunch and dinner including gyros, souvlaki, steaks, pizzas, seafood, and pork dishes.  Sacramento Restaurant offers a variety of delicious locally-inspired dishes including pasta, pork dishes, seafood, steak, and kebab.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, The Queen Vic is a pub that offers a variety of Mediterranean-inspired dishes including pasta, pork chops, souvlaki, seafood, steak, and chicken kiev.

If you are looking for a hotel near Nissi Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Adams Beach Hotel offers many amenities including a hot tub, a kids’ club, tennis courts, multiple pools, a souvenir shop, a jewelry shop, a gym, and multiple restaurants and bars.  The 5-Star Atlantica Aeneas Resort Nissi Beach is another great upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a spa, a gym, multiple pools, and multiple restaurants and bars.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Vassos Nissi Plage Hotel that offers many amenities including a tennis court, a spa, a gym, multiple bars, shopping stores, multiple restaurants, and multiple pools.  The 4-Star Nissi Beach Resort offers many amenities including multiple pools (including a seasonal pool), a spa, a gym, a kids’ club, gardens, tennis courts, and multiple restaurants and bars.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Nissiana Hotel that offers many amenities including a bar, a kids’ playground, a restaurant, a tennis court, a gym, a spa, multiple pools, and loaner facilities for sun loungers and beach chairs.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby Nissi Beach hotel, the 3-Star Nissi Park Hotel offers many amenities including a bar, a lounge, an adults’ pool, a kids’ pool, a playground, a restaurant, a courtyard, and access to a nearby spa, a fitness center, car rental services, and a kids’ club.