As it’s already a well-established tradition, April weather in Cyprus didn’t fail to surprise. Usually, around Easter time there is a drastic change in weather and this year it’s been probably the worst. We had hailstones in the middle of the month and temperatures so low that I didn’t dare to call it a spring. While it may seem gloomy, we actually had plenty of good days for sunbathing and enjoying the outdoors, before the full heat of summer hits us.
Weather in April tends to be less predictable and it’s the first month when holiday flights start, so the arrival of the crowds is fairly obvious at this point. There is an increased presence of rented cars and quad bikes on the roads, beaches filling up slowly and main strip restaurants getting busy. Planning your holiday for this time of year needs a bit of thought and having clothes for colder days and evenings.
If you’re coming for a holiday this month, you also get a chance to see Easter Orthodox Celebrations on the island. As part of the celebrations, local gather tree trunks and other potential burning material to build up huge bonfires in the villages. While it’s fun to watch, you need to keep your distance – first time we observed this we got blasted back to our seats by the fireball.
This year while watching the spectacle of cars of moving the burning materials to the village, the line up of cars resembled more of a civil uprising than a tradition (horns, screaming, and smoke). While passing the high street in Coral Bay, people from these cars threw huge firecrackers to the crowds sitting in restaurants, one landing on my mum’s head and the other one under baby’s pram. They throw these even outside churches and I’m yet to learn about the connection of this safety hazard with the religious traditions (I know, I sound like I’m 80 already).
April is also a great month for exploration and enjoying the usually overcrowded beaches and tourist spots. Visiting places like the Archaeological Park in Paphos, Kourion in Limassol or other well-known places of interest is much more manageable around this time, with decent weather and much fewer tourists.
Below are a few photos from this month, you can find more at the homepage!
