Nicosia to Ayia Napa by Bus (Intercity 23)

Nicosia and Ayia Napa are linked by a single public coach: Intercity route 23. You board in the capital centre and ride straight to the resort, with no change of bus. The same coach carries on to Paralimni, which is why this page covers that leg too.

This one guide covers both directions. The timetable is the same line either way, so there is nothing separate to read for the trip back.

Timetables on this page load live from BusCyprus. They follow the current feed, not a snapshot from the day this article was written.

Quick answer

• From Nicosia centre? Board at Dionysios Solomos Square. Look for Intercity 23 toward Ayia Napa and Paralimni.
• Where do you get off in Ayia Napa? At Ag. Napa Monastery Square, the town centre stop. The coach passes the Nisi Avenue beach strip first if you are headed straight for the sand.
• How often? Roughly hourly on a weekday, with gaps. Sundays are busier, not thinner, which is the opposite of most corridors on the island.
• Coming back the same day? Check the return table first. The last coach toward Nicosia leaves Ayia Napa noticeably earlier in the evening than the last one leaves Nicosia.
• Going on to Paralimni or Protaras? Same coach, same ticket, a bit further down the line.

Where to catch it in Nicosia

The Intercity city terminus is Dionysios Solomos Square: walking distance to Ledra Street and the old town. Coaches toward the east coast leave from here under short name 23.

Pay the driver when you board. This ticket is separate from any Nicosia city bus Motion single you may already have used to reach the square.

Some trips detour via Alampra instead of running the direct corridor, and the headsign varies between Ayia Napa and Paralimni. Both reach Ayia Napa. Board by short name 23 and check the headsign; the live table above lists what is running today.

The same table also shows coaches arriving back into Solomos Square, since route 23 terminates here in the other direction.

Where you arrive in Ayia Napa

The town stop is Ag. Napa Monastery Square, in the middle of Ayia Napa and a short walk from the harbour and the main strip. That is the stop to aim for unless you are going straight to the beach.

On the way in, the coach runs the Nisi Avenue strip and calls at Nissi Bay Beach. If your hotel is out that way, get off before the square rather than doubling back.

Ayia Napa is not the end of the line. The coach continues to Paralimni and the Famagusta district bus station, so do not wait for a terminus announcement to tell you when to get off.

Journey time is about an hour and a half end to end, depending on traffic, the day's timetable and whether your trip takes the Alampra detour. Use the live tables and the trip planner rather than a single printed minute count.

Coming back to Nicosia

Same route number, opposite direction. Board again at Ag. Napa Monastery Square, on the side of the square that faces Nicosia, and ride to Solomos Square.

This is the table to read before you commit to a day trip. On a weekday the last coach back leaves the coast in the early evening, well before the last outbound coach leaves the capital. Sunday runs later in both directions.

Paralimni and Protaras on the same coach

Route 23 keeps going past Ayia Napa to Paralimni, and the return trips start there. If you are travelling Paralimni to Nicosia, this is your coach and this is your timetable.

Paralimni to Nicosia takes roughly half an hour longer than Ayia Napa to Nicosia. For Protaras, ride to Paralimni and change onto a local district bus, or hop between the two resorts on the coastal line described in Ayia Napa to Paralimni by bus.

Fares and how to pay

The operator sells this as one corridor, Nicosia to Ayia Napa and Paralimni, at a single price. Riding on past Ayia Napa does not cost more. A personalised Motion card halves the fare, but the card has to be bought and topped up at a sales point before you travel; the driver takes cash only.

For the wider island picture (urban districts, shuttles, passes), see Cyprus bus fares and the Motion card.

Not this coach

Search results blend the city coach with airport transfers and local resort buses:

• Nicosia city centre to Ayia Napa: this page (Intercity 23).
• Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa: a different transfer entirely.
• Larnaca city to Ayia Napa: Intercity 43.
• Between Ayia Napa and Paralimni only: the short coastal hop.
• Nicosia to Larnaca Airport: a separate airport run, not route 23.

Route 23 does not go near Paphos Airport, and it is not an airport service of any kind.

Plan this trip

• Nicosia Solomos Square to Ayia Napa monastery square
• Ayia Napa monastery square to Nicosia Solomos Square
• Paralimni Square to Nicosia Solomos Square

All three links open the BusCyprus trip planner with the stops filled in.

Live arrivals

• Dionysios Solomos Square schedule
• Ag. Napa Monastery square, return board
• Paralimni Square Bus Station schedule

Planning a car-free week that includes this hop? How to travel Cyprus without a car covers which bases work on coaches. For the full picture of coach routes, see Intercity buses in Cyprus. The other two lines out of Solomos Square are Nicosia to Limassol and Nicosia to Paphos. For tracking and alerts, see the Cyprus bus app guide or start from the welcome guide.