Larnaca Airport to Nicosia by Bus (Kapnos Shuttle or Public Bus)

Nicosia is about 45km inland from Larnaca Airport. Two bus options actually work: a direct airport shuttle that takes 40 minutes and runs almost around the clock, or a two-ticket public bus that costs much less but takes roughly twice as long and stops running in the afternoon.

The two options also finish in different places, which matters more here than on most airport routes. Read the drop-off section before you pick.

Timetables on this page load live from BusCyprus. They follow the operator's current schedule, not a snapshot from the day this guide was written.

Quick answer

• Want the fastest ride with one ticket? Take the Kapnos Airport Shuttle from the coach stop on the airport forecourt. 40 minutes to Nicosia Station on Kyrenias Avenue, roughly hourly.
• Want the cheapest ride and do not mind a change? Take LPT route 425 into Larnaca, then Intercity coach 42 to Nicosia. About 100 minutes of riding plus the wait between them, and two separate fares.
• Landing late? This is the airport route where the shuttle really earns its price. Kapnos runs through the night, including after midnight and before dawn. The last public bus combination leaves in the late afternoon.
• Staying in the old town? Intercity 42 finishes at Solomos Square in the centre. Kapnos finishes at a suburban station and needs one short onward hop.

Where to catch each service

The airport forecourt has separate bus stops for separate operators. They are a few metres apart but the stop name on your ticket matters.

• Kapnos Airport Shuttle: stop Larnaca Airport (LCA). This is the coach bay for shuttles to Nicosia, Ayia Napa and Paphos. Not the city bus stop.
• LPT city buses (route 425 and others): stop Larnaka Airport. This is the Motion city bus stop used in our Larnaca Airport to the city guide, which walks through the forecourt in more detail.

Option 1: Kapnos shuttle (direct)

Kapnos runs a dedicated Larnaca Airport to Nicosia corridor. The coach leaves from its own bay, skips Larnaca city entirely, and covers the trip in 40 minutes according to the operator's own trip times.

Departures are mostly at quarter to the hour, with 21 runs on Saturdays and 22 on weekdays in the current timetable, including runs after midnight and before dawn.

The table below shows the next scheduled runs from the airport stop. These are timetable times, not live bus positions. Kapnos has not verified this display inside BusCyprus.

If the table shows more than one direction, use the row Larnaca Airport (LCA) → Nicosia Station - Kyrenias Avenue for departures from this stop.

We checked the adult and free-child prices in the operator's own booking system rather than copying them from a travel site, and it is worth knowing because most pages still quote an older adult price and a child fare that no longer exists. Buy at the Kapnos desk in the arrivals hall, from the driver, or through their booking channels. This is a private airport shuttle, not part of the Motion card network, so a Motion card will not help you here. Current amounts sit in the fare panel under Fares below.

Plan the Kapnos airport to Nicosia trip to see the next scheduled departure and total journey time.

Where Kapnos actually drops you

The shuttle terminates at Nicosia Station on Kyrenias Avenue. This is a suburban station roughly 2.5km north of the old town, not a city-centre stop. If your hotel is on Ledra Street or anywhere inside the walls, you have one short hop left.

The stop Police Headquarters is a three minute walk from the Kapnos station, and it is a busy one. Intercity 42 passes through on its way in from Larnaca, and several Nicosia city routes call there with Solomos Square headsigns. Either way it is about five minutes to the centre. Our trip planner stitches that connection automatically and puts the whole airport-to-centre journey at 60 minutes.

Option 2: Public bus via Larnaca (425 + Intercity 42)

This is the budget route. You ride the same 425 airport bus that serves Larnaca city, get off on Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, and change onto Intercity coach 42 to Nicosia.

Leg 1: Airport to the intercity stop on route 425

Route 425 is the frequent airport bus, running roughly every 20 minutes from before dawn until early evening, seven days a week, with 53 departures on the days we checked. From the airport it reaches the intercity stop in about 25 minutes.

Leg 2: Intercity coach 42 to Nicosia

Intercity trips towards Nicosia start at this stop, so you are boarding at the beginning of the run rather than hoping for a seat. Look for coach 42 with headsign NICOSIA. It reaches Dionysios Solomos Square in the centre of Nicosia in 75 minutes.

Frequency is the catch. We counted 17 departures on Saturday and Sunday and 22 on Monday, and the last run towards Nicosia finishes in the afternoon. Check the table below for your travel day.

You need a separate intercity ticket on top of the LPT fare. Intercity Buses Ltd sets its own prices, typically a few euros, more than a city bus ticket but well below the shuttle. City centre to city centre (no airport) is covered in Nicosia to Larnaca by bus.

Plan the two-leg public bus trip and BusCyprus will show you what connects.

Which option should I pick?

• Kapnos shuttle: 40 minutes direct, one private ticket with children free, roughly hourly and running overnight. Drops at Kyrenias Avenue, so add about ten minutes if you are heading into the old town. Best for luggage, late flights, families, and anyone who does not want to think about it.
• 425 + Intercity 42: 100 minutes of riding plus the connection wait, two cheap tickets, and it puts you in Solomos Square without a further change. Best when you land in the morning or early afternoon and saving money matters.

Unlike some other airport pairs on this island, the two options here are not close on time. The public route is genuinely slow. Pick it for the price and the city-centre finish, not for the journey.

Fares and how to pay

The LPT leg uses the Nicosia/Larnaca Motion tariff:

Pay the 425 driver in cash or with a Motion card. Buy the Intercity 42 ticket from the coach driver separately.

The Kapnos shuttle sits outside the Motion tariff:

That matters for the money comparison. Travelling alone, the public route saves you a few euros for roughly an extra hour of your day. Travelling as a family, the free child fare closes the gap fast, and two adults with a child on the shuttle is not far off what the same group pays in separate tickets on the slow route.

Night and late arrivals

Nicosia is the one Larnaca Airport route where a late landing is not a problem. The Kapnos corridor runs through the night, with departures after midnight and again in the small hours. Check the shuttle table above against your own arrival time.

The public combination is daytime only. Route 425 stops leaving the airport in the early evening, and Intercity 42 towards Nicosia finishes in the afternoon, which is the earlier of the two constraints and the one that catches people out. If you land in the late afternoon with the budget plan in mind, check both tables above before you commit.

Live arrivals

• Larnaca Airport city bus stop
• Kapnos airport shuttle stop
• Archiep. Makariou C´ Ave. - Filiou Tsigaridi (425 and Intercity 42)
• Nicosia Station - Kyrenias Avenue (Kapnos)
• Dionysios Solomos Square

Getting back to the airport

For the Kapnos return, board at Nicosia Station on Kyrenias Avenue. Departures are mostly on the hour, 22 a day in the current timetable, including overnight runs.

For the public bus return, take Intercity 42 towards LARNACA from Dionysios Solomos Square. It runs the trip in 60 minutes, a little quicker than the outbound, and finishes at the same Makarios Avenue stop you used on the way up.

From there it is a short walk to Larnaca Station, where the airport-bound 425 picks up. This direction does call at the station, and it runs 41 times a day, reaching the airport in about 30 minutes. Check the table for the last departure on your travel day.

Plan the return trip to the airport from central Nicosia.

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Working out the connection for your own flight time? The BusCyprus app shows live arrivals and plans the return trip from wherever you are staying. Heading to the coast instead? See our Larnaca Airport to Ayia Napa guide, or the Larnaca Airport to the city guide if you are staying put. Still choosing what to install before you fly? Our Cyprus bus app comparison explains what the official app does better and where BusCyprus helps at the airport. Planning a whole car-free week? How to travel Cyprus without a car covers which bases work on buses and which day trips still need a rental. Heading to Limassol instead? Our Larnaca Airport to Limassol guide compares the direct shuttle with the two-ticket public route. Heading to Paphos? Our Larnaca Airport to Paphos guide covers Kapnos, LAE via Limassol, and Intercity 56.