Lemesos (or Limassol), which lies on the south coast of the island, is the main port of Cyprus. It is the second largest town, with a population of around 160,000. In addition to its tourist industry, it is the country’s main industrial hub. Lemesos is the place where Cypriots go to play, as it enjoys the reputation of being the country’s ‘party capital’. It is also home to the annual Carnival and the Wine Festival.

The coastal strip stretches for around eleven kilometres and along it are many top quality hotels and a plethora of dining and entertainment venues. Besides the traditional Cypriot taverna, one finds restaurants of every imaginable cuisine, from Chinese, Indian, Italian, Lebanese and Russian, through to Indian to British ‘chips-with-everything’ fare. The coastal road overflows with cafes, bars, pubs and clubs for every taste.

The buildings in old Lemesos are mainly 19^th Century and they replaced the mud-brick dwellings of the Ottoman period. But the town’s strongest link with the past is its wine industry, because wine has been produced, bottled and exported from here ever since the Knights of St John cultivated their acres of vines. Cyprus’ famous Madeira-like Commandaria is reputed to be the oldest named wine in the world.
The old town is full of fine tavernas with live bouzouki music and the seafront is lined with fish tavernas, just a few feet from the lapping waves of the Mediterranean. There is a group of restaurants, including a fish taverna and a Chinese restaurant, set in ancient warehouses at the entrance to the old harbour.
 
Nearby is Lemesos Castle, which is 13^th century, with 14^th century reconstructions enclosed in 16^th century walls. This building replaced the Templers’ fort, where according to legend, King Richard II of England (Richard the Lionheart) married Berengaria of Navarre after she was shipwrecked here on the way to the Third Crusade.

At the archaeological site of Amathus, 8.5 kilometres to the east of the town, lay the remains of an ancient acropolis, necropolis and town. The walls and main gate of the acropolis date from the 6^th century and an early Christian basilica occupies the summit. The remains of the lower town, alongside today’s coast road, are from the 5^th to 7^th centuries and at the necropolis are several tombs from the Roman period.

Twelve kilometres to the west of the town is Kolossi Castle, an imposing fortress with a dramatic history. The name of the area, and the fortress, derives most probably from Gerinus de Colos, former feudal lord of the region. The present castle was built circa 1454 and was restored in 1933. The original castle was built in the 13^th century. A massive square keep of honey-coloured stone, it stands on land that was donated in 1210 to the Order of the Knights Templar of St John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitaller). Here they established their Grand Commanderie, which encompassed some forty villages. The vineyards of the region produced the grapes that made the famous Commandaria, a wine much appreciated by the Plantagenet Kings of England.
 
Curium (or Kourion), dating from the 1^st to 7^th centuries AD, is on the old Lemesos-Pafos road, 16 kilometres west of the town. At the time of Christ it was a city of some 20,000 people and a place of pilgrimage for worshippers of Apollo. It is said that Greek immigrants from the Peloponnese founded the city in 1200 BC. What is certain is that was almost totally destroyed by earthquake in 365AD. The Roman House is the earliest evidence of Christianity at Curium and the Basilica is an early cathedral. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates, the Stadium and the houses of the gladiators date from later periods.

The Curium Amphitheatre, with its backdrop of the blue Mediterranean, is most spectacular. It is still in regular use today for concerts, ranging from jazz through classical to traditional Greek music, and is home to productions of ancient Greek drama and an annual Shakespeare fair.