Slow-paced Cyprus: By bike, car, and trail
Steps from the Mediterranean in the southern Cyprus city of Limassol sits WAGMI Coffee. There a year ago landed Dmitry Sobolev, a Russian expat with a background in specialty tea. “Life in Cyprus has a completely different rhythm,” says Dmitry, who spent years in Moscow and St. Petersburg. “I live very close to the sea, and it's a great pleasure.”
Read Dmitry’s Filter guide to Cyprus to discover yet-unknown beaches, restaurants, and 3 wines known only to the island. (As always, scroll to the bottom to find Just the Links for everything pinned on the Filter Map.)
“Sometimes it happens that you find yourself in a country where you never planned to be. That’s what happened to us at the beginning of 2023.”
Dmitry Sobolev, an authorized trainer for the European Specialty Tea Association, works at WAGMI Coffee just steps from the Mediterranean in Limassol, Cyprus. Photo courtesy of Dmitry Sobolev
My wife, our corgi Sheldon, and I ended up in Cyprus. And we've been living here ever since. In essence, we are city dwellers, loving urban life with all its hustle and bustle and the abundance of choices. Therefore, my affair with Cyprus didn't happen right away; it took me some time to embrace this sunny island and fall in love with it.
Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Cyprus?
So, my dear friend, if you happen to be in Cyprus, the first thing you need to do is rent a car. That way, you'll be able to experience all the charms of the island. At the very least, you can use car-sharing services—a relatively inexpensive and convenient way to get around Cyprus, considering that when you rent a car through car-sharing, you can drive anywhere within the country. An interesting fact: the Republic of Cyprus is 14% smaller in area than Los Angeles County.
Of course, many come here for beach relaxation. It's worth visiting Nissi Beach—it's lively, and if you enjoy crowds, you'll like it there. The water at Nissi Beach is crystal clear, and if you move away from the crowd and remember to bring a snorkeling mask, I promise you'll be captivated observing the local marine life. Personally, I'm not a fan of large crowds, so I prefer secluded beaches where it's much quieter, without music, and closer to nature. There are plenty of such beaches—one of my favorite spots is Zapallo Bay in Episkopi. Just don't tell anyone about it, okay?
Since we're on the island, there are plenty of water activities for every taste and budget. You can go out to sea on a yacht, rent a SUP, take diving courses, and then immerse yourself in the Museum of Underwater Sculpture in Ayia Napa. But you'll figure that out without me.
Let's leave the sea behind and move on to land. Firstly, if you're a fan of cycling, congratulations: you're in the right place. There's a huge cycling community here, with many interesting routes for bike rides. By the way, here's the first recommendation: if you're a cycling enthusiast, check out INEX CLUB in Limassol. Here, you'll find like-minded people, a bicycle shop, service, a wash station, and, of course, a café. You can also sign up for various cycling courses.
Cyprus offers countless hiking trails of varying difficulty. My favorites: Aphrodite and Adonis Trail Loop—for the adventurous, bring plenty of water and snacks. Kalidonia Waterfalls—very easy and quite popular. A good way to work up an appetite. Cape Greco Loop—especially beautiful at sunset, with a stunning view of the sea. By the way, there are beautiful sea caves nearby. Finally, Pissouri Trail, a less crowded route along the cliffs with a sea view. Probably one of my favorites (because it's near Limassol).
I'll stop here with nature, although there's still so much more to tell.
Filter: If a good friend came to visit, where would you be sure to take them?
Let me try to outline the day. Most likely, I'll be meeting you at Hermes Airport in Larnaca, so to grab a quick bite, I'll take you to the city. There, we'll stop by Paul's Coffee Roasters—they have excellent coffee and a cozy courtyard. By the way, excuse me, I'm a street food fan, so if it were evening, I'd take you to The Potbelly—they make fantastic burgers with pulled meat. But it's morning, and they're closed. So, we'll drive along the coast on the nearly empty Kiti-Mazotos-Zigy road towards Limassol. By the way, to save time, we can visit another lesser-known beach, Alaminos Beach.
Arriving in Limassol, we'll first visit TOY Confectionery (honestly, as of the time I'm writing this guide, the bakery hasn't opened yet, but it will definitely be open by January 2024)—they have incredibly delicious bread, croissants, and well-balanced desserts. And, of course, excellent coffee. Nomad Bread & Coffee, a bakery/coffee shop, also deserves special attention—they bake excellent bread and brew coffee from Greek roasters, The Underdog. Another favorite coffee spot of mine is Uluwatu Specialty Coffee—they serve coffee from various well-known European roasters. For lunch, we would stop by WAGMI Coffee. But as an alternative, I'd suggest The Cookhouse—a pleasant place with interesting food, or Alley, which I love too.
Sheldon.
After a satisfying meal, we'll head to the wineries. Cyprus may produce few fancy wines, but you can find interesting varieties that are grown only on the island. I'll offer you three options: Vouni Panaya if you're interested in natural wine and rare grape varieties. Tsiakkas—beautiful views and delicious wine. Marathasa Wine—incredibly talented winery architecture in a brutal style, good views, and quite decent wine. By the way, not far from this winery is the interesting Berengaria Hotel; check online, they say ghosts inhabit it. It's currently being bought and reconstructed, but you can walk around and enjoy a meal in the local tavern ΚΑΦΕΣΤΙΑΤΟΡΙΟ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΟ.
If you're a beer lover and not interested in wine at all, we can head to the village of Lofou to indulge with the owner of the craft brewery BES Brewery and taste some beer. As evening approaches, we'll reach Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. We might spend the night there. But first, we'll stroll through the evening Eleftheria Square, an architectural project by Zaha Hadid. Then, before bedtime, we'll definitely take a walk through the beautiful Old Town. In the morning in Nicosia, we can grab coffee at A κχoffee Project or UTU. There are, of course, more good coffee shops in Nicosia, but these are my favorites. If we were in Paphos instead of Nicosia in the evening, we would stop by What's Up Dog for burgers, and afterward, we'd head to the Edro III Shipwreck to enjoy the sunset, savoring the view of the sea and the already sunken ship like pirates.
And here's another recommendation for adventure enthusiasts: set aside a day for a trip to the occupied northern territory, specifically the abandoned city of Varosha in Famagusta. Back in the '70s, it was the number one resort, frequented by celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot. However, now this city is completely deserted. Recently, guided tours have started to explore it, but you still have the opportunity to stroll around on your own, feeling a bit like a character from the game "The Last of Us."
Filter: How did you end up in coffee in Cyprus?
My professional journey in coffee started about 9 years ago when my wife and I relocated from Moscow to St. Petersburg and embarked on a project inspired by third wave coffee shops. However, there's a twist—due to my extensive experience in specialty tea, we decided to focus primarily on a tea project, similar to coffee shops. While we didn't roast our own coffee, we collaborated with local roasters. For the first few years, we worked as baristas ourselves, and even to this day, I enjoy being behind the coffee machine. Currently, my main focus is on barista training, including working with tea. I am an authorized trainer for the European Specialty Tea Association. In February 2022, my plans took a sudden turn. Due to personal and political reasons, in early spring we decided to move to Cyprus.
My friend and the founder of WAGMI Coffee, Olga Melik-Karakozova, offered me to join the WAGMI team. It’s a very ambitious endeavor, we have big plans. Here, on a Loring roaster, we roast coffee. Olga handles the sourcing and roasting of coffee, and she's a high-class professional in this field. I bring various teas from different countries to WAGMI; currently, we collaborate with Japan, China, and Portugal, but I plan to expand our geographical reach. We strive to work directly with farmers. Specialty coffee is still developing in Cyprus, and the coffee community is small—everyone knows each other. In the fall, we hosted the national AeroPress championship at WAGMI, attracting many coffee specialists. However, it all felt like a big family gathering. It's a pleasant feeling. I hope that soon Cyprus will participate in the World Coffee Championships, and we'll be able to compete in those championships too.
“Cyprus may produce few fancy wines, but you can find interesting varieties that are grown only on the island. I'll offer you three options,” says Dmitry. Photo courtesy of Dmitry Sobolev
Filter: What makes Cyprus feel like home to you?
Life in Cyprus has a completely different rhythm, one that is entirely unfamiliar to me. However, having lived here, I've embraced this unhurried way of life. There's time to slow down, reflect, and be in harmony with oneself. I live very close to the sea, and it's a great pleasure. Starting each morning with a walk along the shore with my dog, listening to the sound of the waves, has become a routine. For the most part of the year, the weather here is very pleasant, at least by the sea (it can get quite cold in the mountains). I love the heat, so I handle the 3-4 months of extreme heat quite comfortably. Overall, Cyprus is more about nature, and there's a lot of it here.
Filter: If you could move to any place in the world just for the coffee scene, where would it be?
I really like what we are doing now in Cyprus at WAGMI. I think we have a great future. But if I think about it abstractly: Of the countries I've visited, I would say some of my favorite coffee shops are probably in the United States. I really love what Dayglow is doing. I also love Go Get Em Tiger and Counter Culture Coffee, especially their educational programs. Speaking of places I haven't been, I am incredibly interested in the coffee scene in Japan. Especially since it's a place where a lot of very interesting tea is produced.
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WAGMI Coffee is located steps from the Mediterranean in Limassol, Cyprus.
Food & Beverage
Beaches
Hiking Trails
Vineyards
Bicycle Shops
Museums & Attractions
Museum of Underwater Sculpture
Towns/Neighborhoods
