Ask fellow vegan travellers if Greece is vegan friendly and you’ll get entirely different responses from one person to the next. For every ‘Oh, it was a breeze because of the Mediterranean diet out there’, there’ll be a ‘it was tough. They didn’t know what veganism is, and it’s meat and cheese with everything!’. Both things are true.
I’ve travelled through Greece fairly extensively, and awareness of veganism varies vastly from one part of the country to another. For that reason, it’s not possible to give an overview of veganism in Greece, rather it needs to be discussed one area at a time. So here is my vegan guide to Cyprus.
As a vegan in Cyprus, I’d recommend focussing your travel plans on one of two places on the island; Limassol and Nicosia. By far and away they are the easiest places to get vegan food, and they offer two of the best experiences of Cyprus, although in contrast to one another.
Vegan food in Limassol
Limassol is where you go for a beautiful beach break, to top up your tan, but also to explore fascinating historical and archaeological sites. There is accommodation here for every budget, from clean and simple self catering apartments to 5* luxury hotels (we’ve packaged a vegan friendly 5* holiday here).
There are two vegan restaurants in the Limassol area that are both worth visiting. Alchemy Concept is the most central, with a ‘clean eating’ concept this place is also great for those who need gluten free grub. Now, the most important thing I need to state here is that just because it’s clean eating, it doesn’t mean they don’t do desserts. They do them by the boat load. This kind of thing matters to me. It should matter to all of us. Desserts are life.
Clean eating often gets the side-eye from many, including us vegans, but this place does it really well. The food here is delicious, and even though it’s super healthy, many of their dishes feel indulgent.
The other exclusively vegan restaurant that no vegan in Cyprus should miss is Seashells. This restaurant is part of the St Raphael resort <<LINK to holiday>>, and is situated right on the beach, making dining here both an experience as well as conveniently vegan. Only open during the summer, the prices are reasonable despite the luxurious surroundings.
It’s family friendly, with picnic benches nearby if you just want to grab a wrap and eat in relaxed fashion. Serving up healthy salads, as well as pulled Jackfruit wraps and vegan pancakes, there’s real variety here. There’s a real eco-friendly approach that stretches to the packaging they use, and the recycling facilities available to customers.
Honourable mentions go to the veggie places in the area that offer great vegan options. Hummus Bar in central Limassol serves vegetarian and vegan street food. Inexpensive, but freshly prepared and tasty, it’s ideal for a quick takeaway for lunch. Superfood Organic Bar, a little further out of town, is a small vegetarian cafe that offers buddha style bowls along with soups, wraps and smoothies.
Vegan food in Nicosia
The largest city in Cyprus, you would expect Nicosia to be one of the easiest places to eat vegan on the island. There are certainly plenty of options here, when you fancy a shopping trip and a break from the beach.
Grön Vegan Kitchen is situated inside the Municipal Market of Nicosia and offers a wide variety of Turkish vegan dishes. Whilst the food here is healthy and nutritious, the ethics are definitely all about the animals and a desire to encourage non-vegans to give vegan food a try.
Honourable mentions to veggie places go to Inga’s Veggie Heaven in the older part of Nicosia is a small, family run restaurant. Offering takeaway and delivery, we recommend taking your time to eat in their comfy courtyard and chatting with the owners over a biscoff cake. Not far from the Cyprus Museum, in Nicosia Municipal Park, you’ll find Evergreen. Serving up vegan sandwiches, moussaka, pizzas and burgers, there’s something for every taste in peaceful surroundings.
Measuring an incredible 142 feet, the dome comprises of concrete mixed with tufa and pumice to keep the large structure as lightweight as possible. Visitors have to imagine it’s past magnificence, as it was once covered in Bronze, and must have looked incredible when reflecting the Italian sunlight.
Once containing statues of Venus, Mars, and Julius Caesar, there’s an interesting connection between one of these statues and Cleopatra. 
When we visit, we take the short 15 minute walk from the Pantheon to 
An iconic spot, that you’ll see time and again in images of Greece. Contrary to what you may have been told, this beautiful spot is best seen from above, rather than visiting the beach itself, which can be crowded and offers little respite from the sun. The view of it from the clifftops, however, is simply stunning.
If you’re looking to bathe in sulphur and collagen-laden waters, (and don’t mind smelling of eggs for the trip home), this beach is definitely worth leaving the resort for. Rumoured to have healing properties, the locals claim this helps with arthritis and cellulite . . .
Tsilivi isn’t just home to a long, golden stretch of beach, but it’s also an excellent place for a cocktail. Tsilivi has managed to avoid the rowdier 18-30 crowds that frequent resorts like Laganas, but still has plenty of atmosphere for a great night out.
Following the earthquake of 1953, much of the island’s oldest buildings, with its Neoclassical architecture, were entirely destroyed. The capital, Zakynthos (Zante) Town, was no exception. Consequently, much of what stands there is relatively new.
There are a variety of boat trips you can take around various parts of the island. With full and half day tours taking in Turtle Island and turtle spotting, trips to Navagio Beach, and more.