Lefkara
A mountain village at 650 m, 43 km from Larnaca, home of the UNESCO-listed Lefkara lace and filigree silver. The Christmas village opens on 21 November.
Checked: 31 October 2026
Lefkara, in Larnaca district, is split into Pano (Upper) and Kato (Lower) Lefkara. It is known for Lefkara lace and filigree silver: women sit outside their homes embroidering, and you can watch lace and silver being made at the Handicraft Centre, the museum and various workshops.
Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci visited the village in 1481 and bought a lace altar cloth. In 2021 the UN World Tourism Organization named Lefkara one of the Best Tourism Villages.
At a glance
- Altitude
- 650 m
- From Larnaca
- 43 km
- Phone
- +357 24342422
- Website
- lefkara.org.cy
Seasonal events
Christmas Villages
21 November – 6 January 2027
The season programme is not out yet.
Opening days and hours have not been announced yet.
Organiser: Lefkara Municipality, +357 24342422
Lace and silver
Lefkara lace was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Lefkaritika are made in just ten designs on Irish linen with French thread, in only three colours: white, brown and beige. The pieces are reversible.
The village's second craft is filigree silver. You can see both crafts as you walk through the village and in its workshops.
What to see
In the village you can see the church of Timios Stavros (Holy Cross), the old fountain and the old olive mill.
Lefkara is one of the stops on the island's 7th Wine Route through the mountain villages of Larnaca and Nicosia. Every August the Lefkara Festival brings music, dance, theatre and handicraft exhibitions.
Getting there
From Larnaca, follow the A5 and A1 motorways, then the E105 road.
Places to visit in the village
Local Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmithing (Patsalos House)
The Department of Antiquities museum has been open in the old Patsalos House since 1988. A separate building houses a reconstructed blacksmith's smithy with sound.
- Opening hours
- daily: 16 September – 15 April 08:30–16:00; 16 April – 15 September 09:30–17:00
Lefkara Handicraft Centre
Here you can watch lace and silver being made. Opening hours may change without notice.
- Opening hours
- daily 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00; closed on Wednesdays and public holidays source
Chapel of Archangelos Michail
A chapel in Kato Lefkara with frescoes from the 12th and 15th centuries. Visiting hours are not published.
Map
Sources
- Visit Cyprus: Lefkaravisitcyprus.comaltitude, distance, crafts, sights, festival, Christmas village dates
- Visit Cyprus: Embroidery and Silversmithing Museumvisitcyprus.commuseum hours and history
- Lefkara Municipalitylefkara.org.cyphone
- Cyprus National Commission for UNESCOunesco.org.cylace on the UNESCO list
- Larnaka Region: Lefkaritika lacelarnakaregion.comhow the lace is made
- Larnaka Region: Handicraft Centrelarnakaregion.comHandicraft Centre hours
- Larnaka Region: Lefkaralarnakaregion.comBest Tourism Village status