Our story
We are Cyprus Bucketlist
We live in Cyprus. This is the island as we know it, and as we show it to friends who come to stay.
Our story
Cyprus Bucketlist is run by two friends who live here. Dimitris grew up on the island; Aurimas has Lithuanian roots and chose to make Cyprus his home. One of us knows it from the inside out, the other from the outside in. Both perspectives shape everything we share.
Living here changes what you notice. Cyprus is small, but it is not simple, and the details make the trip: which beach suits the day, where to see sea turtles, how to get from the airport without a taxi, how to pace yourself when the meze keeps coming. It is easy to spend a week here and see little beyond your hotel and the strip outside it. We want to show you the rest.
Why we built it
On an island like this, tourism is not a faceless industry. It is the work of small local businesses for whom every booking matters. Through Dimitris’s work alongside them, we have seen how heavily the big international booking platforms can cut into their earnings. Part of what visitors spend on those sites never reaches Cyprus at all.
We would rather more of that money stayed here. That is why we keep our fees to operators low and our prices fair. More of what you spend stays with the people who host you, supporting their businesses and the villages and harbours around them.
Meet the founders
The people behind Cyprus Bucketlist
Dimitris Kyriakou
Dimitris Kyriakou
Co-founder · Four years in Cyprus tourism
I grew up in Cyprus and have spent the past four years working in tourism, supporting the local operators who run experiences here, including the island’s largest sea-turtle-watching tour.
That work has shown me tourism from behind the scenes. I have watched superb operators hand over a substantial share of every booking to the big platforms, then wait a month for money they had already earned, or pay even more to receive it sooner. Meanwhile, visitors were being steered towards the same generic recommendations as everyone else.
These are people I know, on my own island. It troubled me that some of the best of Cyprus was so hard to find, and that the people behind it were getting such a poor deal. Cyprus Bucketlist is our answer: built with local operators, so the people who know each place best are the ones showing it to you.
Jet skiing off Limassol
Aurimas Songaila
Co-founder · Builds Cyprus Bucketlist
I live in Cyprus, but my connection to this part of the world began in Greece. I was eight when I first visited Thessaloniki, with no idea how much the Greek-speaking world and its culture would come to mean to me. Thirty years later, with a Greek wife and more trips than I can count, Cyprus is home.
Marrying into a Greek family let me experience the culture from the inside. Living here has taught me what no holiday could: how the island shifts with the seasons, and how much a little local knowledge can change a trip.
At Cyprus Bucketlist, I build the site itself. My job is to make the information you need easy to find and straightforward to use, so you spend less time searching and more time enjoying the island.
When I am not building the site, I am out exploring Cyprus, and more often than not that means being on the water. Sailing along the shores of Limassol is my favourite way to switch off: a few minutes out from the harbour, the city drops behind you and it is just the sea, the wind and the light. I hike the island’s trails, and I jet ski and water ski too whenever I get the chance. There is always another corner of the island to discover. I hope this site helps you find yours.
Our travel partner in Greece
Our connection to Greece extends to The Greek Local, where visitors can discover boat trips, food experiences and outdoor adventures with local operators. If Greece is your next stop, explore their guide.
What we stand for
Real local knowledge
The guides, tips and experiences we share are chosen by people who live here and know the island through every season.
Fair to the people who host you
Lower fees leave local operators with more to put into their businesses, their experiences and the welcome they offer you.
Local and European first
When a local or European provider can do the job well, we choose them for our own business too. We want the value created here to stay as close to home as possible.
A personal approach
Not sure what to book or where to begin? Ask us. You will hear from someone who lives here and will take the time to understand what you are looking for.
Where we are going
We want to be useful from the moment you land. That is why the site already covers airport buses, beaches and food alongside the experiences, and why we keep adding answers to the practical questions a trip here brings.
Step by step, we are building the guide we would hand to every friend who comes to stay.
Come and see the Cyprus we call home.