Pile foundations are widely used to support large and heavy structures such as offshore platforms, high-rise buildings, transmission towers, bridges and railway embankments. Therefore, pile foundations in these structures are often subjected to cyclic vertical and lateral loads caused by wind, waves, traffic, machinery, turbines, etc. Cyclic loading induces progressive deterioration of strength and stiffness of surrounding soil, leading to significant reduction of pile capacity and lateral pile displacements. In the present study, response of a single vertical pile subjected to cyclic vertical loading is analysed by three-dimensional finite element method. The pile is embedded in a two-layered soil media which comprises a silty clay stratum underlain by a dense sand bed. Effects of cyclic load amplitude, frequency and number of cycles on the bearing capacity of the pile are discussed in detail and a comparative study with monotonic load response is also presented. The study is further continued by applying cyclic load laterally instead of vertical direction and results are presented in terms of cyclic lateral load capacity, pile head deflection, displacement and moment profile over the length of the pile.