Cyprus

Things to Do
 
Cyprus is pretty cheap recently and has got lots of history and good things to see. You can also get the ferry over to Egypt fairly cheap which is pretty cool.

Getting There

This depends on where you're coming from. If you're coming from the mainland, it's sometimes cheaper to get a package deal and then ditch the one star hotel for somewhere better. I'm in the UK and return flight & one weeks airconditioned hotel room was £79.

Cyprus is split down the middle and is the only country left in the world with a dividing wall. Before you go, you have to decide if you want to go to either the north or south half, you can't just travel the island freely.

Southern Cyprus is now heavily touristed and the capital Nicosia is like every other westernised city in Western Europe bar the dirty great wall in the middle of it guarded by the UN with Big Guns. You can enter Southern Cyprus via Greece, or Egypt or pretty much from anywhere else in Europe. This half is part of the EU.

Officially, the northern half doesn't exist, and the southerners will tell you how it was "stolen" from them on 1974 by the Turkish. This is not part of Europe. It can be accessed from Turkey only and is relatively unspoilt as it doesn't have the nice funds supplied by the EU and Cypriot government. Please remember that if you stay overnight you are commiting a crime by staying on "stolen property".

You might have a problem if you have a Greek name or look Greek getting into the Northern half, and if you look Turkish or have a Turkish name you may have problems getting into the Southern half.

If you decide on going to the Northern half, you can not enter the Southern half without flying back into mainland Europe and then flying into the Southern half.

If you decide on going to the Southern half, then you can do two individual day trips (I think you have to be back by 8pm) and again, you can not stay overnight. Remember that if you hire a car, you can not drive it into the Northern half as you will not be insured.

Geography

There are many spelling variations of the different places - Greek/Turkish/Ancient Greek & English. I'll try to be consistant, but I'm fickle.

There are 4 main cities in the southern half and a mountain range

- Paphos (the west coast) Paf-os
- Larnaka (the east coast) Larn-a-ca
- Nicosia (the north of the Southern half and the capital) Nick-o-see-a
- Limasol (the middle bit) limb-o-sole
- Troodos (the mountains) true-dos

I don't have enough information to update the Northern section yet. Someone kick me next year to update it.

Climate

It's hot. 'nuff said.

Seriously though, in the summer months by 10:30 am expect the temperature to be 40 degrees +. At night time it cools down to about 30.

In December it drops to about 15-20 degrees. There will be snow in the mountains and ski facilities are available.

There is little rainfall all year round and water shortage is a very real issue for the locals. Please respect this.

There are some nice natural springs in the Troodos mountains of which you can refill your water bottles whilst hiking. IMHO it tastes better than the mineral water we had with us. It's also cold.

Transport

There is no rail system, but they're thinking about it, and it's the thought that counts...

Busses are regular, cheap, on time and far more importantly air conditioned

If you book your trip in advance Easy Car is by far the cheapest possible car hire company.

If you're a last minute person like me, there are lots of shops that advertise their rates. Go haggle.

Taxis are metered, airconditioned and are safer than London or New York (or it felt that way at the time).

What to do

Tourism in the Southern half is heavily subsidsed by the government so the main attractions are pretty cheap.

Paphos

The most famous attraction is the Tomb of
the Kings which is a huge expanse of tombs
which have been recently discovered. Entry is
£1.50 CYP. Try to go super early, not because
of the crowds but because there is no shelter
from the sun and it's just too uncomfortably
hot to enjoy it by 11am.

Off the beaten track, literally  is Adonis Falls. I can't find a link for them.

It's a natural waterfall which is mostly unspoilt
and the owner will kindly let you swim in it if
you pay him £4 CYP and sign his guest book.

It's 1Km from Coral Bay, which is supposedly
the best beach on the island. Follow the white
painted arrows on boulders along the dirt track
(if I can get down it in an Astra, you can too)
up a mountain pass. You will get to the point
where you think someone is winding you up by
making you follow the signs, keep going, it's totally worth it.

Nicosia

This is certainly a culture shock (I'm too
young to have seen the Berlin Wall). The
whole city is walled around the edges and
then there's the wall across the middle.

To get a good view of the divide and into the
Northern half, go to Woolworths and get the
lift to the top floor. From there, you should
be able to see the *huge* Turkish flag painted
on the mountains in the Northern half to remind the Greek Cypriots on a daily basis that it's not their territory any more.

You can go right up to the wall, but you aren't allowed to take photos from the wall itself. I wouldn't advise taking on the guy with the AK47 that guards it. Do not cross the line without permission for the same reason.

The area around the wall is abandoned and deserted. Properties are literally decaying. The soldiers themselves are really nice guys (one bought me an ice cream  ), talk to them about the conflict and how it has affected the country.

If you follow the wall along the Green Line you should come to a warehouse. Go inside for local produce such as fresh fruit, vegetables and bread/cheeses/ham etc. This is not on the tourist map or in my guide books. Hopefully you will stumble upon it too.

There are too many beautiful Greek Orthodox churches and Mosques to list.

Larnaca

The islands main airport is here.

Home to Agya Napa. It's very geared up for teens on their first lads/girls holiday away from home with lots of disposable income. The pubs and clubs are all impressive in their own right in the way that the fronts have been designed to pull in the customers.

If you're looking for somewhere to chill out and cool off during the day, the bars show the latest films every 2 hours. Chalk boards with show times are propped up outside. You can get away with buying a glass of coke and making it last throughout the length of the film so it's a cheap way to while away the hours. Most of the films are shown way before they are released in the UK.

Troodos

The wilderness at it's very best. Compared to
the barren landscape of some of the island,
this is very green. Hash grows freely in the
wild here as do many other plants.

Hiking is very popular as is skiing in the winter.

You can also hire a jeep from any of the main cities to take you up there (this is one of the rare times where we weren't brave enough to do it on our own). The guides speak German, English, Greek and French. Ours also spoke Russian. For £20 CYP you get a full day in the mountains including lunch.

Check out Kykkos Monastry which is the richest one in Cyprus. Remember girls to cover your shoulders and guys to cover your legs. If you forget to dress appropriately, there's a guy in a white van that will loan items of clothing for £1 CYP per item. Most of the inside is made of gold. Remember that the monks are still living there, so try to be respectful (I shouldn't have to say that but...)

Limasol

This is where I stayed the first time. It's very English orientated with £5.50 3 course set dinners and £1.50 English Breakfasts. Avoid these, it's just not good for you.

There's a zoo - entry £0.75. Check out the
cage with over 40 guinea pigs. We laughed
at them for about an hour. It amused us
that household pets would be in a zoo.
The cages are pretty small, but the animals
appear to be well fed.

My personal favourite is the medieval castle &
museum which is in the centre of the old town. Entry is £1.50 CYP. I'm a sucker for ruined castles. It is where Richard The Lionheart married his childhood sweetheart (aww)

Just round the corner is The Hammam where you can have a steam bath, sauna or massage for £5 CYP.

General

There are many waterparks dotted round the island which are mainly geared up for kids.

Can't say I was overly impressed by any of the beaches, but then I'm spoilt. Coral beach in Paphos is the highest rated, and IMHO Agya Napa was the scummiest, but everyone looks for different things in beaches.

Day Trips

There are plenty of excursions available.

You have your two day trips to take into Northern Cyprus.

The main ones is the flight to Egypt with full guided tours. My mother did this one. She said she appreciated the airconditioned coach and armed soldiers that surrounded their fleet of coaches, but she felt rushed even by her standards and couldn't take photos in any of the museums for fear of losing their guide.

Ferries are available from Paphos Port (there may be some others on the island) for those who want to go it alone to Egypt and other Mediterranean countries.

Articles

Article - Turkey vs Greece