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Touristic Guide and Information about Cyprus

 

 

 

Cyprus (Kypriakí Dimokratía - Kibris Cumhuriyeti) is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea with 9,251 square kilometres area, and also the easternmost island in the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus is approximately 105 km west of Syria, 75 km south of Turkey and 380 km north of Egypt. Prominent geographic features include the Troodos massif (1,953 metres) that occupies most of the southwestern part of the country, the Pentadautylos range (Mount Kyréneia or Pentadáutylos 1,023 metres) in the north around Kyrenia and the Messaoria Plain in between them. It is here that the capital city, Nicosia, is located. Between the cities beyond to capital city of Nicosia, situated in the center of the island and today divided in two sectors Greek, to south, and Turk, to north; there are Famagosta, situated in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Limassól and Lárnaca, both in the Greek part of the island.  The elongated Karpasia Peninsula occupies the northeastern part of Cyprus, while the southeastern point terminates in Cape Greco. Pafos and the Akamas Peninsula are on the far western edge. Beginning from 1983 in the northern part of the island (occupied from Turkey since 1974) have been proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (3,355 kmq, 190,000 inhabitants), only recognized from Turkey. The southern part, Greek-Cypriot of Cyprus, is part of the European Union. There are still in course negotiations in order to resolve the problem of the division of the island.

 

Climate: Cyprus enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate, with long dry summers from mid-May to mid-October and with mild rainy winters from December to February, which are separated by short autumn and spring seasons. Summer is a season of high temperatures with cloudless skies, but the sea breeze creates a pleasant atmosphere in the coastal areas. Summer temperatures range from warm at higher elevations in the Troodos mountains to hot in the lowlands. Winters are mild with some rain and snow on Troodos Mountains. Winter temperatures are mild at lower elevations, where snow rarely occurs, but are significantly colder in the Troodos mountains, where there is sufficient snow for a seasonal ski facility. Annual rainfall do not exceed generally 500 milimeter; they diminish to 350 milimeter in the Mesaria, more protected to the marine influences, while on the southern reliefs 1,000 milimeter annually can be reached.

LARNACA
Maximum
Temperature
°C
Minimum
Temperature
°C
Number of raindays
Daily Sunshine
hours
Sea
Temperature
°C
January
17,3
8,4
11
6,1
16,5
February
17,5
8,1
9
7,1
16,5
March
19,4
10,0
9
7,4
16,9
April
22,6
12,7
5
9,3
17,4
May
26,6
16,5
3
11,1
19,0
June
30,7
20,1
0
12,8
21,7
July
33,0
22,2
0
12,6
24,1
August
33,2
22,6
0
12,0
25,4
September
31,3
20,4
0
10,6
25,8
October
28,6
17,7
3
8,9
23,2
November
23,5
13,4
7
7,1
20,1
December
19,0
10,0
10
5,8
18,6

Tourist attractions: Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, it contain citrus and olive groves, pine forested mountains, and some of Europe's cleanest beaches, Cyprus is the legendary birthplace of the goddess of beauty and love, the beautiful Aphrodite, the legendary site of Aphrodite's birth is at Petra Tou Romiou ("Aphrodite's Rock"), a large sea stack close to the coastal cliffs near Paphos. Cyprus is an island of beauty and a country of contrasts. Cyprus, is earth of myths and legends, it conjugates the beauty of its sea and its beaches, the lively of its traditions, the wealth of its works of art, that they go from the archaeological remains of the several civilization that are passed in the island, to the imposing Venetian and Turkish fortresses, to the beautiful orthodox churches and monasteries.  

Unesco has inscribed 3 Cyprus properties in the World Heritage List: the remains of villas, palaces, theatres, fortresses and tombs of Paphos (1980), the Painted Churches in the Troodos Region, (a complex of 10 monuments are included on the World Heritage List) (1985, 2001), the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia (1998). Between the properties submitted on the Tentative List are: the Church of Ayios Sozomenos, Galata (extension to "Painted Churches in the Troodos Region") (2002), Church of Ayios Mamas, Louvaras (extension to "Painted Churches in the Troodos") (2002), Church of Panayia Chrysokourdaliotissa, Kourdali (extension to "Painted Churches in the Troodos Region") (2002), The rural settlement of Fikardou (2002), Mathiatis South (2002), Kionia (2002), Khandria (2002), Troodos, Mt. Olympus (2002), Malounta Bridge (2002), Klirou Bridge (2002), Agioi Varnavas and Ilarion at Peristerona (Five-domed churches) (2004), Agia Paraskevi at Geroskipou (Five-domed churches) (2004).

Travel Documents: EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU Member State. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals except EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.

Health: Medical treatment and assistance is offered free of charge to international tourists in case of health emergencies at the Accident and Emergency Department of Government Hospitals/Institutions. Free or reduced-cost necessary treatment is available to European residents, in most cases on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Note: A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not valid in the north (Turkish) part of Cyprus. Holiday-makers can also make use of their health insurance, which covers medical expenses, provided that this insurance covers the length of their stay on the island.

Electricity: Cyprus operates on 240 volt, 50 Hz electricity. Two-pin and rectangular blade plugs are standard in Cyprus.

Cuisine: CYPRUS CUISINE RECIPES.

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Airports and Flights: The Republic of Cyprus has two commercial airports: Larnaca International Airport (IATA: LCA) and Paphos International Airport (IATA: PFO). More than 40 Airlines, including Cyprus Airways, the island's national carrier, operate scheduled flights from and to Larnaka International Airport (5 km from Larnaka town centre), and Pafos International Airport (15 km east of Pafos town).

The following are the Airlines that serves Larnaca International Airport: Aegean Airlines (Athens, Thessaloniki), Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo), Aerosvit Airlines (Kiev-Boryspil, Odessa), Air Finland (Helsinki), Air Slovakia (Bratislava, Kuwait), Arkia Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv), Austrian Airlines (Vienna), Astraeus (Leeds/Bradford), Belavia (Minsk), British Airways (London-Heathrow), Condor Airlines (Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich), Cyprus Airways (Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Bahrain, Beirut, Birmingham, Brussels, Bucharest-Otopeni, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Jeddah, Kiev-Boryspil, London-Heathrow, London-Stansted, Manama, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Paphos, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rhodes, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Sofia, Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, Vienna, Zürich), Czech Airlines (Prague), EgyptAir (Cairo), El Al (Tel Aviv), Emirates (Dubai, Malta), Eurocypria Airlines (Berlin-Schönefeld, Dresden, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Heraklion, Humberside, Leipzig/Halle, Lisbon, London-Gatwick, Lyon, Manchester, Munich, Newcastle, Norwich, Nuremberg, St. Petersburg, Warsaw), Finnair (Helsinki), Gulf Air (Bahrain), Hamburg International (Berlin-Tegel, Hamburg, Leipzig/Halle), Hemus Air (Sofia), Jat Airways (Belgrade, Tel-Aviv, Dubai), Jazeera Airways (Dubai, Kuwait), LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich), LTU International (Düsseldorf), Malév Hungarian Airlines (Budapest), Middle East Airlines (Beirut), Olympic Airlines (Athens, Thessaloniki), Rossiya (St. Petersburg), Royal Jordanian (Amman), Smart Wings (Prague) [seasonal], SkyEurope (Vienna), Sun D'Or (Tel Aviv), Syrian Arab Airlines (Damascus), TAROM (Bucharest-Otopeni), Thomas Cook Airlines (Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, London-Luton, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle), Thomsonfly (Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London-Luton, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle), TUIfly (Hanover, Stuttgart), transavia.com (Amsterdam), XL Airways (Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, London-Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle).

The following are the Airlines that serves Paphos International Airport: British Airways operated by GB Airways (London-Gatwick, Manchester), Cyprus Airways (Amsterdam, Athens, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Manchester), Egyptair (Cairo), Eurocypria Airlines (Berlin-Schönefeld, Dresden, Hanover, Leipzig/Halle, Munich, Newcastle, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, St. Petersburg, Stuttgart), Finnair (Helsinki), First Choice Airways (Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Exeter, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester), Flyglobespan (Aberdeen, Glasgow), LTU International (Düsseldorf), MyTravel (Birmingham, London-Gatwick, Manchester), Thomas Cook Airlines (Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Glasgow-International, London-Luton, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle), Thomsonfly (Belfast-International, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster-Sheffield, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Exeter, Glasgow-International, Leeds/Bradford, London-Luton, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham), Transaero (Moscow-Domodedovo), transavia.com (Amsterdam), XL Airways (Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Humberside, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle).  

Shopping hours: In towns, shops close at 19.00hrs during the Winter period (November-March) and at 20:30 hrs during the Summer period (April-October). As from 15th of June till 31st of August shops in towns close between 14:00 and 17:00 hrs for the summer afternoon break.

Typical products: Locally produced items, which are popular to visitors, include leather goods, woven goods, (curtains and tablecloths), ceramics, copperware, silverware (especially filigree), baskets and the famous traditional hand-made Lefkaritika lace. These can be purchased from the many souvenir shops found throughout the island and the Cyprus Handicraft Centres. Cyprus wines and spirits, which have been famous for centuries, are also high on visitors’ shopping lists and can be purchased from supermarkets or grocery shops.

Cuisine: Cyprus' cuisine is closely related to that of Greece. Meze, an abbreviation of mezedes, or “little delicacies,” is one key to cooking in Cyprus it consist of as many as 30 small plates of food, from savory dips and vegetables to a wide range of fish and meat dishes. Among the items you can expect to be served are: Loukanika, coriander-seasoned sausages, soaked in red wine and smoked; Koupepia, grape leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice; Lountza, smoked pork, often served in sandwiches with halloumi, a delicious soft cheese, (usually grilled) made from thyme-fed sheep and sometimes spiced with peppermint; sheftalia, grilled pork sausage, afelia, pork marinated in wine and coriander; stiphado, beef or rabbit stew casseroled with wine vinegar, onions and spices; and ofto kleftiko, chunks of lamb cooked in a sealed clay oven and seasoned with bay leaves. Seafood dishes include calamari, octopus in red wine, barbouni (red mullet), and sea bass. Some common vegetable preparations are potatoes in olive oil and parsley, pickled cauliflower and beets, zucchini, kolokasi (a sweet potato-like root vegetable) and asparagus. There are also the Greek classics taramosalata, fish roe blended into a creamy pink dip of pureed potatoes with parsley, lemon juice and finely chopped onion; talatouri, cool mint and cucumber flavored yogurt with a dusting of garlic, a variation on the Greek tzatziki; Greek salad (horiatiki salata) with tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, feta cheese, green olives and local herbs; moussaka, the traditional Greek dish of minced meat and eggplant topped with creamy bechamel sauce; and souvlakia, kebabs of pork, lamb and chicken. Cypriot desserts often consist of fresh fruit, served alone or with a selection of sweet pastries or fruit preserved in syrup. These include loukoumades, Cyprus doughnuts with honey syrup, daktyla, ladyfingers with almonds, walnuts and cinnamon, and shiamali, orange semolina cakes cut into squares. In cafes, popular snacks include kolokoti, a pastry triangle stuffed with red pumpkin, cracked wheat and raisins, and pastellaki, a sesame, peanut and honey syrup bar. There is also galatopoureko, a cream-stuffed phyllo pastry. A traditional sweet treat is loukoumia, cubes of gelatin flavored with rose water and dusted with powdered sugar.

Area: 9,251 sqkm

Population: 730,000 Greek Cypriots 80%; Turkish Cypriots 18%; arabs and armens minorities.

State Capital: Nicosia

Language: Greek and Turkish are the official languages. English is widely spoken.

Religion: The overwhelming majority of the Cypriots belong to the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are musulman. There are also small Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Maronite and Armenian Apostolic communities.

Money: Cyprus Pound (CYP)

Time: +2 h GMT. Daylight Saving Time: Each year on the last Sunday of March, Daylight Saving Time comes into effect in Cyprus and all clocks are advanced by one hour. On the last Sunday in October, Cyprus reverts to Standard Time.

 

 

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