ON LINE EUROPEAN TOURISTIC GUIDE

CYPRUS

Travel Documents, Health Care, Vaccinations, Electricity, Telephones and Internet, Money and Banks, Shopping, Typical Products

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.

Vaccinations: Cyprus has no dangerous infectious diseases. Visitors do not require any vaccinations to travel to Cyprus.

Pharmacies and Medications: Medicine can be purchased at pharmacies on presentation of a doctor's prescription. Almost all brands of medicine are available in Cyprus . Pharmacies are all marked with a green cross.

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

Telephones: Country Dialing Code 00357. In order to make a phone call to Cyprus from abroad, dial 00357 and then the eight-digit phone number. If you wish to make a phone call abroad while in Cyprus , dial 00, followed by the country code and the telephone number. International calls can be made from public telephones available at various central locations in all cities and villages, as well as at international airports, harbours and elsewhere. There are three types of public telephones – coin phones, outdoor card phones and indoor card phones. Public payphones can be used for both national and international calls. Dialling instructions as well as rates are displayed in all payphones. Calling within Cyprus simply requires dialling the eight-digit telephone number.

Mobile Telephones: Mobile cellular telephones are available from Cyta and MTN Cyprus. There are no roaming agreements with the northern part of Cyprus; Cyprus mobile phones do not work there, however a cellular handset from another country works on both sides of the island.

Internet: Many establishments including phone centres, internet cafes and hotels offer internet connection services of various speeds and types. Depending on the establishment, the service offered is wired or wireless and is usually charged by the hour.

Money and Banks: The currency of the Republic of Cyprus is Euro. Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, hotels; cheques can be cashed in banks. ATM (automatic teller machines) are available in all larger towns. These generally provide 24 hour access to an account for withdrawals, deposits or balance checking. Many machines have instructions in English.

Hotels, large shops and restaurants accept credit cards, travellers' cheques, Eurocheques and banknotes of major foreign currencies.

Banking Hours: Most banks are open 08:30-12:30 Monday to Friday and Monday afternoons from 15:15-16:45 in summer (1 July to 31 August).

Shopping hours: Public service working hours during the period September 1st – June 30th are 07:30 – 14:30 from Monday to Friday and on Thursday from 15:00 – 18:00. During the period July 1st – August 31st working hours are 07:30 – 14:30 from Monday to Friday. Private sector working hours are 08:00 - 13:00, 15:00 - 18:00 Monday to Friday for the period September 15th - May 31st and 08:00 - 13:00, 16:00 - 19:00 Monday to Friday, for the period June 1st - September 14th.

Shop opening times vary depending on their type and location, though shops normally open between 07:00 and 09:00. During the period November 1st - March 31st shops close at 19:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, at 15:00 on Wednesday, and at 19:00 on Saturday. For the period April 1st – October 31st shops close at to 20:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, at 15:00 on Wednesday and, at 19:30 on Saturday. During the period June 15th – August 31st there is an optional three hour afternoon break from14:00 - 17:00.

Special shopping hours apply for Christmas and Easter. From December 1st to December 31st , shops may remain open until 20:00 throughout the week, but must close by 18:00 on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Shops can also remain open until 20:00 10 days before Easter Sunday, but must close by 18:00 on Good Friday.

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. CYPRUS CUISINE RECIPES.

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