Cyprus

Understand

History

Modern history Cyprus has a complex political history that has left a lasting impact on the island. After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, the Cypriot Constitution was created to ensure power-sharing between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority. However, tensions between the two groups escalated in 1974 when Greece and Turkey became involved in the conflict. As a result, Turkey ended up occupying 40% of the island, resulting in the establishment of the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC) in 1983. The TRNC is recognised only by Turkey, while all other governments and the United Nations recognise only the government of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island. In order to maintain peace, the UN operates a peacekeeping force and a narrow buffer zone between the two Cypriot ethnic groups. Whilst hostilities have been absent for some time, the island remains divided. However, the involvement of the European Union has led to increased efforts towards reunification between the two sides.

Climate Subtropical Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters in the lowlands. Continental with warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters in the mountains.

Terrain Central plain with mountains to north and south (often used for skiing); scattered but significant plains along southern coast.

Culture The two major ethnic groups in Cyprus are Greeks and Turks. The majority of Cypriots are Greek Cypriots, who have long controlled Cyprus's political, economic, and cultural sectors. Greek Cypriot culture is distinguished by a rich culinary legacy as well as a thriving music and dance scene. The majority of Greek Cypriots are Orthodox Christians. In contrast, Turkish Cypriot culture is heavily influenced

See

The many archaeological and antiquities sites scattered around the island, dating from the New Stone Age through to the Roman Empire The beautiful coastline of the island, still quite unspoilt in many places, is well worth exploring Nicosia, the capital as it has a wealth of history, preserved Venetian walls surrounding the city, some wonderful bars and restaurants within the old walls of the city and of course the 'green line', the dividing line with the Turkish part of Cyprus, which cuts through the centre of Nicosia, now the only d

Getting there

Cyprus is committed to implementing the Schengen Agreement although it hasn't yet done so. For citizens of the European Union (EU) and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), an officially approved ID card (or a passport) is sufficient for entry. Other nationalities will generally need a passport. Travel to or from any other country (Schengen or not) from or to Cyprus will result in the normal immigration checks, although customs checks will be waived when travelling to or from another EU country. Inquire with your travel agent or with the local embassy or consulate of Cyprus.

By plane Cyprus' main airport in the south is 1 Larnaca Glafcos Clerides International Airport (LCA IATA). and is on the outskirts of Larnaka. Cyprus' main airport in the north is 2 Ercan International Airport (ECN IATA). and is on the outskirts of Nicosia. It may be illegal to use for you, check below. Nicosia International Airport (NIC IATA) was the previous main international airport. It is SW of Nicosia in the Green Line separating the Greek and Turkish parts of Cyprus; it has been out of use since 1974. Cyprus is served by a variety of carriers. There are flight connections from most major European cities, e.g. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Milan) and many Eastern European countries. There are also connections from almost all Middle Eastern capitals. There are no flights from Turkey to the south, although you can fly there with Aegean Air with only a short connection in Athens. There is a frequent and cheap (€2.40 during the day and €4.00 after 21:00 in Apr 2024, cash is a preferred method of payment) public bus connection from the airport into central Larnaca, but it is poorly signposted. The bus stop is at the departure hall level (u

Getting around

Public transportation in Cyprus has been revamped with all new buses in Nicosia. Still, most Cypriots drive. There are no railways in Cyprus. Addresses in Cyprus are not very precise; locals, Google Maps, utility providers, and delivery services may all disagree and what the exact number of a house is. There may be multiple streets with the same name in the city, kilometers apart. Addresses are used for formalities only, navigation is typically done via either exact pins in Google Maps, or house names, or points of interests nearby.

By bus There is a comprehensive network of bus routes that cover all Cyprus. Use Cyprus By Bus or Pame (newer) to plan your journey using buses in Cyprus. The prices on CyprusByBus in English may not be up to date. As an alternative for public transportation routing you can try Moovit, although it does not have real-time information about buses. Google Maps does not have public transportation information. Bus stops are best found in the Cyprus By Bus or the newer Pame application. Stops names may refer to long-gone local streets and buildings, sometimes streets with same names reappear in other corners of the city. There may be multiple stops with the same name close to each other, all for different services. Bus schedule only specifies departure from the initial stop, there are no estimations on when a bus may arrive to your stop, except real-time tracking in the Cyprus By Bus or Pame application (not on the website). Busses tend to cease operation in the early evening for the vast majority of routes.

Buses by city: Lefkosia, Limassol, Pafos, Larnaka, Ammochostos, Intercity Buses Larnaca Airport Shuttle services: Larnaca airport to Nicosia, Larnaca airport to Limassol Paphos Airport Shuttle services: Paphos airport to Nicosia, Paphos a