Cyprus - Κύπρος

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THE Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of it Turkey. After Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. Geographically it is part of it Asia.

At a glance

There are three regimes on the island:

• THE Republic of Cyprus (which is a member of the European Union) which is internationally recognized. However, it controls only the southern part of the island.
• THE Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is called by Turkey the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus, which is under Turkish occupation
• The British military bases in the Cape and in Dhekelia, while legally they are separate from Republic of Cyprus, have open borders with it.

Appropriate visit period

Languages

The Cypriot (officially -Cypriot dialect of the Greek language-) is a Greek dialect (mixture of Greek, ancient Greek and Turkish) difficult to understand by compatriot Greeks, who have never had contact with it. Note: All Greek lalias have Turkish and Latin words. Scholars say that it is much closer to Ancient Greek, in grammar, syntax, vocabulary and pronunciation, than any other Modern Greek dialect, and much more than the -moderned -Common Modern Greek Language-

English is a very popular language in major cities as well as tourist areas.

Areas

Cyprus is divided into six provinces, each of which has the name of its administrative capital. Since 1974, the entire province of Kyrenia, most of the province of Famagusta and the northern part of the province of Nicosia have been occupied by Turkish troops. The Republic of Cyprus controls the following areas:

Important cities

•   Nicosia.  (updated Apr 2016)
•   Limassol.  (updated Apr 2016)
•   Larnaca.  (updated Apr 2016)
•   Paphos.  (updated Apr 2016)
•   Famagusta.  (updated Apr 2016)
•   Kyrenia.  (updated Apr 2016)

Additional tourist destinations

•   Ayia Napa.  

•   Akama.  

How to get there

By air

1. Her airport Nicosia
2. Her airport Larnaca is located 6 km from the city center.
3. Her airport Paphos.

By boat

It is possible to access Limassol by ship from Italy. Starting from the ports of Larnaca and Limassol, ferries operate to Piraeus, the Rose and Heraklion. They also operate certain services to ports in the Middle East (Haifa, Port Said...).

How to move

By road

It is possible to rent a car, although this depends on your financial capabilities. CTO (Cyprus Tourism Organization) can help you find car rental agencies.

Some recommendations:

• Attention, in Cyprus, driving is done from the left (and at high speed, attention!)
• Pedestrians, before crossing a road look first to the right and then to the left!

Cars rented within the Greek Cypriot zone can not circulate in the Turkish Cypriot and vice versa.

There are several car rental companies in Cyprus such as Hertz, Budget,Imperial Cyprus,Europcar.

Bus

Buses operate by province. In Nicosia is OSEL, in Limassol is EMEL, in Larnaca is Zenonas, in Paphos is ALEPA and in the free province of Famagusta is OSEA. Costs are not high and students and retirees pay 50% of the value of a regular ticket.

To get from one province to another, you can use the bus company Intercity Busses.

From Larnaca and Paphos airports to Nicosia you can use the Kapnos Buses.

What to see

Entertainment

Transactions and purchases

Cost

The country Cyprus uses euro. It is one of the many European countries that use the single currency. All euro banknotes and coins are legal tender in all countries that use them.

Countries that have the euro as their official currency: EU members Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hellas, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain Countries outside the EU Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and Vatican These countries are called the "eurozone".

The euro is divided into 100 cents.

The official symbol of the euro is €, and the ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol of the euro cents.

• Banknotes: Euro banknotes have the same design in all countries.
• Regular coins: All euro countries issue euro coins with a typical national design on one side and a common design on the other. The coins can be used in any Eurozone country, regardless of the design they depict. (eg a one euro coin from Finland can be used in Portugal).
• Commemorative coins of two euros: These differ from regular two euro coins on their "national" side, and are legally traded. Each country can mint a certain number of them, and sometimes "pan-European" two-euro commemorative coins are minted for important events (eg the anniversary of an important treaty).
• Other commemorative coinsCommemorative coins of other denominations (eg ten euros or more) are rarer, and have a special design, often containing some gold, silver or platinum. While they are technically a legal medium of exchange, their collectible value is greater than their face value, and you are therefore unlikely to find them in the everyday market.

Local cuisine

Local drinks

Studies

Job opportunities

Stay safe

The island does not face particular crime problems. However, it is good to remember that this is a divided country with a sensitive border line, which, in fact, divides the capital Nicosia into two parts. For this reason, you should not be surprised if you often see UN military patrols.

Health and precautions

Respect local customs

Communications

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