Cyprus Travel Guide
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Cyprus
CAPITAL: Nicosia
LANGUAGES: Greek, Turkish
RELIGION: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic and Christian 4%
Cyprus Sights and Museums
Lefkosia ( Nicosia ) Once enclosed by a star-shaped wall, Lefkosia's boundaries today are dictated by the UN's Green Line.
Lefkosia remains a friendly, laid-back place, with good restaurants, museums, and a lively art scene.
The Troödos region mountains, in the country's south, are unforgettable and may be the one place where you're free of package tourists. Popular with skiers, hikers and the heat-intolerant, Troödos is littered with 15th-century frescoed monasteries, wine-making villages and pleasant walking trails.
Kolossi Castle Less of a castle and more a fortified tower house, Kolossi Castle perches incongruously between the vineyards and houses of the village of the same name. It is an interesting reminder of the rule of the Knights of St John in the 13th century, who started producing wine and processing sugar cane at a commandery that stood on this land.
Salamis archaeological place, This was Cyprus ' most important pre-Christian city, and it's still the country's best archaeological site. You could easily spend a day here, checking out the fully restored Roman amphitheatre, the gymnasium with marble baths, and the mosaics.
Cyprus Entertainment
Here is a list of all year round events:
- Every Monday: Kaimakli Bus & Walking Tour, Lefkosia ( Nicosia ) (in English) Starting point: Tourist Information Office in Laiki Geitonia, Lefkosia.
- Every Monday: “Historic Limassol Walk”, Lemesos (Limassol) (in English). Starting point: Tourist Information Office, Lemesos
- Every Monday (December- March) Walks in and around Agia Napa (in English and German). Starting Point: Tourist Information Office, Agia Napa
- Every Wednesday (October - April) Germasogeia Walks (in English)
- Every Thursday Lefkosia ( Nicosia ) Walking Tour (in English). Starting point: Tourist Information Office in Laiki Geitonia, Lefkosia
- Every Friday (November-April) Germasogeia Walks (in Finnish)
- Every Friday (December - March) Walks in and around Agia Napa (in English and Swedish) Starting Point: Tourist Information Office, Agia Napa
- Every Monday from February to May and from October to December:
Public lectures on Archaeology and history (mainly Cypriot) organised by the Archaeological Research Unit ( University of Cyprus ), 12 Gladstone Str., 1095 Lefkosia
- Every last Sunday of every month: Classical Music Recital at Dr Nefen Michaelides´ Music School, Lemesos
Cyprus Transports
How to get there by air: there are international airports in Larnaka and Pafos, with flights from most of Europe and the Middle East . North Cyprus has an international airport at Ercan, but only Turkish airlines fly there.
-By sea: You can get to Greece ( Athens mainly, but sometimes Rhodes , Patmos or Crete ) and Israel from the Republic's port in Lemesos. If you want to go to the Greek islands, you'll probably have to change at Athens . There are ferries from North Cyprus to Turkey , but you cannot exit Cyprus this way unless you entered from Turkey .
Public transport in Cyprus is limited. There are no trains and there is no train service. There are inter-urban public bus services connecting major towns, urban buses which run in most larger towns and tourist centres rural buses which connect smaller villages to their nearest towns.
Bus time tables and schedules are available from tourist offices or directly from the bus company. Be aware that services stop early daily (about 18:00 ) and there is no bus service on Sundays. Bus fare is paid directly to the bus driver; make sure to bring change.
Shared and private taxi services provide an alternative method of transport with the options being: shared interurban service taxis, rural taxis and urban taxis.
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