Travel Tips for Cyprus

Travel Tips for Cyprus


Glimpses of Beautiful Cyprus Weather

A flight to Cyprus takes just three hours, so you can leave the gloom of grey UK skies in the morning and be basking in sunshine by lunchtime! Here are a few travel tips for Cyprus.

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Cyprus: two countries on one island

Cyprus is divided between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish republic of North Cyprus in the north. Our travel tips are for travel to the south.

Getting to Cyprus

Flights to Cyprus land at either Larnaca airport in the east, or Paphos airport in the west. Both cheap charter flights and scheduled flights to Cyprus are available.

Language

The official language of south Cyprus is Greek, although many people speak English fluently. You are unlikely to have any language difficulties except in remote areas.

Visas

The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the EU, so EU passport holders do not require a visa. Canadian, New Zealand, Australian and US residents receive a three-month tourist visa free on arrival.

Currency and Cash

Despite being in the EU, Cyprus has not (yet) adopted the Euro (will adapt in 1 January 2008). The currency is Cyprus pounds (CYP) and although the exchange rate does fluctuate, 1 CYP is traditionally worth slightly more than 1GB£. Cyprus banks generally only open during the morning, and any ATMS tend to run short of cash during religious festival holidays, especially Easter. You can use your credit card and debit card in Cyprus, but smaller businesses will often prefer cash for small sales.

Public Transport vs Car Hire

Cyprus public transport is limited to buses. Buses run fairly frequently in the town, but villages may only have one bus service a day. Hiring a car is not only more convenient, but far more practical for sightseeing and exploring Cyprus. At cyprus-car.com we provide everything you might need in a rental car; two driver policies, a full tank of petrol on arrival, delivery to your door, and even children’s car seats if required, all included in the price.

Health

Cyprus has an excellent network of hospital and private clinics, and EU members can get free medical treatment on production of their EU health card (the successor to the E111 form). However, it is always advisable to take out your own personal travel insurance as well to cover any medical requirements, plus any activities you might wish to do. For example, you might need extra levels of insurance if you plan to scuba dive or paraglide in Cyprus.