Travel Guide Cyprus

Travel Guide Cyprus

Travel Guide Cyprus

Our tips for Cyprus

In Cyprus, we stretched summer out for a few more months. While everyone back home was digging out their winter coats, we were lying on the beach. In between, we explored the whole island, from the Greek south to Northern Cyprus.

Cyprus is an island with two faces. The south, the Republic of Cyprus, has Paphos and its Roman mosaics, cool mountain villages in the Troodos and bays with crystal-clear water. The Turkish Cypriot north is quieter, with Kyrenia's old harbour, crusader castles and the empty beaches of the Karpas Peninsula. The border runs right through the capital, Nicosia, and you can simply stroll across it on foot.

In this Cyprus travel guide you'll find what not to miss in each part, plus all our blogs and tips to plan your trip.

Capital
Nicosia
Currency
Euro (south), Turkish lira (north)
High season
June to September
Airports
Larnaca (LCA), Paphos (PFO), Ercan (ECN)
Driving
On the left
Time zone
UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)

Plan your trip to Cyprus

Everything you need to book your trip, in one place. From hotels to rental cars.

Our pickHotels in Cyprus: from boutique stays in Paphos to village houses in the Troodos Mountains
Want to stop wherever you like? Rent a car with Discover Cars and compare the big rental companies in one go.No flight yet? Compare flights to Larnaca or Paphos.Snorkelling in the Blue Lagoon or a jeep safari through the Troodos? Book your tours with GetYourGuide.Fancy doing it by camper, like we do? Rent a campervan with Campervan Planet and wake up by the sea.

Northern Cyprus

Northern Cyprus is the Turkish Cypriot part of the island, and it feels quieter and far less built-up than the south. You pay in Turkish lira, and your holiday money goes a lot further here.

The star of the north coast is Kyrenia (Girne), with a horseshoe-shaped harbour guarded by a mighty castle. Just up the hill you’ll find the Gothic ruins of Bellapais Abbey and St Hilarion, a fairy-tale castle perched on a ridge of the Kyrenia Mountains. Over on the east coast, Famagusta (Gazimağusa) hides behind centuries-old walls, with the Roman ruins of Salamis just outside town. Craving peace and quiet? Keep driving to the Karpas Peninsula: long, empty beaches like Golden Beach and barely a building in sight.

The only direct routes into Northern Cyprus run via Turkey. Flights to Ercan stop in Turkey first, and ferries sail from the Turkish south coast. That’s why plenty of travellers fly into Larnaca and cross at one of the checkpoints, for example in Nicosia. Don’t forget your passport or ID card.

Southern Cyprus

Southern Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is part of the EU and uses the euro. This is where you’ll find the best-known resorts and most of the big sights.

In Paphos you can wander among the Roman mosaics of the archaeological park and the rock-cut Tombs of the Kings, together a UNESCO World Heritage site. Along the coast towards Limassol sits Petra tou Romiou, the rock where Aphrodite is said to have risen from the waves. Out west, the unspoilt Akamas Peninsula is home to the Blue Lagoon, while the east has the white beaches of Ayia Napa and Protaras and the sea cliffs of Cape Greco.

Need a break from the heat? The Troodos Mountains are green and cool, dotted with villages and little Byzantine churches covered in frescoes. Limassol, Larnaca with its salt lake and the capital Nicosia, Europe’s last divided capital, are well worth a stop too.

More blogs about Cyprus