Visiting Cyprus

We travelled to the south of Cyprus, quite a few years ago now, for a two-week vacation. The north at that time was not visited by western holiday-makers much at all.

Today the north has some tourism, but in a lesser degree to the south. Northern Cyprus is Turkish held and Southern Cyprus is Greek. There is still evidence around of the Turkish invasion and there is still quite a lot of bad feeling between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

We took our vacation January, after working over the Christmas period in the UK. We stayed in Paphos on the south west coast of Cyprus and enjoyed a lovely relaxing winter break.

Cyprus has an all year round holiday climate, however it can be chilly during January and through to March. We were glad that we had took a mixture of clothing as we experienced everything from warm days on the beach, to snowy days when we visited the Troodos mountains.

Cyprus is an interesting destination with lots of history and sights to see. Enough to satisfy even the most well travelled tourist.

There are archaeological sites, beautiful traditional villages, architecture, lovely beaches and much more. The locals are friendly and seem to genuinely enjoy chatting with tourists.

Local food served is similar to Greek food with Meze's, and kebabs, as well as European offerings. The local specialty to drink is Cypriot brandy mixed with fruit juice to make Brandy Sour's.

We visited the Island's capital Nicosia where you can see the divide between the north and the south quite literally; the green line.

Nicosia is a bustling capital city which is interesting on many levels

One of the best sights and visits for us in Nicosia was a Museum which housed a huge statue of Archbishop Makarios in its grounds. This man was a previous leader of the country.

Nicosia has great cafes and restaurants also and you can travel to and from here by local buses.

Paphos in winter was lovely but, during the summer months, the over commercialism it has suffered is more evident. This is true of other resorts such as Ayia Napa and Limmassol.

Stay in these resorts, in high season, only if you enjoy hustle and bustle and a wild night-life. Cyprus however if you pick your destination, and time of year well, offers something for everyone.

There are still places a little of the beaten track and the Cypriot countryside is beautiful.

Travelling in winter we had the benefit of seeing a fairly green terrain. Spring would probably be lovely with all the early flowers too.

Cyprus is one of the largest Greek Islands in the Mediterranean

It's position means it is not far for anyone wanting to visit Israel and Egypt and back then many tourists did short stays. Current conflicts mean both countries are not such good options in 2018.  Short cruises were available to take whilst holidaying on Cyprus and I assume they are still around and easy to book. Recent conflicts in these countries though may have limited such tours.

The island of Cyprus is a military base for some including British units.

No special visas are needed for holidays on Cyprus and there are no special health requirements such as vaccinations. However take an anti-mosquito plug and repellent as you may need it.

If you choose to visit Cyprus you will find a warm welcome and have a great holiday. You may find however it is a little more expensive when you are there than when you visit the Greek Islands.

Accommodation ranges from luxurious five-star hotels to basic bed and breakfast. As always the choice is yours but on the whole the accommodation is pretty good.

The currency is the Euro.

Visit Cyprus

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