The Rough Guide to Cyprus (Travel Guide eBook)

Rough Guides

Description

World-renowned 'tell it like it is' guidebook 

Discover Cyprus with this comprehensive, entertaining, 'tell it like it is' Rough Guide, packed with comprehensive practical information and our experts' honest and independent recommendations.

Whether you plan to explore picturesque villages, discover on spectacular ruins, hike in the Troodos Massif or just laze on a pristine beach, The Rough Guide to Cyprus will help you discover the best places to explore, sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way.

Features of The Rough Guide to Cyprus:
- Detailed regional coverage: provides in-depth practical information for each step of all kinds of trip, from intrepid off-the-beaten-track adventures, to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas. Regions covered include: Larnaka, Pafos, Lefkosia and North Cyprus.
- Honest independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, and recommendations you can truly trust, our writers will help you get the most from your trip to Cyprus.
- Meticulous mapping: always full-colour, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Lemesos, Pafos and many more locations without needing to get online.
- Fabulous full-colour photography: features a richness of inspirational colour photography, including idyllic images of Cyprus's stunning beaches and jaw-dropping views of the ruins of ancient Salamis.
- Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of the Karpaz Peninsula, Troodos, Girne and Lemesos's best sights and top experiences.
- Itineraries: carefully planned routes will help you organise your trip, and inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences.
- Basics section: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting there, getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more.
- Background information: comprehensive Contexts chapter provides fascinating insights into Cyprus, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary.
- Covers: Larnaka and around, Lemesos and around, Pafos and aroun, the Troodos Mountains, Lefkosia and North Cyprus.

About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

Sujets

• Cyprus

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789195781
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 26 Mo

Extrait

Richard Taylor
CHAPEL IN THE HARBOUR OF FAMAGUSTA, PROTARAS
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Cyprus
Where to go
When to go
Author picks
Things not to miss
Itineraries
BASICS
Getting there
Getting around
Accommodation
Food and drink
Festivals and public holidays
Sports and outdoor activities
Culture and etiquette
Travel essentials
THE GUIDE
1 Larnaka and around
2 Lemesos and around
3 Pafos and around
4 The Troodos Mountains
5 Lefkosia (South Nicosia)
6 North Cyprus
CONTEXTS
History
Geology and wildlife
Books
Greek and Turkish
Glossary
SMALL PRINT
iStock
Introduction to
Cyprus
Birthplace of Aphrodite and crossroads between three continents, Cyprus has seduced and inspired generations of travellers for hundreds of years. And it continues to do so today. The promise of Cyprus is one of dazzling beaches, shimmering blue seas, endless summers and tables groaning under heaped platters of mezé and bottles of sweet chilled wine. On the cusp between West and East, between Christian and Muslim, and with towns and cities that are vibrantly modern yet bear witness to the island’s long and culturally diverse history, Cyprus is blessed with a balmy climate and a rugged landscape of coast and mountains dotted with vineyards, villages and monasteries.
Cyprus has earned its place as one of Europe’s tourist hotspots. From quaint rustic cottages to luxury hotel complexes, from welcoming village tavernas to burgeoning fine-dining restaurants, from coastal resorts with all the tourist bells and whistles to empty wilderness peninsulas and forested mountains, Cyprus can cater for all tastes. And native Cypriots, whether Greek or Turkish, are famous for the warmth of their hospitality.
Venture beyond the resorts, with their karaoke bars and restaurants knocking out fish and chips, pizza and, more recently, Russian stroganoff, and it’s not hard to find another Cyprus. Traces of the exotic and Levantine are never far away, from ruined Lusignan and Venetian castles and elegant Islamic minarets to cool mountain villages hiding sacred icons from the very first days of Christianity.
No stranger to turbulence and strife, Cyprus has suffered waves of foreign invaders, from Mycenaean Greeks and Persians to sunburnt Crusaders, Ottoman pashas, and British Empire-builders. More recently, it has attracted numerous Russian expats. Internal division too has left its mark on the island. First, in the 1950s and 60s, came the struggle by Greek Cypriots for independence and union with Greece , then intercommunal violence prompted by fears among the minority Turkish Cypriots regarding what union with Greece might mean for them, and finally the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 which resulted in its de facto partition between a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south. Bitterness caused by the split lives on today. However, in recent years the easing of tensions and the gradual opening up of the Green Line has made it easier for travellers to explore the island as a whole. It is now possible to experience both sides of the divide in one day, and in the capital you can immerse yourself in two distinct cultures – Greek and Turkish, Christian and Muslim – simply by walking down a street and crossing between the two halves of the city.
Cyprus, then, offers the traveller not only a welcome whose warmth is legendary, but both hedonistic pleasure and cultural diversity out of all proportion to its size.

FACT FILE Cyprus, with a land area of 9251 square kilometres, is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. Its nearest neighbours are Turkey (75km) and Syria (105km) respectively. The capital, once Nicosia, now Lefkosia and Lefkoşa , is over 900km from Athens and only 250km from Beirut. The island’s highest point, at 1952m, is Mount Olympos . The official population (of the whole island) stands at just above 1,000,000, of which the majority (around 70 per cent) are Greek Cypriot (and therefore Orthodox Christian), while Turkish Cypriots (and therefore Muslims) are in the minority (around 10 per cent). There’s also a significant expat community based on the island. The government of the Republic of Cyprus (and therefore de jure of the whole island) is a democracy which, since 2004, has been a member of the EU. North Cyprus , occupied by Turkey since 1974, has declared itself to be the “Turkish Republic of North Cyprus”, but is recognized internationally only by Turkey. Since 2003 the number of crossing points on the dividing (and UN-administered) Green Line has increased to seven, with two more in the pipeline. Attempts to reunite the island are ongoing, reinvigorated by a new negotiating process introduced in February 2014. Over 1 million Britons visit Cyprus each year (42 percent of total arrivals) and the fastest growing group of visitors are Russians. Overall, the total arrivals are at a constant increase. Famous people of Cypriot origin include singers George Michael, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Peter Andre and Tulisa Contostavlos (N-Dubz), actress Angela Bowie (ex-wife of David), sportspersons Marco Baghdatis (tennis) and Muzzy Izzet (Premiership football), celebrity chef George Calombaris (Masterchef Australia), businessmen Stelios Haji-Ioannou (founder of easyJet) and Asil Nadir (of Polly Peck fame) and artist Tracey Emin.
Where to go
One of the great advantages of Cyprus as a holiday destination is that it’s a relatively small island offering a huge variety of attractions, scenery and activities linked together by an excellent road system . Wherever you stay, you can get to pretty much anywhere else in a day.
The vast majority of tourists begin their trip on the narrow coastal strip in the south, which hosts the main towns of Larnaka , Lemesos and Pafos , each with a historic old town, promenade and popular beaches. Beyond them, to the north, foothills rise to the island’s main mountain range, the Troodos Massif , dotted with villages, churches and monasteries. To the west of the island is a plateau covered in vineyards , the great wilderness forest of Tiliria and the stark empty beauty of the Akamas Peninsula . North of the Troodos (and lying within Turkish-occupied north Cyprus), lie the more impressive but less lofty mountains of the Kyrenia Range . Beyond here is the even narrower northern coastal strip on which Girne/Kyrenia is by far the most important and most beautiful town. To the east is the broad and largely flat Mesaorian Plain on which stands the island’s divided capital Nicosia , known today as Lefkosia (south) or Lefkoş (north); further east is the crumbling port city of Gazimağusa/Famagusta , with its range of pretty and not-so-pretty ruins, and the long, tapering Karpaz Peninsula , home to wild donkeys and far-flung villages.

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VIEW FROM BUFFAVENTO CASTLE, KYRENIA MOUNTAINS
For traditional sun, sea and sand holidays, you have an extensive choice – in the south, Protaras and Agia Napa east of Larnaka, the beaches either side of Lemesos, Pafos and its satellite Coral Bay – which are packed with resorts offering a range of activities; in the north, the coast either side of Girne and north of Gazimağusa offers more of the same. For smaller hotels with a more individual character, try the north coast around Polis and the Akamas Peninsula, or the hill villages of the Troodos Mountains which offer traditional homes converted into guest houses.
For a taste of Cyprus’s newly developed restaurant scene head to Lemesos, the island’s gastronomic capital. Lefkosia also boasts several cool cafés and Cyprus’s best shopping , while the northern towns of Girne and Gazimağusa provide a relaxed harbour-side ambience. Wine lovers are particularly well-catered for by the wine museum and wine festival in Lemesos, and by six well-signposted wine routes in Pafos and Lemesos districts.

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OLD TOWN, LEFKOSIA
Cyprus has a rich history , and virtually every region has its Roman (or earlier) ruin, its Byzantine church, a Crusader castle or Ottoman mosque, plus some grand British colonial architecture. Standout sights include the prehistoric villages at Tenta and Choirokoitia, the ancient cities of Kourion and Salamis, crusader castles such as those at Kolossi and Lemesos in the south and St Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara in the north, monasteries like Kykkos and Machairas, and the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage painted churches of the Troodos Mountains. Ottoman architecture can be admired in Lefkoşa’s Büyük Han, and Muslim mosques in Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaka or Hazret Omer Tekke east of Girne. For nature and the great outdoors, the Troodos and Kyrenia mountains offer superb climbing, hiking and cycling, the seas around the island provide stimulating dive sites, and the beaches at Lara Bay in the west and Algadi in the northeast are great for turtle-watching. Golfers will enjoy the fine courses in Pafos and Girne. Across the island look out for the colourful religious and village festivals that take place in spring, summer and autumn.
In terms of what to avoid, be aware that certain southern resorts (especially parts of Lemesos) can be quite sleazy (dominated, it’s said, by the Russian mafia), with dubious “gentlemen’s clubs” and working girls operating openly in the streets. North Cyprus has also developed a reputation for vice and more obviously gambling; driven by Turkish organized crime, its dozens of casinos attract not only Turks from the mainland but also, perhaps surprisingly, hedonists from the south.