The Rough Guide to Cyprus (Travel Guide eBook)

Rough Guides

Description

Practical travel guide to Cyprus featuring points-of-interest structured lists of all sights and off-the-beaten-track treasures, with detailed colour-coded maps, practical details about what to see and to do in Cyprus, how to get there and around, pre-departure information, as well as top time-saving tips, like a visual list of things not to miss in Cyprus, expert author picks and itineraries to help you plan your trip.


The Rough Guide to CYPRUS covers: Larnaka, Lemesos, Pafos, the Troodos Mountains, Lefkosia (south Nicosia) and north Cyprus.

Inside this travel guide you'll find:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER
Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Cyprus, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Anoyira to family activities in child-friendly places, like Pafos or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like Larnaka.

PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS
Essential pre-departure information including Cyprus entry requirements, getting around, health information, travelling with children, sports and outdoor activities, food and drink, festivals, culture and etiquette, shopping, tips for travellers with disabilities and more.


TIME-SAVING ITINERARIES
Carefully planned routes covering the best of Cyprus give a taste of the richness and diversity of the destination, and have been created for different time frames or types of trip.

DETAILED REGIONAL COVERAGE
Clear structure within each sightseeing chapter includes regional highlights, brief history, detailed sights and places ordered geographically, recommended restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and major shops or entertainment options.

INSIGHTS INTO GETTING AROUND LIKE A LOCAL
Tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots for hiking, relaxing on the beach or learning about the local culture and history.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THINGS NOT TO MISS
Rough Guides' rundown of Agia Napa, Lemesos, Girne (Kyrenia) and Salamis's best sights and top experiences helps to make the most of each trip to Cyprus, even in a short time.

HONEST AND INDEPENDENT REVIEWS
Written by Rough Guides' expert authors with a trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, to help to find the best places in Cyprus, matching different needs.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Comprehensive 'Contexts' chapter features fascinating insights into Cyprus, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary.

FABULOUS FULL COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Features inspirational colour photography, including the stunning Pafos Harbour and the spectacular Akamas Peninsula.

COLOUR-CODED MAPPING
Practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys for quick orientation in Protaras, Polis and many more locations in Cyprus, reduce need to go online.

USER-FRIENDLY LAYOUT
With helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time.

Sujets

• Points of Interest
• Museums
• Larnaka
• Pafos
• Point of interest
• Travel
• Museum
• Cyprus
• Limassol
• Larnaca
• Tours
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781839058752
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

Extrait

Contents
Introduction to Cyprus
W here to go
W hen to go
A uthor picks
t hings not to miss
I tineraries
Basics
G etting there
G etting around
A ccommodation
F ood and drink
F estivals and public holidays
S ports and outdoor activities
C ulture and etiquette
T ravel essentials
Larnaka and around
L arnaka
A gia Napa
A round Agia Napa
W est of Larnaka
Lemesos and around
L emesos
E ast of Lemesos
W est of Lemesos
T he Akrotiri Peninsula
T he Troodos foothills
Pafos and around
P afos
D ay-trips from Pafos
T he Akamas Peninsula
P olis
W est of Polis
E ast of Polis
S outh of Polis
T illiria
The Troodos Mountains
T roodos village and around
M arathasa
S olea
P itsilia
M achairas
Lefkosia (South Nicosia)
L edra Street and around
P afos Gate and around
E ast Lefkosia
T he suburbs
A round Lefkosia
North Cyprus
L efkoşa (North Nicosia)
G irne (Kyrenia)
A round Girne
G üzelyurt and the west
G azimağusa (Famagusta)
A round Gazimağusa
T he Karpaz Peninsula
Contexts
H istory
G eology and wildlife
B ooks
G reek and Turkish
G lossary
Small print


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 1,200,000, of which the majority (around 77 per cent) are Greek Cypriot (and therefore Orthodox Christian), while Turkish Cypriots (and therefore Muslims) are in the minority (around 18 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.

Coastal views from Gazimağusa town
Shutterstock
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.




Tomb of the Kings, Paphos
Shutterstock
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 colo