Sightseeing Villages, monasteries and beautiful landscapes in the mountains; the rock of Aphrodite; Pafos, with its UNESCO World Heritage Roman mosaics, tombs and castle; best beaches – Agia Napa and Protaras; Polis, looking across Chrysochou Bay to the Akamas Peninsula, steeped in mythology; nature conservation areas complete with hiking trails; coastal and mountain villages; unique flora and fauna.
Accommodation
Luxury beach resorts, budget hotels and conveniently located city hotels in Lefkosia.
Family activities
Water parks; forest, mountain and beach picnics; flamingos on Lemesos’ salt flats; Cypriot hospitality, culture and cuisine.
Shopping
What you can buy – Leather goods, silver and gold jewellery, designer and casual clothing, local handicrafts, pottery and ceramics.
Where you can buy – Shopping centres of Lemesos, Pafos, Lefkosia and Cyprus Handicraft Services shops.
Entertainment
Lemesos and Pafos offer a variety of restaurants, tavernas, cafés, bars and discothèques. Agia Napa has exciting nightlife, especially popular with the young.
Sports and leisure
Water sports – sailing, windsurfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing; golf at Tsada, Secret Valley and Aphrodite Hills; spa and beauty treatments in deluxe hotels; mountain and forest trekking.
Exploring by road
Self-drive and Self-drive tour programme. Driving is on the left hand side of the road. Roads are well signposted, but are often narrow in the mountains.
Spring Cup in Nicosia (April); FIA World Rally Championship (May); Kataklysmos, The Festival of the Flood (June); Limassol Wine Festival (August/September); Paradise Jazz Festival (September).
Visas:
Visas are not required for the nationals of the following countries for the period of up to three months: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.
Visas may be issued on arrival, in exceptional circumstances, to visitors coming for tourist or business purposes for a minimum stay of one week and a maximum of three months, provided they hold return tickets and have sufficient funds. A fee of CYP5 is applicable, except for nationals of Bulgaria, Egypt, Syria and Ukraine. Visas on arrival are not available to nationals of Iraq and Turkey.
Health requirements:
No compulsory vaccinations are required. However, you are advised to check that your polio and tetanus immunisations are valid.
Travel insurance:
Adequate holiday and travel insurance is vital. Emirates Holidays offers a comprehensive insurance package to enable you and your family to travel with peace of mind. Please contact your nearest Emirates Holidays office or your travel agent for details of our HolidayGuard Travel Insurance cover.
Currency:
Cyprus Pound (CYP) divided into 100 cents.
Notes in denominations of CYP20, 10, 5 and 1.
Coins in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent.
Approximate exchange rate:
AED1 = CYP0.13
EUR1 = CYP0.58
USD1 = CYP0.49
Please check the rate of exchange prior to travel.
Banking hours - 0830 to 1230 hours, Monday - Friday.
Banks at the airports provide services during the day and night to cover most arriving flights.
There are no restrictions on the import of local or foreign currency. Currency for purposes of deposit with banks in Cyprus, purchase of goods or immovable property, or re-export, must be declared to customs on Form D available at the airport. Export of local or foreign currency should not exceed the amount declared on arrival on Form D. Export of undeclared currency up to an equivalent of USD1,000 in Cypriot or foreign bank notes is permitted. In addition, visitors may carry up to CYP100 in Cypriot bank notes. Payment in foreign currency is not accepted in Cyprus. Currency exchange is offered at all banks and most hotels.
All major credit and charge cards are accepted in most large shops, hotels and restaurants. There are 24-hour automated teller machines (ATMs) centrally located in all towns and main tourist resorts. Travellers cheques are accepted in all banks, large shops and restaurants.
Clothing:
Lightweight cotton and linen clothing is advisable during the summer while warmer mediumweight clothing and rainwear are required for the winter. In the mountains, where it can become very cold, warmer clothing is needed.
Airport information:
Larnaka - Larnaka International Airport is approximately eight kilometres south of Larnaka city centre. The airport telephone number is 24 630700.
Pafos - Pafos International Airport is 16 kilometers from the city. The airport telephone number is 06 422833.
Customs:
Duty free allowance for all travellers over 17 years of age, with the exception of airline crew and transit passengers: 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams tobacco; one litre of spirits over 22 per cent volume or two litres of spirits not exceeding 22 per cent volume; two litres of wine; one bottle of perfume not exceeding 0.6 litre; 0.25 litre of eau de toilette and goods up to the value of CYP100, excluding jewellery. Import, possession and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are strictly forbidden. Import of food of any kind, flowers, seeds, animals, birds and uncooked meat and fish, without the permission of the authorities, is prohibited.
Value Added Tax (VAT) Refund Scheme:
Visitors to Cyprus may have the VAT deducted from goods bought in the country. To claim a refund, visitors must buy goods from shops displaying the ‘Duty Free Global Refund’ sticker. The VAT on goods purchased in Cyprus is 10 per cent. To claim a VAT refund, a minimum purchase of CYP100 must be made in the same shop.
How to claim your VAT refund:
Submit your Global Refund form for stamping at the customs desk at the airport to get a credit card refund.
Driving licence:
Driving is on the left-hand side of the road. An International Driving Permit or a driving licence from your country of residence is required. The speed limits are set at 100 kilometres per hour and most roads are monitored by radar. If you are caught speeding, you have to pay a fine on the spot. Drinking and driving is prohibited by law.
Emergency telephone numbers:
Police, fire and ambulance - 199/112
Hours of work:
Business:
Winter - 0800 to 1300 hours and 1500 to 1800 hours.
Summer - 0800 to 1300 hours and 1600 to 1900 hours.
Shopping:
Winter - 0800 to 1800 hours, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
and 0800 to 1400 hours, Wednesday, Saturday.
From June to September shops are closed from 1300 to 1600 hours. During the rest of the year the shops are open from 0800 to 1900/1930 hours. Shops are closed on Sundays.
Public holidays (fixed):
01 January - New Year’s Day
06 January - Epiphany Day
25 March - Greek National Day
01 April - Greek Cypriot National Day
01 May - Labour Day
15 August - Assumption Day
01 October - Cyprus Independence Day
28 October - Greek National Day (Ochi Day)
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Boxing Day
Public holidays (moveable):
Green Monday (50 days before Easter)
Good Friday (Greek Orthodox)
Easter Monday (Greek Orthodox)
Pentecost-Kataklysmos (Festival of the Flood)
Time zone:
Winter - GMT + 2 hours.
Summer - GMT + 3 hours.
(From the last Sunday in March to the last Saturday in October.)
Language:
Greek is the official language. English is widely spoken. German and French are also spoken within the tourism industry.
Tipping:
Tipping is optional. A service charge of 10 per cent is added to the bill in hotels and restaurants, but a small tip is always welcome. Taxi drivers, porters and hairdressers always appreciate a small tip, anything from CYP1.
Dress code:
Visitors are advised to dress modestly. When visiting monuments, it is important to wear clothes that cover the body from shoulders to the knees. Shorts, backless tops or very short dresses are not recommended.
Electricity:
240 volts, 50 cycles AC. Adapters are required as most buildings have square pins. Many hotels provide adapters on request.
Safety tips:
It is advisable to carry minimum cash on you and to use smaller denomination bills. Please keep a photocopy of your identification documents handy.