Cyprus Travel Information
Beaches and Sports
A combination of ideal weather and terrain makes Cyprus a great place for diverse athletics activities all year round.
The clear blue waters of the sea around Cyprus and the long stretches of sandy beaches offer excellent opportunities for swimming and sunbathing.
Cyprus Tourism Organisation (C.T.O.) supervises the beaches and is responsible for protecting the interests of all tourists. The Most of them offer full facilities to swimmers (Blue Flag Beaches) and include beach bars, restaurants, changing rooms, sunshades and sun loungers.
Swimming is particularly comfortable from May to November. On every beach red-buoys indicate the swimmers' area, where speed-boats etc. are not allowed to enter.
All kind of sea sports and scuba-diving can be easily found on many beaches.
The Wreck of the Zenobia (Larnaca) is the fourth largest wreck dive in the world and is for experienced divers only.
Fishing is another popular activity. For salt-water fishing, no license is required.
Horseback riding is possible year-round at the Lapatsa Sporting Centre, southwest of Nicosia and the Elias Beach Hotel and Country Club, near Limassol.
Although most people consider Cyprus a summer resort, winter sports can also be enjoyed in the brief Cyprus. From January to March there is skiing on Mount Olympus. The Cyprus Ski Club operates four runs and offers equipment and toboggan rentals as well as ski instruction.
When travelling throughout Cyprus, you will encounter a variety of golfing opportunities.
Tsada Golf Club
The club is situated near Tsada village 15 minutes drive north of Paphos town. It is an 18 hole, par 72 course all greens and the total length is 6,050m.
The Secret Valley Golf Club
It is located 18 km east of Paphos and 49 km from Limassol (Lemesos), near Petra tou Romiou. It is an 18 hole course, plays to a Par 72 and measures 6,158 m.
Tsada and Secret Valley offer a unique way to experience the natural beauty of the island as they blend in well with their surroundings.
The Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Golf is designed around a 'village square', which forms the heart of the complex and provides extensive shopping and entertainment opportunities. Golf enthusiasts will be attracted to the World Class 18 hole par 71 golf course, the largest on the island complete with a 3-hole golf academy and clubhouse.
Food and Drink in Cyprus
You are welcome to Cyprus, the perfect island where food is ambrosia and wine is nectar.
Food in Cyprus
Fresh local ingredients are an important part of the Cypriot cuisine..
Everyone knows that Cyprus is
famous for its food; the cuisine is a blend of flavours gathered from all
over the Eastern Mediterranean. Cypriots cook with less oil than their
Mediterranean neighbours. The cuisine is healthy apart from their love of
syrup soaked pastries.
One of the most popular ways to eat in this
part of the world is to have a Meze; you are served a rich collection of
appetizers and savouries in up to 20 saucer like dishes.
Some of the most popular local starters and Main courses found nearly in all restaurants and Tavernas are the following:
Feta
Cheese made from goat's milk
Talattouri
Salad dressing or dip based on yogurt
Halloumi
Salty white cheese, made from lambs' milk
Koupes
Fried meat rissoles enclosed in pastry
Lounza
Smoked pork tenderloin
Tahini
Sesame 'dip' popular in eastern Mediterranean
Bourgouri
Wheat porridge, a substitute for rice
Keftedes
Spiced meat balls
Colocasi
Sweet potato, having a gastronomic affinity with the turnip
Kleftico
Lamb or goat roasted with vegetable in an outside oven
Small Moussaka
Moussaka, slaps of aubergine and potato overlaid with mince and 'Bechamel' sauce
Souvla
Lamb or goat cooked on a rotisserie
Souvlaki
Pork grilled on a skewer
Sheftalia
Rissoles of mince, onions and spices wrapped in a 'skin' of gut
Glyko
Sweet consisting of fruit preserved in syrup
Other famous dishes include grilled or fried fresh fish, such as synagrida, fagree, red mullet, vlachos, trout.
Visit any open-air marketplace, in the villages or in towns to see the natural bounty of the island on glorious display: giant eggplant and lustrous red tomatoes, artichokes, beets, garlic, basil, rosemary, olives, pimentos and nuts; for fruits, there are oranges, lemons, grapefruit, melons, pomegranates, peaches, pears, apricots, apples, numerous varieties of grapes, cherries, figs and bananas. There are numerous varieties of natural herbs, such as oregano, thyme, rosemary and so many others you will just have to sample them for yourself.
Drink in Cyprus
Cyprus wines, famous since ancient times, are more than maintaining their tradition by becoming increasingly competitive in the International market. The quality of Cyprus table wines features amongst the best in the world and the great variety provides a match for every kind of food and every palate.
Cyprus produces a wide range of Wines red, white, sweet; dry as well as Sherries, Vermouth, and Ports.
Commandaria, the rich sweet dessert wine of the Crusaders, is in fact, the oldest wine known in the world. Its fame is wide and takes pride of place.
Most vineyards in Cyprus are small and in some places still ploughed by donkeys and oxen. The major vine-growing areas are on the sunny southern and south-western slopes of the Troodos Mountains
Zivania is another strong distillation. The pink cinnamon flavoured variety is a specialty of the Kykko Monastery in the heart of the Paphos Forest.
Cyprus Brandy is excellent, and is available everywhere. The famous brandy sour has established itself as the Cyprus drink par excellence.
Cyprus Coffee
of course is an integral part of Cyprus life, 'Glikis' with sugar,
'Metrios' little sugar or 'Sketos' without sugar. It is also called
Byzantine or Greek coffee.
Shopping
Cypriot lacework is prized for its quality and artistry and it is one of Cyprus' most famous exports. The village of Lefkara is particularly well-known for its embroidery, called Lefkaritika, take a wander around the streets and you will be invited into many of the shops. Embroidered lace, worked on off-white linen or cotton, makes for highly decorative tablecloths, curtains, doilies, placemats and dresser sets. A specialty of Paphos is Pafitika, fabric embroidered with geometric designs.
Pottery has been made in Cyprus continuously for thousands of years. Attractive pots come in all shapes and sizes. Terra cotta pieces with white decorations, copies of museum pieces, are popular gifts, as are copper wares, hand-painted gourds and handmade baskets, and jewellery with motifs from antiquity.
Zenon Kiteos Street is the main shopping district of Larnaca. It is a bustling road of small shops and has a colourful market selling fresh produce at one end. Shopping is good in Limassol as it is a tourist city. For a village of its size, Pissouri is good for shopping. The smaller villages of Cyprus are the best places to pick up handcrafted Cypriot lace at a decent price. You will find most of the shops and services on Pl. Kennedy in Paphos.
Other than souvenirs from Protaras, the best place to shop in this part of Cyprus is in near by Ayia Napa. Jewellery, leather goods and designer goods (at tax free prices) are some of the bargains you will find in Ayia Napa.
Airports and Ports
Travellers may enter the Republic of Cyprus only through the legal ports of entry - Larnaca and Paphos International Airports and the ports of Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos. The ports of Famagusta, Keryneia and Karavostasi, as well as the airports in the part of the island illegally occupied by the Turkish invasion forces have been declared by the Cyprus government as prohibited ports of entry and exit and no passenger should enter or leave the Republic through these ports. On our homepage you will find links to leading cyprus airways.