My Other Travels Through Europe

Island Tour of Cyprus

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When a friend found out the Greek owners of the Cyprus Czech pub did not want to pay me for my work for them, he suggested I add to these pages some recommendations where to go on the Turkish side, since the Greeks hate the Turks so much.
The history of Cyprus is rather interesting. In short, it is a strategic island in the Mediterranean and its ownership has been bounced around throughout history - owned by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, then the Ottomans, then the British. Lots of history and wars for self rule in between. The British still have military bases here. Around 1970 the Turkish Cypriots were a minority on the island at about 18% of the population and had special constitutional status in parliament which gave them certain but disproportionate powers. Under colonial rule by the British the Brits, as part of their usual divide and conquer strategy, would mostly use Turks for the police force, which had fostered anger against the Turks by the majority Greek population. This together with other factors eventually culminated in an Athens sponsored coup to overthrow the government. War broke out and the Greeks were slaughtering the Turks, who called for help to the Turkish mainland. Soon their brothers to the north came with full force and eventually carved up half the island. Even the old town fortress in the capital, in the centre of the island, was carved up exactly into two.
Of course the Greeks are seething angry about this and have been using all their European clout and other tricks to attain an embargo status against the north. But, in my mind, that will never accomplish anything because Turkey has decided it likes its presence on the island and has been importing its own population to the northern half. The local Turkish Cypriotes are not very pleased with this and would rather they just leave as well. They don't really like the Turkish imports, who they consider rather fundamentalist, not so peaceful like the islanders they are, but Turkish Cypriots do have special status (on both sides of the island) and the Turks require a visa.
In any case, Turkey is basically subsidizing that half of the island, in light of the embargo. All goods are imported from Turkey, and any planes flying in or out of that half must land in Turkey. It is a money losing operation for the Turks, but I am sure they are doing it because of the island's strategic military importance. Nato has several bases along the border, with Hungarian, Croatian and Slovakian troops stationed there on a permanent basis, mostly to keep the Turks at bay, who can apparently send 10,000 tanks there within a day (so I was told by the Slovakians).
In any case, the difference between the two sides makes it more interesting to visit. Once you cross the border it totally feels like Turkey. I find Muslims substantially friendlier and more peaceful than the Greeks. The Greek side is within the EU, and soon to be part of the Schengen agreement. They get EU money for development, they have European stores, people party much more, it has an affluent feel, and many nationalities live there, attracted by the warm weather and half decent pay.
On the opposite side of the border, the Turks can seem rather poor, they are not very respectful of nature and leave garbage everywhere, and mostly only Turks live there (although there are many Africans too). All the stores sell only Turkish goods, and people are more family oriented, so not a lot of partying.
But there are a lot of bordellos and casinos, if you are into that.
Because the Greeks would rather strangle the north economically and bring them surrendering to their knees, you might find it rather difficult to get there. There is no bus service from Larnaca to Famagusta, which isn't even that far away. I talked to the mayor of Famagusta about setting up a bus service there. He said they've been working on it for a while but there are a lot of politics involved. The best way by far to see the island is to rent a car. If you are on a tight travel budget, for about 5 Euro you can take a bus from Larnaca to Nicosia, the island's capital, walk across the border, and then tour the north rather cheaply in a local bus. Just ask around and many will be glad to help you.
If visiting Nicosia (called Lefkosia on the north side), you will find it much cheaper compared to the other Greek cities. A lot goes on there culturally, and I find the walk along the wall dividing the fortressed old town rather interesting. Recently they opened up the border so that you can walk down the main drag in the old town and walk right across. Previously you had to navigate the windy roads and find the secret border crossing hidden by the Greeks. But now that they have made it easier to cross, the Turks have been busy fixing up their half of the old town.
Generally though I'm not a big fan of the capital and prefer the coastal towns, or to drive through the Trodos mountains.
If you are a none EU citizen, I suggest you fly to the island into Larnaca, because if you fly into the Turkish side, chances are very high that the Greeks will not let you into their half.
So assuming you have landed on the Greek side, I'll start my suggested travel itinerary on the Greek side.

Whether you will be renting a car or traveling by bus budget, the first thing I suggest you do is to go to Larnaca's tourist information centre and grab as many maps and brochures as you fancy. The maps are reasonably detailed for both sides of the island, and the staff are very helpful. You can ask them for their suggestions, then grab all your reading material, go to a café and plan out your exciting trip. If you are busing it, whether in south Cyprus or north Cyprus, you can take a bus to Agia Napa (a big tourist trap sort of like Disney town), Lemassol, Paphos and Polis, before making it to Nicosia to dive into the south side.
If renting a car, which I find much better, you can go around the island clockwise or counterclockwise. Personally I would suggest going counterclockwise, which forces you to visit the Turkish side first. If renting a car, I would suggest doing it in the following way.

The i at the top left corner of the map is where the tourist info is. It is at the end of the beach stretch as the sea is to your right, then hang a left. It is the blue i on the map. In that close proximity you will also find the police station and the main post office. Explanation of the other letters found on the Larnaca map page.

Scout out all the monasteries that you want to visit and plan out your trip. Personally I found the historical sites a bit meager on the south side and preferred what I found in the north. I liked to drive along the older B1 highway hugging the coast. You can't really get lost this way either, keeping the sea either to your left or right shoulder, depending on which way you are getting around the island. Eventually you'll get to Agia Napa and make sure to check out its goofy bars in the tourist centre. There is a bar strip where you'll find Fred Flintstone type pubs. Could be a fun evening of entertainment, and the town often hosts festivals during the summer. Make sure you do some internet research of the various island festivals beforehand. I'd say a day and night should be plenty for that town, unless you like that sort of thing and partying.
After that drive to the south eastern tip of the island (Cape Greko - map of Larnaca in Cyprus area), park your car and go for a walk along the shore (walking man on map, just left of "Cape Greko"). My favourite is the southern section near the south eastern corner. There is a trail from the small highway and it should be only a few kilometers. The shore is very rocky, excellent for photographs, and looks fantastic for diving (picture right). You can then drive north a bit along the coast, where you will see an official camping spot (picnic table picture on map, just above Cape Greko). There are picnic tables, clean drinking water from a well, and stone kerns where you can make a fire and cook something for yourself. So stock up on groceries at Agia Napa and make a wonderful picnic out of it. The shoreline around that section is also beautiful. There is also some long trail that goes around some ancient prehistoric site (Neolithic Settlement), but I couldn't find that. You can camp out there if you like.
After that continue your drive north along the shore, towards the border. It's a nice drive and lots of touristy beaches to visit. You can dive into the interior and check out Paralimni if you like. But be warned that getting to the border crossing can be difficult. Basically you want to get onto the main highway between Larnaca and Famagusta, or look for street signs pointing the way to Vrysoulles (the crossing is north-east of this town, around where it hits the LEFT road jutting out northwesterly from Frenaros), which is the town on the Greek side of the border. Don't expect blatant landmarks pointing to Famagusta, although they do exist occasionally. Give yourself a couple of hours leeway to get lost.

Famagusta

This is one of my favourite places on the island, mostly because it was convenient for my work and where I spent most of my stay on the island. It has a nice university campus (DAU), which could be worth checking out. Free internet in many of the campus cafes, if you have a laptop. Make sure to check out the old fortress town, at the entrance of which you will find the tourist information centre, which you should accost and get as much information of the island as possible. Lots of historical sites to see in the fortressed area of Famagusta Cyprus, so give yourself an hour or two. You can even be bold and venture along the shore towards the Greek border, into the desolate town taken over by the Turks. Bombarded hotels, guarded, they might let you through, but probably not with your camera.
Then you can drive north along the shore until you hit the university (about the third roundabout and big signs pointing to DAU). Drive past this last roundabout and you should soon find yourself on the edge of town, where you can park your vehicle and go to my favourite restaurant. It is the orange coloured one, across the street from the campus's main ("Merkez") cafeteria. Get a chicken durum, or if you want a bigger meal, a chicken (Tavuk) "servis". Or if you want something healthier but slightly more expensive, go to the Merkez campus cafeteria across the street, where you can get a traditional Turkish meal in buffet style. [ mention car shop somewhere here]

Then you're ready to continue driving north. You can check out my beloved Silver Beach and camp out there a few days if you like. Collect some twigs, make a fire and party with the locals. Play live music and drink Rakia. There are several restaurants along the beach. Hopefully not too much garbage left there and they generally try to keep it clean during the summers.
Drive further north and you should hit Salamis Ruins (right) within about a kilometer (or walk there from Silver beach - it is a lovely walk along the shore). That is definitely worth checking out and I'd say the best historical site on the island. You turn right off the highway to get to Salamis, but just before that you can also turn left and check out Barnabas church (you can also refer to the Map of Karpaz below). St. Paul of the bible stayed for a while on the island and the church looked cool as I passed it driving by.
After this you can continue north. I would suggest driving right to the tip of the Karpaz peninsula - that long thing jutting out from the island in a north easterly direction (map of Karpaz in Cyprus). A lovely drive and make sure to check out all the wild donkeys. A few kilometers past Yenierenkoy (just south of Cape Yassi) you will find an old church next to a restaurant. Owned by friendly Brits and you can use that as a pitstop before heading further along the peninsula. They actually have an interesting shoreline as well, if you'd like to go for a dip next to the restaurant.

Drive right to the very very end of the peninsula (Cape Zarfer). Perhaps check out the monastery. Go for a swim at the very tip and swim to the next island (about 10 metres). Go for a quick walk on the island, if your feet can handle it. Make sure to bring your camera.
Then you can check out Hamud's beach and stay overnight in the bungalows. Looks like a cool place to hang out for a day and an evening. There is another bungalow place further down the beach too (driving back away from the peninsula tip, you get past the gated monastery ground - park just outside the gate and take a picture - after which it starts to go steeply downhill, and soon you will see the turnoff to Hamuds; very nice stretch of beach). Drive back down along the peninsula, honk at the wild donkeys again, but this time take a right at Cayirova (or be bold and drive through Mehmetcik somehow) to follow the coastline towards Kyrenia/Girne [t3]. I like to hug the coast as closely as I can, but there will be a section which forces you to drive through the mountains. Very cool drive indeed.

Kyrenia

A nice drive along the coast and you should find yourself in this town. Lots of Brits have set up shop here and it is the most expensive town on the Turkish side. Reasonably developed and many speak good English. Lots of historical sites speckle the surroundings (refer to map of Guzelyurt in Cyprus - Kyrenia is Girne in Turkish), so give yourself a day or two if you are into that. The night life is half decent too, if you know where to go. Seems to be a half decent live music scene there. If you're caravanning like me, I found a spot to park on the beach a bit west of town, but rather difficult to explain.

Friend playing computer games while parked at Yesilirmak.

Continue driving along the shore and head to the last town along the coast, I believe Yesilirmak. You will have to drive through Guzelyurt. Probably the cheapest town on the Turkish side, not much tourists go there, and the locals will just love to see you. Go back down to the coast. It's a nice drive and lots of quaint little restaurants and places to see. My favourite was Yesilirmak Kayasi and I parked there for a few weeks. They were very friendly to me at the restaurant there, inland a notch from the beach. Nice walks to explore the region too. You can be daring and oblivious like me and see how far you can continue up the hill into the military zone. Just pretend you did not see the red signs with militia man holding a gun, and act dumb. You can be even more daring and take some pictures. The militia dudes are hidden throughout the hills and play wargames. They will certainly spot you and come to interrogate you. But they wont make you erase your pictures and just ask you to turn around, in a nice friendly manner.

Lefkosia

There is a border crossing around Guzelyurt, and you certainly will not get to the Greek side if venturing into the military zone along the shore west of Yesilirmak, but I would suggest driving a bit further and give yourself a chance to check out the island's capital. Walk across the border and check out both sides. Hotels can be a bit pricey.
If you have the time, you might want to check out the mountain trails [t3] around Degirmenlik (chopped off to "Degirme" on map), near to the city on the Turkish side. You will even find an Armenian monastery (Armeni Manasteri on map) there and get some nice views of the island (right).
Once you have scoped out the capital (better done on foot, so feel free to cross the border), at this point you will be driving across, say goodbye to the nice Turks, and pull out all your Greek tourist info. Lots to see through the Trodos mountains, but generally I just liked to drive and drive the small windy roads. Take your time, and I'd suggest you stay overnight somewhere. Slow driving through all that and give yourself many hours. Maybe at least a few days through the Trodos area (refer to map of Polis and Paphos in Cyprus, although the Trodos section is a bit chopped off).

Polis

Drive back down from the mountains to Pomos and then drive along the coast towards Polis. On the way out of Trodos, Kykkos is apparently a must see (my pictures of Kykkos in Cyprus). Polis is a nice but more expensive town, where a lot of Brits settle down for retirement (right). Perhaps check out the official campground of Polis, where there are volleyball nets, a beach pub, and a cool place to hang out. Walk along the shore towards the next town (going counterclockwise around the island, with the sea to your right). The next town, Lakki, is a good party town with some karaoke bars etc. I would suggest partying in that area for at least a night. Nice walks along the beach.
Drive a bit further to Aphrodite's peninsula (the big green peninsula ending in Cape Arnaoutis in the Polis map above). Can be a 6 to 12km walk through all that. At least check out the spring (Aphrodite's Bath) and take a picture of your girlfriend posing in front of it, like all the other tourists do, and get all mushy and romantic and fantasise that your girlfriend is the most beautiful in the world. Can be rather nauseating for a single male like me, but a tourist item well worth visiting.
You can then drive straight to Paphos, or be bold like me and try to cut across the peninsula to the other side, through Neo Chono. Quite an exotic drive. A compass would help. Dirt roads but definitely traversable. All old farms, a very historic feel, and quite unpopulated. A highly recommended and adventurous drive, if you can spare the time. Camp out somewhere once you hit the water again, or go for a picnic and a swim, so stock up on groceries in Polis before embarking. You can even try driving to the tip and explore that entire region. Get to Aphrodite's Paths from the other side of the peninsula and explore the whole area, camping, swimming and picnicking. Good for nature lovers.
Drive down along the shore towards Paphos. Not too far before Paphos, perhaps before Cape Drepano, I drove to the shore a few times, where you will find interesting rock formations around Paphos Cyprus and worth exploring if you have the time.

Paphos

Another tourist town, but lots to see, and lots of historical sites. Give yourself at least a day there.

Lemassol

Try to hug the coast, if possible.
Just another big town (you can see my blue caravan truck parked at my favourite spot below), but a nice old town section, and make sure to check out the farmer's market and stock up on Saphron and other expensive spices before leaving the island. I think it is open every day until noon. Just ask people for directions and it is located in the old town section.
Drive down along the beach towards Larnaca, and just as you get out of Lemassol, there is a good hotel/pub strip if you're up for partying. Lots of cheesy karaoke bars etc.

Then you'll soon find yourself back in Larnaca. You can probably do the whole island in about four days, but I would suggest stretching it out to a casual two weeks. The island is a lot smaller than you think. Give yourself time to meet the locals and enjoy yourself. I prefer hanging out longer in certain places and party with the locals, than to keep moving and take pictures of one pile of rubble ruin after another.
Before you do make your tour, I would suggest you read up on the island's history. Will make your trip much more interesting, and give you something to do on the plane there. You can always watch your movies some other time, so download and print out some good reading beforehand.

Too bad I won't be on the island to give you a cheap tour. It was a great two winters, but I got ants in my pockets and itchin' for a movin'. You can read about my travel experiences on the island through the links below. Hope you enjoy!

- add some "travel Cyprus" links [

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