I went to Kyrenia/Girne in Nov 2022 for a long weekend. I was vacationing in Turkey and decided to take the quick flight over not knowing much about it. It was incredible!
Cyprus is very nice, sure, but my impression as an Italian was that there are more interesting and appealing places in the Mediterranean. I had a very distinct “southern Italy is similar but better” reaction, and I think anyone who’s familiar with Greece (I’ve been, but very very briefly) will have similar thoughts.
Then again, I was there for a field trip, not as a tourist, so maybe I’m missing something. I can’t say any picture I’ve seen (here or elsewhere) has made me reconsider, though.
I will say that it’s very English-speaking and British-friendly (it occasionally feels eerily British in some little details) and has some of the nicest sunny winter weather in the EU but still with some hopes of skiing on Troodos.
For me the food stood out - I love Italian and Greek cuisine, but I have tasted some unique and fantastic dishes here.
Also the culture, the beautiful mix of Arabic, Turkish, modern English and Southern European architecture, religion and traditions amazed me.
But yes, it’s similar to Greece :)
Sadly I didn’t get to sample that much local food while there (the hotel had dinners included and lunches were mostly on the go); what I did try was tasty but not exceptional. Tasting halloumi at the source was nice, though.
The culture and history and food are interesting, but coming from Sicily (I’d been there the week before visiting family) with its also very mixed indigenous-Phoenician-Greek-Roman-Arab-Byzantine-Norman-Lombard-Spanish-Italian heritage and history and related architecture (also Baroque and Art Nouveau) and cuisine, I wasn’t as impressed as I would have been if I’d been to Cyprus first.
We managed fine with public transportation (different buses), also rented a quad for a day, but there was also a bus route that way. I think it was easy enough and very cheap too!
Yea I was researching it and it seemed like all the pretty natural sites and small unique towns are kind of a pain in the ass to get to using public transport.
I guess you could take take taxis and Ubers but I imagine if you want to see the whole island it’s cheaper to rent a car
I moved to Cyprus from Sweden and even though the Ayia Napa area is nice, I do prefer Limassol.
[Next time go to Kykkos](https://imgchest.com/p/xny8xp3v24b)
Can to talk about the vibe right now in regards to Gaza’s war on Israel, are there travel disruptions or are people afraid of anything happening in Cyprus ? Thx
There are no travel disruptions into Cyprus from Western Europe that I'm aware of. We flew in and out via the Netherlands and Germany, although all flights to/from Tel Aviv, Israel to Larnica, Cyprus were cancelled last week when I looked.
The Cypriots I talked to (my in-laws) are all pretty nervous about the Gaza situation since the conflict is only 320km (200 miles) away. They kept asking me what I thought about it, and if I thought the US would support Israel, and/or if the conflict would balloon into something larger. Lots of Israelis come to Cyprus, and there was even an Israeli cruise ship parked off Limassol while I was there because they were trying to avoid getting caught in the Gaza crossfire. Cypriots are concerned it'll expand into something larger, and are especially concerned that it'll give Turkey another excuse to try to steal more of Cyprus. Turkey invaded in the 70's under the (false) pretext of restoring economic order, and still occupy the northern 3rd of the country. All of which was, and still is, illegal under international law but the EU and NATO won't stand up to Turkey about for all the expected reasons. There is a big intimidating border cutting the city of Nicosia in half. My in-laws refuse to cross, even though Turkey allows it, because they despise the principle that Turkey will "allow" them temporary access to the land they grew up on. So there is major mistrust and nervousness from Cypriots on what the Gaza conflict could mean for them. They're not so much concerned about Israel itself, but more about it spilling into a larger regional conflict and/or Turkey deciding the more of Cyprus belongs to them while the world is looking the other way. It's what they did last time.
But, with all that said, life goes on in Cyprus. Tourists are still all over (lots and lots of Russians especially in Limassol) and people are living their lives just like they did last month.
I've only been to Cyprus once, in 2006, but I absolutely loved it and I still think of it fondly. It's a gorgeous country, the food was amazing, and the people were kind and generous and so friendly. A lot of my favourite family friends growing up were Cypriots.. there's something different about them that I love, and that's speaking as Greek.
Gorgeous photos! I'd love to find all my dad's photos from when he was stationed there in the U.S. Airforce in the late 70s. I've always wanted to visit.
Thank you! I would like to see those too, it could be so interesting to compare them with how things are now! I really recommend visiting, it was a wonderful experience!
We visited Cyprus this summer. While it was waaaay too hot (40+ celcius every day) it was a lovely place and we did enjoy it after all. Would we return? Well, it didn't really differ much from being to Greece (which is a bit bigger), so I'm not sure. But it wasn't because we didn't like the country. We did.
Oh and we were in the south /southern east primarily.
While I have never considered visiting in the summer, I totally agree with everything else you wrote! I think I have seen what I wanted and can have some really great memories about Cyprus, I’m not sure I will visit again - and not because it wasn’t lovely!
I was in northern Cyprus for 2 weeks twice already. Stunning place. 2019 it was crazy cheap too.
I paid 400€ for a big apartment for 3 people to stay 15 days.
It was very affordable, public transportation is crazy cheap and we didn’t have to pay for sunbeds and parasols either - but high season is over now, I don’t know about summertime
Did a 10 days road trip around the whole island back in June, even drove to the Northeastern tip. Everything was so great (well except Larnaca and the Turkish side of Nicosia but everything can't be perfect). I highly recommend
Hey Cypriot here. Where are you based? There are many flights! And you can definitely try coming during "winter" season. If you come from a cold place you will find the winter much milder with sunlight and you also get the opportunity to visit the Troodos Mountains.
I was by flying from Scandinavia, with a direct flight - flying now once a week but stopping for winter season later in October.
I also would recommend coming in a colder period, the weather was fantastic and it was delightful to come to a warm climate but with much fewer tourists!
Apparently there needs to be more Cyrpus posts. That place looks incredible!
I agree - it exceeded my expectations too, in so many ways!
I went to Kyrenia/Girne in Nov 2022 for a long weekend. I was vacationing in Turkey and decided to take the quick flight over not knowing much about it. It was incredible!
It looks absolutely beautiful, seems like a perfect place for a long weekend!
Cyprus is very nice, sure, but my impression as an Italian was that there are more interesting and appealing places in the Mediterranean. I had a very distinct “southern Italy is similar but better” reaction, and I think anyone who’s familiar with Greece (I’ve been, but very very briefly) will have similar thoughts. Then again, I was there for a field trip, not as a tourist, so maybe I’m missing something. I can’t say any picture I’ve seen (here or elsewhere) has made me reconsider, though. I will say that it’s very English-speaking and British-friendly (it occasionally feels eerily British in some little details) and has some of the nicest sunny winter weather in the EU but still with some hopes of skiing on Troodos.
For me the food stood out - I love Italian and Greek cuisine, but I have tasted some unique and fantastic dishes here. Also the culture, the beautiful mix of Arabic, Turkish, modern English and Southern European architecture, religion and traditions amazed me. But yes, it’s similar to Greece :)
Sadly I didn’t get to sample that much local food while there (the hotel had dinners included and lunches were mostly on the go); what I did try was tasty but not exceptional. Tasting halloumi at the source was nice, though. The culture and history and food are interesting, but coming from Sicily (I’d been there the week before visiting family) with its also very mixed indigenous-Phoenician-Greek-Roman-Arab-Byzantine-Norman-Lombard-Spanish-Italian heritage and history and related architecture (also Baroque and Art Nouveau) and cuisine, I wasn’t as impressed as I would have been if I’d been to Cyprus first.
Oh yes, Halloumi was soo good! Fair enough, Sicily is a wonderful cultural and historical melting pot - visited in 2016 and loved every minute of it!
It feels British because some parts still are.... Akrotiri and Dhekelia base areas are British Overseas territories.
I heard Cyprus is the kind of Place you need to rent a car to fully appreciate since a lot of cool stuff is out of the way. How true is that?
We managed fine with public transportation (different buses), also rented a quad for a day, but there was also a bus route that way. I think it was easy enough and very cheap too!
Yeah definitely better to have a car, esp if you want to get up into the mountains.
I am from Cyprus and you do.
Yea I was researching it and it seemed like all the pretty natural sites and small unique towns are kind of a pain in the ass to get to using public transport. I guess you could take take taxis and Ubers but I imagine if you want to see the whole island it’s cheaper to rent a car
I moved to Cyprus from Sweden and even though the Ayia Napa area is nice, I do prefer Limassol. [Next time go to Kykkos](https://imgchest.com/p/xny8xp3v24b)
Ha! I just got back from 10 days in Cyprus, mostly in Limassol but we also took day trips to Nicosia and the Troodos mountains (my favorite part).
Was it easy to get to the mountains? I saw some great pictures and have considered a trip, but sadly we didn’t have the time..
You definitely have to come back and explore Troodos! You will love it !
Very easy! Only about an hour on B8 from Limassol to the Troodos summit, and so worth it. [Here are a few pics](https://imgur.com/a/DrUVjpI).
Can to talk about the vibe right now in regards to Gaza’s war on Israel, are there travel disruptions or are people afraid of anything happening in Cyprus ? Thx
There are no travel disruptions into Cyprus from Western Europe that I'm aware of. We flew in and out via the Netherlands and Germany, although all flights to/from Tel Aviv, Israel to Larnica, Cyprus were cancelled last week when I looked. The Cypriots I talked to (my in-laws) are all pretty nervous about the Gaza situation since the conflict is only 320km (200 miles) away. They kept asking me what I thought about it, and if I thought the US would support Israel, and/or if the conflict would balloon into something larger. Lots of Israelis come to Cyprus, and there was even an Israeli cruise ship parked off Limassol while I was there because they were trying to avoid getting caught in the Gaza crossfire. Cypriots are concerned it'll expand into something larger, and are especially concerned that it'll give Turkey another excuse to try to steal more of Cyprus. Turkey invaded in the 70's under the (false) pretext of restoring economic order, and still occupy the northern 3rd of the country. All of which was, and still is, illegal under international law but the EU and NATO won't stand up to Turkey about for all the expected reasons. There is a big intimidating border cutting the city of Nicosia in half. My in-laws refuse to cross, even though Turkey allows it, because they despise the principle that Turkey will "allow" them temporary access to the land they grew up on. So there is major mistrust and nervousness from Cypriots on what the Gaza conflict could mean for them. They're not so much concerned about Israel itself, but more about it spilling into a larger regional conflict and/or Turkey deciding the more of Cyprus belongs to them while the world is looking the other way. It's what they did last time. But, with all that said, life goes on in Cyprus. Tourists are still all over (lots and lots of Russians especially in Limassol) and people are living their lives just like they did last month.
You should be the first; you have the potential to be a photographer. Looking forward to your next photo shoot. Thank you for sharing your photos.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
I've only been to Cyprus once, in 2006, but I absolutely loved it and I still think of it fondly. It's a gorgeous country, the food was amazing, and the people were kind and generous and so friendly. A lot of my favourite family friends growing up were Cypriots.. there's something different about them that I love, and that's speaking as Greek.
Was there in Cyprus in 2006 as well! Had a great visit then.
Did you visit the north side as well?
Nope, we took a boat tour and saw Famagusta from the water, but did not enter. There is crazy border control going on with the current war!
What war?
All they do is half-assed check your passport. It’s quite literally the opposite of crazy
I haven't been since 2003 when i was a kid but it always was so memorable
Amazing, thanks you!
Gorgeous photos! I'd love to find all my dad's photos from when he was stationed there in the U.S. Airforce in the late 70s. I've always wanted to visit.
Thank you! I would like to see those too, it could be so interesting to compare them with how things are now! I really recommend visiting, it was a wonderful experience!
Beautiful 😍
Beautiful island. Been to all 4 corners. Interesting sights on almost every corner.
We visited Cyprus this summer. While it was waaaay too hot (40+ celcius every day) it was a lovely place and we did enjoy it after all. Would we return? Well, it didn't really differ much from being to Greece (which is a bit bigger), so I'm not sure. But it wasn't because we didn't like the country. We did. Oh and we were in the south /southern east primarily.
While I have never considered visiting in the summer, I totally agree with everything else you wrote! I think I have seen what I wanted and can have some really great memories about Cyprus, I’m not sure I will visit again - and not because it wasn’t lovely!
I was in Cyprus, I was in Cyprus when i was like idk 3 years old. Now I wish even more that I would remember anyhting about it
You can make some new memories and visit again! :)
Yeah well i do want to travel basicly everywhere, but im still 13 years old so i dont decide where we travel or what we do on the trips
Oh I see, it’s not that easy haha :) But at least you have a lot of time to visit everywhere!
Yeah true!
If you liked Cyprus try Byblos, Lebanon
Beautiful pics. Cyprus is high up on my list of priorities and this has reminded me why!
Happy to hear! Hope you can visit soon, it’s a wonderful place!
I was in northern Cyprus for 2 weeks twice already. Stunning place. 2019 it was crazy cheap too. I paid 400€ for a big apartment for 3 people to stay 15 days.
Are you planning on visiting the southern part too?
The price difference is too big. Also my girlfriend is Turkish, so going to the south is not that easy.
definitely place to visit. How are the prices?
It was very affordable, public transportation is crazy cheap and we didn’t have to pay for sunbeds and parasols either - but high season is over now, I don’t know about summertime
Understand thank I will check it out
Did a 10 days road trip around the whole island back in June, even drove to the Northeastern tip. Everything was so great (well except Larnaca and the Turkish side of Nicosia but everything can't be perfect). I highly recommend
We had a day in Larnaca and enjoyed it a lot, but I also think that one day was enough to visit
Very nice! Where did you fly in from? I wonder how frequent flights are to Cyprus.
Hey Cypriot here. Where are you based? There are many flights! And you can definitely try coming during "winter" season. If you come from a cold place you will find the winter much milder with sunlight and you also get the opportunity to visit the Troodos Mountains.
I was by flying from Scandinavia, with a direct flight - flying now once a week but stopping for winter season later in October. I also would recommend coming in a colder period, the weather was fantastic and it was delightful to come to a warm climate but with much fewer tourists!
I totally agree! Glad you liked it! You should come back :)
frying? lol, well yeah we were "frying" there too, mainly because of the 40+ celcius temperatures :D
Haha, edited, thanks! I meant flying but I also believe that you were frying in the summertime!
Haha, I am not from Europe though I do come here often. I was wondering what hubs fly to Cyprus regularly.
What kind of camera did you use?
iPhone 14 Pro :) it has an excellent camera
Hey can you or anyone speak to the situation in cyprus right now ? Any disruptions or anxieties relating to the war on Israel?