Have you been to Cyprus?

[DreamingOfSoftWhiteSand]

My OH's best friend is getting married in Cyprus next May. We are thinking of extending the trip to be there for a week and drive around. Has anyone visited Cyprus? Is there enough to do and see for a week? It'd be just me and my OH, no kids. Thank you.

Whereabouts in Cyprus ? North and South are quite different.

Loads to do. There's Nicosia, the Troodos mountains, all the Templar stuff, the ghost towns, the beaches, boat trips...

Could we do both in a week? We'd be based in Limassol.

I would probably struggle to do both north and south in a week. You could do a whistle stop tour of the south in a week? Its a lovely island and loads to see.

Hello I have been to Cyprus every year for the past 30 years my family are from Cyprus it’s an extremely beautiful island especially around the west . I don’t Particularly like Limassol, Family live there but I choose to stay in Protaras and Ayia Napa - the beaches there are stunning
Plenty of articles on the Internet showing you places that you can visit and what you can do. The beaches in Limassol are okay but in protaras and Ayia napa they are Something straight out of the Caribbean
!
In Limassol you are close to the mountains you could take a day trip up there and visit the kykkos monastery, And marvel at the views but some some made wine and honey, sample fruits
There is also kolossi Castle in Limassol where Richard the Lionheart was once based and where the Cypriot national wine origins came from ( commandaria wine - sweet sherry)
Also visit the Curuim- an ancient Roman amphitheatre Beautiful mosaics and Roman / Greek ruins With amazing views which overlook Episkobi beach , In this beach there are tavernas that do Amazing fish platters- yum

Paphos about is about 45 minutes drive away from limmasol , you have the tomb of the kings, paphos castle and other archaeological wonders
cape Greco Which is in between I Ayia napa and protaras is simply stunning It’s about 1 and a 1/2 hour drive from Limassol
There is so much to see and do please do stay the extra week!
Also Try the sweets and desserts in the local Cypriot bakeries they are really nice

I've been to the Greek part and love it. DH was there for two years with the UN. In the spring it's snowy up in the Troodos mountains but the sea is warm enough for swimming. Birdwatching was excellent too. They drive on the left, which is helpful. Friendly people, nice food, lots of archaeological sites to meander round. Scenery lovely.

I would say please do not go to the north it is by excursion only if you are coming from the south - Insurance is not covered there if you go by hire car and the north is illegally occupied by Turkey -it’s an illegal occupation and the north is not recognised by any other country in the world except for turkey
If you Do go, Prepare to Show your documents at the checkpoint, And do not take pictures At army checkpoints or anywhere near no man’s land
Many Cypriots from the south do visit the north but they know where they are going ,

Also it’s quite far from Limassol and I doubt you’d want to do all that in just a week. Wouldn’t take my young child there a few months ago somebody was shot because they had a camera. Always I tell people to stick to the south unless they are actually Holidaying in the north

Yeah I personally wouldn't go to the North, but there's loads to do in the south anyway. Limassol isn't my favourite, but you could head to Paphos, drive up to the Troodos, find the nice beaches in Protaras! Cyprus is a really beautiful place, the people are friendly, driving is easy and the food is amazing!

Definitely worth a week!

Like a pp mentioned, Limassol itself isn't great: lots of old hotels, and the beaches aren't great. But, the harbour is nice in the evening, and it is a lovely walk along by the beach at night.

Limassol is good location wise, and it is easy to travel across the island from there. Ayia Napa in the east is good for beaches, but I prefer the West Coast (Paphos and Latchi). The mountain villages are beautiful, especially Omodos.

I wouldn't go to the north, it is under illegal occupation. In any case, there is plenty to see and do in the south.

Cyprus is a great place to explore: wonderful history, hospitable people, relatively safe and easy to get around. May is also a great time to go.

Have fun!

I love Cyrpus and desperate to go back.

As pp said lots to do in Paphos (although the sea is rough there). We did a great day long cruise in Paphos, well worth the money.

We also hiked around the Troodos mountains for a day and visited some little villages on the way.

So much left to do!

Food is 👌👌

I also adore Cyprus too would live there if I could!

but agree with the others avoid the north. We did a paid excursion there, never again.

Southern Cyprus is a lot more friendly and welcoming. Have never actually been to Limassol as we tend to stick to the Paralimni, Pernera, Protaras & Ayia-Napa areas. We always get a hire car as Cyprus is pretty easy to navigate.

Loads to do and quite easily to fill a week exploring.

@BananaCocktails

Couldn’t agree with you more !

Amazing island, so much to see and do , and the people are genuinely friendly and welcoming .
Counting the days till our next visit .

Also agree not to go to the North. It was invaded by Turkey. My friend is Cypriot and her family home in the North was taken in the war and left their family with nothing. Its still illegally occupied.

We lived in Cyprus for two years. I definitely miss the bakeries. (Thankfully all the swimming etc we did burnt such things off.)

Try to find a restaurant (not a tourist one) which does Meze. You won't need to eat for the rest of the week.

If you venture into a supermarket, don't be surprised by the whole octopi in the fridge/freezer!

As you may have gathered, there is a very strange political situation, hence you may see armed soldiers/defences and the UN. Plus the British Army, which is completely separate.

We lived at the Eastern end, near Larnaca. A trip to Famagusta (Turkish part) for coffee was seen as normal, and the kids school had pupils from both parts who attended daily- but you could only take private vehicles across and needed separate insurance for both.

I went on a cycling holiday around Cyprus a couple of years ago. I'd agree with others, it is worth the extra days. Very beautiful and lots of explore. Saying that, I don't think you need to plan in lots of activities, it's a great place to slow down, see the sun, absorb nature and eat delicious food!

We went through the checkpoint on bikes with no problems. Might have been a bit of a novelty seeing 6 lady cyclists show up to get our passports stamped.

Don't stay in Limassol. Hotels and a load of shops you see in any British high street.

We went to a wedding there and stayed in protaras and it was one of our favourite holidays. We plan to go back one day... it's been about 18 years since we went 😂

I live in Cyprus. It’s a beautiful country, and the people are very friendly. Food is great, and it’s pretty cheap compared to other European countries. From Limassol it’s easy to do Trudos, go to the wineries, and Omados is a pretty village. You can also easily get to Paphos. Go to Latchi and do a boat trip down the lagoons and see the Akamas. The Last Castle is a great place to eat, unless you’re vegetarian.

Thank you everyone. I just need to try and get the time off work now!

I live in the north. It’s fantastic. Lovely helpful people, not too touristy, great food and beaches.
the Turks invaded in 1974 because the Greeks were ethnically cleansing the Turkish Cypriots.