Lonely Planet Cyprus , livre ebook

Cyprus

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Cyprus
Cyprus' Top 18
Need to Know
What's New
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Accommodation
Getting Around
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Activities
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Lemesos & the South
Lemesos & the South Highlights
Lemesos (Limassol)
Picturesque Villages, Beaches & Wine
Around Lemesos
East of Lemesos
West of Lemesos
Troodos Mountains
Troodos Mountains Highlights
Troodos
Platres
Monasteries & Mountain Villages
Omodos & the Krasohoria
Marathasa Valley
Pedoulas
Kalopanayiotis
Kykkos Monastery & Around
Treis Elies
Wine Route 6
Solea Valley
Kakopetria
Pitsylia
Agros
Around Agros
Spilia-Kourdali
Pafos & the West
Pafos & the West Highlights
Pafos
Around Pafos
Coral Bay & Agios Georgios
Akamas Heights
Akamas Peninsula
Polis
Tylliria
Pomos
Kato Pyrgos
Western Troodos
Wineries, Weaving & Abandoned Villages
Larnaka & the East
Larnaka & the East Highlights
Larnaka
Craftwork of Traditional Villages
Around Larnaka
Choirokoitia
Lefkara
Agia Napa
Ammochostos Region
Cape Greco
Konnos Beach
Protaras
Paralimni
Deryneia
Dekelia Sovereign Base
Pernera
Nicosia (Lefkosia)
Nicosia (Lefkosia) Highlights
Nicosia (Lefkosia) City
Sights
Walking Tour
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
The Mesaoria Plain
Sights
Eating
North Nicosia (Lefkosa)
Sights
Activities
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Kyrenia (Girne) & the North
Kyrenia (Girne) & the North Highlights
Kyrenia (Girne)
Around Kyrenia & the Ranges
Combing the Northeastern Ridge & Coast
Bellapais (Beylerbeyi)
Lapta (Lapithos)
The Northwest
Morfou (Guzelyurt)
Gemikonagi (Karavostasi)
Lefke (Lefka)
Ancient Soloi
Ancient Vouni
Famagusta (Gazimagusa) & the Karpas Peninsula
Famagusta (Gazimagusa) & the Karpas (Kirpasa) Peninsula Highlights
Famagusta (Gazimagusa)
Around Famagusta
Karpas Peninsula
The South Coast
Remote Rural Villages of the Karpas
Yenierenkoy (Yiallousa)
Sipahi (Agia Triada)
Dipkarpaz (Rizokarpaso)
Agios Filon & Afendrika

Understand

Understand Cyprus
Cyprus Today
History
The Cypriot Way of Life
Landscapes & Wildlife
The Arts

Survive

Directory AZ
Accommodation
Climate
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
Gay & Lesbian Travellers
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Smoking
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travellers
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Cyprus

Strike out beyond the sun-soaked stretches of sand to discover an island of compelling culture and landscapes, steeped in myth and riddled with ancient riches.


Crossing the Line
Crossing the line between the South and the North allows you not only to gain some understanding of the island's complex and painful modern-day history, but also experience the two Cypriot communities. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot societies are intrinsically different yet incredibly similar, linked by the still-strong role of traditional family life and a rich history where food cultures and folk customs have intermingled, but divided by belief. One thing's for sure wherever you are on the island: the naturally warm Cypriot hospitality is much in evidence on both sides of the Green Line.

The Great Outdoors
The landscape and Mediterranean climate mean that outside is where it’s at – and where you should be. Sun-soaked stretches of sand are Cyprus' calling card and there's a beach for everyone here, from wild and windswept to family-friendly and packed. Every conceivable water sport is on offer, from scuba diving to skimming the surface on a kite- or windsurf board. And if you tire of all that blue, strike out into the interior, where wildflower-studded meadows and valleys of densely planted vineyards sweep up to a pine-clad mountain spine offering hiking, biking and, yes, even winter skiing.

A Sense of the Past
Steeped in myth, coveted by every conqueror with an eye for a prize, Cyprus' tumultuous and multilayered past has left ancient riches strewn across this island. Neolithic dwellings, Bronze Age and Phoenician tombs, remnants of once-mighty city-kingdoms, Roman mosaics, mountaintop castles and Byzantine churches – home to a glut of renowned frescos – lay scattered through the countryside. While strolling the cities you can spot the preserved architectural legacy of the Lusignan, Venetian and Ottoman periods. Cyprus may welcome you to flop out on the beach, but dig into the past here and you'll unearth the entire history of the Mediterranean.

A Culinary Feast
Meze is a delicious way to acquaint yourself with the local cuisine, tantalising the taste buds with a feast of small dishes, from creamy hummus to kebabs or afelia (pork cooked in red wine) and everything in between. Heavily influenced by Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern food cultures, Cypriot cooking has some of its own culinary stars, including haloumi (hellim in Turkish) and kebab favourite sheftalia ( şeftali kebap in Turkish; grilled sausages wrapped in caul fat). And don't forget the desserts. Flavoured with almonds, rose water and pistachios, sweet treats range from comforting rice puddings to gloriously sticky baklava.

Kato Drys village | KIRILL_MAKAROV / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Why I Love Cyprus
By Jessica Lee, Writer
For a girl not big on beach time, Cyprus' appeal may seem strange. But just like Aphrodite's ability to lure in the lovers, this island has exuded a magnetic charm on all who've washed up here across the centuries. Whether hiking between time-warp villages and ruins, over hillsides strewn with Jerusalem sage and wild fennel, or admiring crumbling castle ramparts and the golden glint of richly saturated Byzantine frescos, for me, Cyprus encapsulates the convoluted and fascinating history of the eastern Mediterranean, all wrapped up in one bite-sized package.
Cyprus' Top 18

Troödos Byzantine Churches
From the outside, the rural churches of the Troödos appear insignificant, but don't be fooled – that's just a front for the spectacular frippery inside. From the 11th to the 16th centuries, skilled artisans went to town in isolated hill chapels such as Panagia Forviotissa creating some of the most vivid fresco finery of the late-Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods, as a wave of artistic vision rippled through these secluded hills. Today, 10 of these churches appear on the Unesco World Heritage Site list, truly crowning Cyprus as the 'island of the saints'.

Panagia Forviotissa | HERCULES MILAS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©


Top Experiences
Exploring the Karpas Peninsula
With its spine of cliffs tapering out to fields filled with wildflowers and rare orchids edged by beaches where loggerhead turtles nest, the Karpas is Cyprus at its most rural, wild and woolly. Just a handful of villages are scattered across the skinny peninsula, which stretches up the island's most easterly point where the Monastery of Apostolos Andreas faces the sea. Hike the trails here, laze on the vast stretch of dune-rimmed sand of Golden Beach or simply take time out from modern life.

Karpas Peninsula | NEJDET DUZEN / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Pafos Archaeological Site
One of the island’s most mesmerising archaeological sites is in the southerly resort of Pafos. A vast, sprawling site, the ancient city dates to the late 4th century BC and what you can see today is believed to be only a modest part of what remains to be excavated. The major highlight of the ruins are the intricate and colourful Roman floor mosaics at the heart of the original complex, first unearthed by a farmer ploughing his field in 1962.

Pafos Archaeological Site | SERGEY_BOGOMYAKO / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Magnificent Meze
Loosen your belt buckle. Grab a few friends. This small-plates feast, made to be shared, is a taste-bud tour of the island's culinary heritage. Sweep up familiar favourites of hummus, tzatziki and taramasalata with bread, and savour seasonal vegetables doused in lashings of garlic, lemon and olive oil. Then get ready for the parade of meat or fish dishes waiting in the wings. It adds up to a lot of food, so siga, siga (slowly, slowly) does it. Sample meze at its best at long-time favourite Zanettos Taverna in Nicosia.

| EKATERINA MINAEVA / GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Kyrenia's Old Harbour
Backdropped by jagged mountains and overlooked by a golden-stoned castle, Kyrenia's Old Harbour evokes an aura of bygone Cyprus. Where merchant ships once fought for space, an armada of bobbing gülets (traditional wooden ships with raised bows) now moor, ushering on packs of day-trippers. Hugging the waterfront, tall stone-cut buildings which once stored raw carob have been reinvented as cafes and restaurants. On a blue-sky day, with sunlight sparkling on the mirror-calm water, it may just be the most photogenic spot on the island.

Kyrenia Castle | NEJDET DUZEN / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Navigating North Nicosia
Crossing the Green Line from Nicosia into North Nicosia (Lefkoşa) , the Turkish Cypriot side of the capital, is an extraordinary experience. Leave the smart shops of the Republic's Ledra St behind and enter the altogether more ramshackle world of Arasta Sokak, lined with scruffy bazaar stalls. Within the muddle of alleys here lies some of the city's best-preserved architecture, including the soaring Gothic Selimiye and Haydarpaşa Mosques (originally St Sophia and St Catherine Cathedrals) and the trade-caravan remnants o