Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Cyprus (Travel Guide eBook)

Richard Taylor

CHAPEL IN THE HARBOUR OF FAMAGUSTA, PROTARAS

Contents

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Introduction to

Cyprus

Birthplace of Aphrodite and crossroads between three continents, Cyprus has seduced and inspired generations of travellers for hundreds of years. And it continues to do so today. The promise of Cyprus is one of dazzling beaches, shimmering blue seas, endless summers and tables groaning under heaped platters of mez and bottles of sweet chilled wine. On the cusp between West and East, between Christian and Muslim, and with towns and cities that are vibrantly modern yet bear witness to the islands long and culturally diverse history, Cyprus is blessed with a balmy climate and a rugged landscape of coast and mountains dotted with vineyards, villages and monasteries.

Cyprus has earned its place as one of Europes tourist hotspots. From quaint rustic cottages to luxury hotel complexes, from welcoming village tavernas to burgeoning fine-dining restaurants, from coastal resorts with all the tourist bells and whistles to empty wilderness peninsulas and forested mountains, Cyprus can cater for all tastes. And native Cypriots, whether Greek or Turkish, are famous for the warmth of their hospitality.

Venture beyond the resorts, with their karaoke bars and restaurants knocking out fish and chips, pizza and, more recently, Russian stroganoff, and its not hard to find another Cyprus. Traces of the exotic and Levantine are never far away, from ruined Lusignan and Venetian castles and elegant Islamic minarets to cool mountain villages hiding sacred icons from the very first days of Christianity.

No stranger to turbulence and strife, Cyprus has suffered waves of foreign invaders, from Mycenaean Greeks and Persians to sunburnt Crusaders, Ottoman pashas, and British Empire-builders. More recently, it has attracted numerous Russian expats. Internal division too has left its mark on the island. First, in the 1950s and 60s, came the struggle by Greek Cypriots for independence and union with Greece , then intercommunal violence prompted by fears among the minority Turkish Cypriots regarding what union with Greece might mean for them, and finally the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 which resulted in its de facto partition between a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south. Bitterness caused by the split lives on today. However, in recent years the easing of tensions and the gradual opening up of the Green Line has made it easier for travellers to explore the island as a whole. It is now possible to experience both sides of the divide in one day, and in the capital you can immerse yourself in two distinct cultures Greek and Turkish, Christian and Muslim simply by walking down a street and crossing between the two halves of the city.

Cyprus, then, offers the traveller not only a welcome whose warmth is legendary, but both hedonistic pleasure and cultural diversity out of all proportion to its size.

FACT FILE

• Cyprus, with a land area of 9251 square kilometres, is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. Its nearest neighbours are Turkey (75km) and Syria (105km) respectively. The capital, once Nicosia, now Lefkosia and Lefkoa , is over 900km from Athens and only 250km from Beirut. The islands highest point, at 1952m, is Mount Olympos .
• The official population (of the whole island) stands at just above 1,000,000, of which the majority (around 70 per cent) are Greek Cypriot (and therefore Orthodox Christian), while Turkish Cypriots (and therefore Muslims) are in the minority (around 10 per cent). Theres also a significant expat community based on the island.
• The government of the Republic of Cyprus (and therefore de jure of the whole island) is a democracy which, since 2004, has been a member of the EU. North Cyprus , occupied by Turkey since 1974, has declared itself to be the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, but is recognized internationally only by Turkey. Since 2003 the number of crossing points on the dividing (and UN-administered) Green Line has increased to seven, with two more in the pipeline. Attempts to reunite the island are ongoing, reinvigorated by a new negotiating process introduced in February 2014.
• Over 1 million Britons visit Cyprus each year (42 percent of total arrivals) and the fastest growing group of visitors are Russians. Overall, the total arrivals are at a constant increase.
• Famous people of Cypriot origin include singers George Michael, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Peter Andre and Tulisa Contostavlos (N-Dubz), actress Angela Bowie (ex-wife of David), sportspersons Marco Baghdatis (tennis) and Muzzy Izzet (Premiership football), celebrity chef George Calombaris (Masterchef Australia), businessmen Stelios Haji-Ioannou (founder of easyJet) and Asil Nadir (of Polly Peck fame) and artist Tracey Emin.

Where to go

One of the great advantages of Cyprus as a holiday destination is that its a relatively small island offering a huge variety of attractions, scenery and activities linked together by an excellent road system . Wherever you stay, you can get to pretty much anywhere else in a day.

The vast majority of tourists begin their trip on the narrow coastal strip in the south, which hosts the main towns of Larnaka , Lemesos and Pafos , each with a historic old town, promenade and popular beaches. Beyond them, to the north, foothills rise to the islands main mountain range, the Troodos Massif , dotted with villages, churches and monasteries. To the west of the island is a plateau covered in vineyards , the great wilderness forest of Tiliria and the stark empty beauty of the Akamas Peninsula . North of the Troodos (and lying within Turkish-occupied north Cyprus), lie the more impressive but less lofty mountains of the Kyrenia Range . Beyond here is the even narrower northern coastal strip on which Girne/Kyrenia is by far the most important and most beautiful town. To the east is the broad and largely flat Mesaorian Plain on which stands the islands divided capital Nicosia , known today as Lefkosia (south) or Lefko (north); further east is the crumbling port city of Gazimausa/Famagusta , with its range of pretty and not-so-pretty ruins, and the long, tapering Karpaz Peninsula , home to wild donkeys and far-flung villages.

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VIEW FROM BUFFAVENTO CASTLE, KYRENIA MOUNTAINS

For traditional sun, sea and sand holidays, you have an extensive choice in the south, Protaras and Agia Napa east of Larnaka, the beaches either side of Lemesos, Pafos and its satellite Coral Bay which are packed with resorts offering a range of activities; in the north, the coast either side of Girne and north of Gazimausa offers more of the same. For smaller hotels with a more individual character, try the north coast around Polis and the Akamas Peninsula, or the hill villages of the Troodos Mountains which offer traditional homes converted into guest houses.