Cyprus

Travel Story

This one was a short trip in the Mediterranean region. We could only afford 8 days of travel and we wanted to enjoy relaxing destination with a warm weather, before winter comes.

We chose Cyprus as it was easy to access from Marseille, our current location.

Our plan included a few days of hiking and little bit of sightseeing around the bigger towns and cities.

We became enchanted by what the island had to offer. From the magnificent landscapes, to the local food, nothing disappointed. At some point, we even considered Cyprus as a pied-à-terre in Europe.

Overall feel

What we appreciate

• The culture of coffee
• Comfortable weather
• Helpful people
• Delicious food
• Mountains and seasides

What we dislike

• It was too short

In details

Stats

• Way of travelling: Hiking and public transports
• Starting date: November 6, 2022
• Duration: 8 days
• Distance: 30 km (hiking)

Crossing the border

We took a direct flight from Marseille, France, to Paphos, Cyprus.

Even though Cyprus is not yet part of the Schengen area, it’s not any different from travelling to any other European country, as long as your arrival port is inside the South part.

Cyprus is also infamous for the Green Line, a physical border that splits the country in half because of historical reasons. Practically, it is not difficult to cross it on foot, but the easiest place for doing so is at Nicosia. The only requirement is a valid passport.

Fab 🇫🇷

As a French national, you just need to present your ID card or your passport for entering the South part. But if you want to cross the Green Line, you should bring your passport.

Mina 🇯🇵

Japanese passports’ holders can stay 3 months as a visitor.

Road condition

We did not make a lot of distance on foot and we only used the public transports for connecting between the different towns and cities. The little we experienced was satisfying.

We hiked the following paths:

• Caledonian Falls Trail
• Artemis Trail
• Atalante Trail
• Nature Trail to Kakopetria

They were all properly marked and well maintained.

Between the cities we took different coaches. They were not too expensive and service several towns. The main difficult is to get the up-to-date schedule. We recommend to ask directly the I-site or the bus company directly. Also, plan to arrive a little bit early at the stop, because the buses fills in quickly and you cannot make a reservation. Plus, the drivers tend to follow the time schedule really precisely.

Accommodations

We visited Cyprus in November, which was the off-season. Consequently, we could find really affordable hotels with good facilities. But we feel that in the Northern Nicosia the hotels were of lower quality for the same price as Paphos, for example.

In total, we stayed only two nights at hotels, so our opinion is based on a limited experience.

Freedom camping

It was easy to do freedom camping in November. The place is really quiet, and we pitched our tent on the empty beach or around remote places. Of course, it felt a little bit cold in the mountains, but at the sea level, it was comfortable.

Facilities

Good in general, also clean and well maintained.

We found everything we would in any European country, which includes:

• Supermarkets
• Cafés and restaurants
• Public water taps and bathrooms
• Accommodations
• Public transports
• etc…

Special mention to the I-sites’ staff that provided great information and detailed maps for exploring the country.

Communication with the locals

In the South part, almost everybody can speak excellent English. In the North, English was not as much spoken, though. Fortunately, Mina could speak Turkish a little bit.

Anyway, in both cases, the locals will warmly welcome you and try to give their best to facilitate the communication.

Food

The local diet is 100% Mediterranean, of course, and it suits our tastes very much!

From the supermarkets, we found local tomatoes and cucumbers, and from the trees, we found lemons.

The most popular street food is gyros, the local kebab sandwich. And it tastes fabulous thanks to the fresh ingredients and the typical halloumi and feta cheeses.

If you feel more like going to the restaurant, we would recommend to order mezze. Mezze is a full course menu that includes a numerous sets of local dishes. Each dish does not look copious, but all combined, it will make you full for the rest of the day. In the North part, we found an excellent Turkish restaurant .

Last but not least, Cyprus is also known as the “Coffee Island” for a reason. Every shop can serve, at least, a decent coffee. Plus, there are a few typical variations to be drunk for diverse occasions:

• Cypriot coffee: the ground coffee is brewed directly in your cup and tates a little bit green
• Frappé: instant coffee blended with ice cubes and whipped milk
• Freddo Espresso: espresso blended with ice
• Freddo Capuccino: same as the espresso version but with whipped milk

Vegetarian friendly:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a vegetarian paradise! The traditional diet is already low on meat. Plus, every shop will have several options to choose from. Everything tastes fresh and delicious.

What we eat:

• Gyros (kebab sandwich)
• Hummus
• Mezze
• Feta
• Halloumi
• Tahin (sesame paste)
• Bean soup
• Pide (Turkish pizza)
• Ayran (yogurt drink)
• Coffee and coffee

⭐ Fab's favourite:

Cypriot coffee .

⭐ Mina's favourite:

Frappé without ice and without sugar. Normally Mina does not like instant coffee, but she enjoyed this version more than the Freddo.

5 memorable places

Caledonia Waterfall	Nice hike with a waterfall in the middle that share the same name as my home island
Kakopetria	Lovely village with historical chapelles that are part of the UNESCO world heritage
Venus Beach	Beautiful sand beach with cristal clear water
Heybe	Cosy restaurant in the Turkish part serving homemade typical food
Ta Nimata	The finest coffee of Cyprus with a gorgeous hilltop view