Cyprus, with its official name of the Republic of Cyprus, is situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon. It is the third largest of the Mediterranean islands, and one of its most popular tourist destinations. It is a modern country with ancient history. It has a combination of busy city life and quaint mountain villages.
Cyprus has 6 main districts, with its main capital city being Nicosia. These are the districts with both English and Greek names.
• Nicosia, Greek: Λευκωσία (Lefkosia)
• Famagusta, Greek: Αμμόχωστος (Ammochostos)
• Kyrenia, Greek: Κερύνεια (Keryneia)
• Limassol, Greek: Λεμεσός (Lemesos)
• Larnaca, Greek: Λάρνακα (Larnaka)
• Paphos, Greek: Πάφος (Pafos)
Nicosia is the largest city of Cyprus. Located on the River Pedieos and situated almost in the centre of the island, it is the home of the government official office, as well as the main business centre including many ‘offshore' enterprises. It also attracts many thousands of tourists each year who come to experience the culture and history of Nicosia. It is also well situated as a starting point for trips to other interesting areas of Cyprus.
All of our short term apartments are situated next to big well known avenues regularly serviced by buses that run into Nicosia city center every 30 mins. This way you can have the quietness of a side street but also the conveniences of a high street nearby.
The Pedieos river is the longest river in Cyprus. Its origin is in the Troodos Mountains close to Machairas Monastery and it flows northeast across the Mesaoria plains, through to Nicosia. It then steers east, meeting the sea at Famagusta Bay close to the ancient Greek city of Salamis. It has an approximate total length of 100 km, and a stretch of 18 km of the river banks in and around Nicosia have been made into pedestrian walkways. These are popular with both locals and tourists as well as those visiting on business who have a little time to take in some invigorating fresh air and relaxing scenery.
Also nearby, in the center of the island is the Troodos mountain range, which is the biggest mountain range in Cyprus. Troodos' highest peak is Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres. It stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus. There are many famous mountain resorts, Byzantine monasteries and churches on mountain peaks, and nestling in its valleys and picturesque mountain villages clinging to terraced hill slopes. Locals flock to Troodos during the summer months for some cooler weather, and relaxing holiday time. During the winter months from January to mid March, locals and tourists descend on the snow-kissed ski resort of Mount Olympus, which has four ski lifts.
Cyprus weather as a whole remains very sunny throughout the year. On average the number of daily hours of sunshine ranges from six in midwinter to twelve or thirteen in midsummer. Sea temperatures are warm throughout summer but have a tendency to be a bit chilly from December until early May.
In the summer months Nicosia has an average maximum temperature of 36°C during July and August, although this can go above 40°C. June to September have average minimum temperatures of 18°C to 21°C. Coastal areas are generally not as hot as inland regions as they benefit from the cooling Mediterranean waters and winds that blow across the coast, particularly in the evenings.
Public Holidays in Cyprus:
1 January - New Year's Day
6 January - Epiphany Green Monday - Variable - (the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday).
Green Monday - Variable to the Greek Orthodox Church - The first day of lent
25 March - Greek Independence Day
1 April - Greek Cypriot National Day
Good Friday - Variable to the Greek Orthodox Church - (between 22 March and 25 April – Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox)
Easter Monday -Variable to the Greek Orthodox Church – the day after Easter Sunday
Easter Tuesday - Variable to the Greek Orthodox Church – the day after Easter Monday
1 May - Labour Day
Holy Spirit (Pentecost) - Variable in June
15 August - Assumption Day
1 October - Independence Day
28 October - Greek National Day (Okhi Day)
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Boxing Day
Telephones. The country dialing code for Cyprus is +357. Telecard and coin-operated public telephones are installed at various central locations in towns and villages. Telecard phones accept payment by Telecards, which are available in various denominations. They can be purchased at banks, post offices, souvenir shops, kiosks and CytaShops. Mobile phone roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies, and the coverage is good.
Internet services in Cyprus are good, with broadband internet speeds up to 8mb available. Internet cafes are widely available throughout all cities in Cyprus, as well as WiFi hotspots. All our apartments have broadband internet access included in the price.
Newspapers published in English include the Cyprus Financial Mirror, Cyprus Mail (daily), and Cyprus Weekly. • Most UK English newspapers are also available.
Currency. Since the 1st January 2008, the official currency of Cyprus is the Euro. Currency exchanges can be made upon arrival at the airport, or from local banks or currency exchange offices which can easily be found throughout tourist areas and cities.
Credit cards are also widely used in stores, restaurants, supermarkets and petrol stations. Usually the card symbol is displayed in the shop-window or at reception.
ATM machines are also widely available, and instructions for use are in a choice of Greek or English.
The time in Cyprus is two hours ahead of GMT.
Cyprus has two airports – Pafos International Airport and Larnaka International Airport, both of which were recently upgraded to high standards.
©2010 Nicosia Shortlets