Cypern

Eat

thumb|Meze thumb|Typical local restaurant in Moutoullas Cypriot meze (appetizers akin to Spanish tapas) are an art form, and some restaurants serve nothing but. Meze are available in a meat variety or fish variety but quite often come as a mixed batch, which is rather pleasing. Kleftiko roasted lamb with flavours of herbs and lemon. Halloumi (Hellim) is a uniquely Cypriot cheese, made from a mix of goat's and sheep's milk. Hard and salty when raw, it mellows and softens when cooked and is hence often served grilled. Taramosalata is traditionally made out of taramas, the salted roe of the cod or carp. The roe is either mixed with bread crumbs or mashed potatoes. Parsley, onion, lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar are added and it is seasoned with salt and pepper. Tahini Shoushoukos is a traditional sweet made out of grape juice. A series of almonds are threaded with a needle and they are then dipped into the grape juice several times until it becomes quite thick. Palouzes and kiofterka are both traditional sweets made out of grape juice. Palouzes is a pudding made with grape juice, flour and different flavorings. Kiofterka are made from any leftover pudding. They cut it into pieces, dehydrate it, and the result is a hard but chewy thing.

Sleep

There are countless hotels and hotel apartments of varying degrees of luxury within Cyprus. Some of the hotels are: Kefalos Beach Tourist Village, Holiday Inn, Le Meridien, Hilton, Elias Beach Hotel. Alternative self-catering accommodation is offered in restored traditional houses in picturesque villages all over Cyprus through the government Agrotourism initiative.

Stay safe

thumb|Bar in Ayia Napa during daytime Cyprus is a remarkably safe country, with low crime rates. Cars and houses frequently go unlocked. That said however, it is wise to be careful when accepting drinks from strangers, especially in Ayia Napa, since there have been numerous occasions of muggings.

Note also that the numerous Cypriot "cabarets" are not what their name implies but rather brothels associated with organized crime.

The hunting season in Cyprus is from November till February. There are around 59,000 hunters with licences. On Sundays and Wednesdays you have to be careful when going for a walk in the countryside. Note that many hunters don't respect the areas where hunting is forbidden. Cypriot hunters are known to drink alcohol before and during hunting. Keep your dogs and children safe.

Cypriot authorities have a poor track record of informing foreign embassies, consulates and high commissions when foreigners are arrested. Assert your right to have your home country informed of your arrest or detention if necessary.

Stay healthy

Tap water in Cyprus is potable, but can have an unpleasant taste and may give you an upset stomach at first because of the minerals content.

Respect

Generally speaking, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots have a reputation for being hospitable to foreign visitors.

The various respect tips found in the Greece and Turkey articles may be of help when communicating with Cypriots.

Connect

Cyprus uses the country code +357, although the north uses Turkish numbers (+90 392).

There are three mobile providers, Cyta-Vodafone, Epic and Primetel. Cyta-Vodafone is the largest operator and charges the highest rates locally, while other providers are generally cheaper. All of these providers charge a high per-MB rate to roam in Northern Cyprus. If you want one SIM to use across the whole island, look elsewhere. To avoid surprise billing, all providers require you to manually activate roaming in Northern Cyprus to use it.

Cyta-Vodafone sells physical "soeasy" SIM starter kits for €2 with €1 credit pre-loaded at their stores, or data-only eSIM QR codes are available on arrivals at Larnaca and Paphos airports. Each top-up of €10 or more also extends the validity of the SIM by 1 year from date of top-up. Calls and SMS can only be used locally and in EU or UK roaming, and not for international calls to the EU or UK while in Cyprus.

Note that the EU Roaming Regulation 2022 does not apply in Akrotiri and Dhekelia: mobile phone services will be charged as if you are using your phone in the UK.