Cyprus Travel Wiki

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Travel to Cyprus

Cyprus has been a solid holiday destination plan for nearly 2,000 years. Part of the reason why it is such a popular destination goes beyond the nearly guaranteed sunshine and extravagant beaches that are offered.

Visitors to Cyprus are also going to have a level of hospitality that goes beyond what most destinations offer. You’ll find friendliness on this island like never before. You’ll also find there’s much more to Cyprus than you might expect.

Nightlife For All Tastes

Cyprus allows you to see castles, crystal clear blue waters, and incredible scenery during the day. It also offers numerous opportunities to enjoy what the night has to offer as well. Pubs, bars, nightclubs, or even fine dining opportunities all provide visitors with something that meets their needs effectively. Add in the hospitality and you’re guaranteed to have a good time.

History To Encounter

The history of Cyprus dates back beyond the Roman Empire. It is even mentioned in Christian literature 8 separate times. Just about everywhere you look there are ruins to see, museums to explore, and other places of ethnographic interest that will let you see artifacts that date back to the earliest times of what we would consider to be modern humanity.

Bring Your Clubs

There are 4 championship caliber golf courses on Cyprus to enjoy. Considering its ease of access, you can fly right in and take on 18 holes your first day there if you wish. You can also bring your walking tools to explore 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites if you prefer.

Cyprus offers visitors a tempting holiday opportunity all year long. If you’re ready to let the world pass you by for a few hours, a few days, or even longer, then this island may be the best place to let that happen. Walking, wine tours, and plenty of beach time combine with your favorite activities to create one very special experience.

Best of Cyprus

Below you can see our recommendations for a holiday in Cyprus

Larnaca

Perfect for those looking to combine beach holidays with a lively historic town and plenty of Cypriot life. Larnaca is a relaxed easy-going town considerably smaller than Limassol and Nicosia. The bustling, friendly town has a charming promenade with impressive palm trees – a pleasant spot to enjoy a numerous variety of cafes, bars, restaurants and eateries catering for every taste.

Aside from the beaches, this friendly town is rich in history with interesting older quarters. Whilst here why not visit the museums including the 17th century fort, with its remains of the ancient city of Kition, the 9th century church of St Lazarus and the holy shrine of Hala Sultan, the holiest Moslem shrine after Mecca and Medina.

This lively town is a great base from which to explore central and eastern Cyprus, and a trip would not be complete without a visit to one of the more traditional Cypriot villages like Lefkara, which is famous for its lace, or Kiti with its superb Byzantine church, and the fabulous Stavrovouni monastery.

Paphos

Thanks to its wealth of historical and cultural attractions, Paphos is an excellent choice if you want to do plenty of sightseeing. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s close to some of the island’s most famous archaeological attractions.

Ayia Napa

Ayia Napa and Nissi Bay are great holiday hotspots. By day, most holiday-makers head off for Nissi beach, a fabled stretch of silvery sand. Scattered around there are other beaches too, all offering terrific watersports. Ayia Napa is nearby and the fountain in the town square is a lively meeting place, as is the main waterfront, with its restaurants, bars and clubs, responsible for the resort’s legendary night-life. When you need to re-charge your batteries, creep away to the one of the pretty little coves along the coast.

Protaras

The resort itself spreads over 16 kms of coastline, most of it fringed by stunning bays and little idyllic coves. Watersports and scuba-diving are permanent fixtures, although generally the air is one of unbroken relaxation and tranquillity. You’ll find shops, restaurants and tavernas aplenty. A number of pubs, lively bars and two discos are the source of some friendly night-life. The friendly, family atmosphere strikes an appealing balance between relaxation and buzz making Protaras an appealing holiday hotspot.

A brief history of Cyprus.

Cyprus has always been a country full of love and war. According to a myth, the goddess Aphrodite was born within the country and she represented beauty and love. If you think of the word “Aphrodisiac” you will see that it closely matches the goddesses name and it is thought that was where the word actually came from.

Aphrodite is actually the reason why so many couples now flock to the island. They believe that the island is one of the most romantic of them all and it is a particular favourite when it comes to wedding destinations. The myth is that if you get married in Cyprus you will have a happy and everlasting marriage. Of course whether that is true or not remains to be seen but there is no denying that the setting is very romantic.

It has only been in the last twenty years that evidence has been found regarding ancient Cyprus and what might have gone on. According to research and finding, the earliest people to be in Cyprus were known as “Aetokremnos” and they lived mainly on the islands south coast. That was roughly in the year 10,000 BC. At the same sort of time there were findings that have suggested that there were two quite short lived populations on the east and the west coasts of the island too. However not much is known about the two or how they died out.

The most interesting thing about Cyprus’s history is that there seems to be a gap between the ancient population and the more settled population in 8200 BC. It is a mystery what happened to them and it is something that archaeologists would love to find out.

Generally the history of Cyprus involves people capturing the island, purchasing the island and fighting over the island. In 1192 “Guy of Lusignan” a French knight, purchased the island because he had recently lost his own kingdom to the Templars.

It wasn’t until 1960 that Cyprus actually gained independent status. By this time there were two main populations living happily on the island and they were the Greeks and the Turks. The Cyprus flag was developed in the same year and it represents two olive branches under a picture of the island and that is to symbolise peace. Before the independence of the island it was packed full of violence and war.

However the peace did not last long and there was a Turkish invasion of the island in the 1970’s. They were not happy living side by side with the Greeks and so they took the law into their own hands.

These days however Cyprus is a much more peaceful country. The days of war are long over and the culture and the history of Cyprus is now celebrated by its local people. The history is definitely an interesting one and it is worth knowing if you are planning on visiting the country.