Tips for Cyprus 3 groups. Holidays in Cyprus: detailed guide. National cuisine and nutrition

10 things you shouldn't do in Cyprus

12/06/2018

Perhaps this summer you will go on holiday to Cyprus. Perhaps even for the first time. And even if not for the first time, our advice may be useful to you. We have collected 10 things that you cannot do in Cyprus: it will not be the best waste of time and money. And each, of course, has an alternative. So, once in Cyprus, you shouldn’t:

1. Buy halloumi cheese in hotel supermarkets. And in general in supermarkets in tourist areas. It is quite expensive there and often at the same time cheap - in the sense that in order to reduce the cost, cow's milk is added to halloumi, while the real one is prepared only from goat and sheep's milk. In hotels, by the way, they often fry it incorrectly, in thin slices - so it seems that the portion is larger. In fact, the correct thickness is about a centimeter. For real halloumi, you can go, for example, to a donkey farm in the vicinity of Ayia Napa. No, that doesn't mean they add donkey milk to it, it's just a fun tourist attraction with a "village" theme. The cross-country donkey ride included in the program at first glance smacks of terry pop, but in fact it impresses even those who have always been indifferent to “riding a horse.”
  Halloumi can be fried either in a frying pan or on a grill. Delivering cheese packed in film - no problem
2. Drive a rental car to Turtle Beach. Lara Beach is a place worth visiting. It is not a fact that you will see sea turtles that lay eggs there, but the place itself is quiet, deserted and surprisingly clean even by the standards of Cyprus, where the cleanliness of the beaches is one of the main advantages for vacationers. However, if you go there in a rental car, then, firstly, you will drive for a very long time. Secondly, there is a risk of breaking the road tires on sharp stones on the road (and this is an unpaved road that runs mainly on rocky soil).
  On the beach, you will most likely only see fences around turtle nests. Large turtles come to lay eggs only in July and only at night, and small turtles, as you understand, do not hatch every day either, but after hatching, they immediately crawl to the sea and swim away.
  
  Thirdly, although there is no outright off-road in the Russian sense (swamp), it is easy to put a bumper, threshold or muffler of a small car on uneven roads, for which you will then have to pay. An alternative is the so-called jeep safari. Of course, it’s just the same name as a safari, but riding on a bench in the trunk of a Defender is somehow more colorful. The main thing, if there is more than one jeep in your group, is to sit in the first jeep, because in the second you will swallow dust. By the way, choose trips that include a stop in the Avakas gorge along the way: these are indescribable in the form of text, photo or video natural beauty(and there are no crowds of tourists there).
  
  We specially posted the ugliest photo from the gorge so that you can go and see everything with your own eyes.
3. Check into a hotel on the coast of Ayia Napa. It will always be crowded here in the worst sense of the word: crowds of vacationers will literally be lying under your windows, music will be constantly playing from beach bars, and the people at sea will be like in Simeiz.
  Ayia Anapa
  
  Have you rented a room with a private terrace on the seafront in Ayia Napa? Well done, your territory is limited to a paved area
  
  For the quiet relaxing holiday it's better to go to Paphos (we were in Coral Beach Hotel and Resort: beautiful place, although a little old-fashioned), and if you are in the eastern part of the island, then it makes sense to settle away from the sea.
  
  Coral Beach in Paphos is quiet and peaceful. This is where you need to escape the noisy crowds
  
  After all, you don’t run back and forth between the sea and your room, but come for a few hours. If so, you can get to the hotel in a few minutes using a free shuttle. And the beaches that such shuttles go to are not so crowded. Example good hotel this type is St. Elias Resort, here you will live in small houses instead of multi-story buildings, there are swimming pools with slides and, most importantly, Ultra, dear to the Russian heart All Inclusive, which is generally rare for Cyprus. Surprisingly, there are few Russians in the hotel - mostly English.
  
  St. Elias Resort has swimming pools among two-story houses on a large area, only one and a half hundred rooms and many pools. Some houses have their own.
4. Eat in tourist restaurants on the shore. This, however, is the advice of Captain Obvious, but, damn it, you go and there are people sitting there and eating who knows what. What should you eat in Cyprus? First, look for places where they cook “Kleftiko” - this is lamb stewed in special vats in a special oven for so long that it loses the characteristic taste of lamb and melts in your mouth; It’s difficult to find them in tourist areas; restaurants are located in concentrated areas local population. For example, this one.
  Oven for cooking kleftiko
  
  Another mandatory program is meze. Meze comes in fish and meat varieties, the latter being more typical for Cyprus. The idea is that one by one they bring you tiny portions of various dishes: ideologically similar to Spanish tapas, but here most of the dishes are hot. Ideally, you should also wash everything down with local wine, for which, by the way, it’s worth visiting the Kolios winery, where they also serve meze (meat). Locally bottled Persefoni wine at €5 a bottle is worth buying as much as you can take away.
  
  The grapes grow on limestone; limestone is saturated with water during rains and this is enough to feed the bushes; no one waters anything additionally. Therefore, the berry contains less water, which means the wine has a richer taste.
  
  And if you want fish meze and still be on the shore, then you should at least once go to Sailor’s Rest on the territory of St. Raphael Resort in the vicinity of Limassol.
  
  Here's the one ocean liner on the shore is actually not a liner, but a restaurant. A bit pricey, but worth it
5. Go to the source of Aphrodite. No, if you live very close, then you can go, but in general you will most likely be disappointed. The “source” is a small puddle in a grotto with water flowing down its walls. Here, according to legend, Aphrodite met with Adonis. You won’t be able to swim there, or drink the water - in a word, it’s just a beautiful legend from the authors of guidebooks who needed to write at least something else.
  We don’t have any other source of Aphrodite for you.
  
  But if you do go in that direction, then know that the source itself is located in a rather interesting arboretum with a 5-kilometer route, and nearby there is a beautiful wild pebble beach, where there are never people. However, keep in mind that you will first have to go down a winding staircase from a high cliff, and then climb back up along it.
  
  And by the way, here you can swim to the rock
6. Give vodka to pelicans on the promenade in Paphos. Alas, this idiotic entertainment is typical only for “Russo tourists”. It’s better to just take pictures with the pelicans, but in general, since you’re on the embankment, go and look at the ancient mosaics.
  Pelicans just walk along the embankment
  
  Even if you hate museums and all these thousand-year-old antiquities with all your heart, and your favorite entertainment is the TV show “Dom-2”, then you can still at least say: “Hey, hey, swastika!”, because the characteristic ornament is repeated in most these mosaics. At the same time, they will tell you that it has nothing to do with prohibited symbols, if you didn’t know that.
  
  We’ll ask you to show us the mosaics...
7. Trying to get into Varosha. Varosha is an abandoned resort on the demarcation line between the Republic of Cyprus and the unrecognized territory captured by the Turks. Photos on the Internet attract lovers of post-apocalyptic landscapes, but in fact, the “object” is well guarded by the Turkish military, who, by the way, vacation there semi-legally, so it will not be possible to get there undetected.
  Varosha from the sea
  
  If you need to “just look”, this can be done, firstly, during a boat trip from Ayia Napa: the boat comes quite close, everyone is given binoculars, and the line of gradually crumbling hotels along the beach can be studied in detail. Secondly, almost at the very “border” (Greek Cypriots call it the demarcation line, because “ Turkish Republic northern Cyprus" is considered a temporarily occupied territory and this pseudo-state is not recognized by any country in the world except Turkey) there is a museum of occupation, from the roof of which everything is also perfectly visible through binoculars, and here they will tell in detail about what happened in 1974.
  
  Varosha from the Museum of Occupation. Grab your binoculars and go!
  
  Thirdly, if you’re going to wander around, the Berengaria Hotel in the western part of the island looks much more interesting, where you can stop by on the way to the Kykkos Monastery, or even instead of the monastery.
  
  Checkpoint at the “border” in Famagusta
  
  This mosaic at Larnaca airport was actually taken from the abandoned Nicosia airport. Compared to the 1967 version, not all fragments have been preserved
8. Buy an adapter for UK sockets. Yes, the sockets in Cyprus are different. This is not Greece (not to be confused with Crete), but a former British colony, and the outlets here are of the English type. The store will be able to charge you 5, 10, or 20 euros for it, depending on how popular the brand is (the red price is 2), but in reality you don’t need it. Firstly, decent hotels rent an adapter. Somewhere there’s even no deposit, and somewhere else they charge 5 euros. Secondly, even if you were not given an adapter, there is a life hack: insert any handy object (for example, a pen refill, a cotton swab, etc.) into the central upper hole, thereby slightly opening the curtains of the main contacts.
  The adapter you don't need
  
  We insert a regular Euro plug into them and take out the auxiliary item. In order not to bother with this every time, take with you from Russia the simplest extension cord with a tee. Alas, in a number of hotels there are still sockets of the old British standard BS 546 with round holes; Euro plugs won't fit in them, and an adapter is hard to find (so, again, don't buy an adapter).
9. Buy something from Duty-Free at Larnaca Airport. All local products are much more expensive there than in regular stores. Foreign drinks in general are also not cheap.
  Some drinks in the dutik can be tasted for free, but in homeopathic doses
  
  Look better at non-food products - glasses, perfume, etc., because you can also have a drink in the business lounge, where, by the way, there is a wonderful terrace from where you can watch the planes (and smoking is also allowed there).
  
  Terrace in the business lounge of Larnaca airport where smoking is allowed
  
  This is not the entire selection of alcohol in the LCA business lounge
  
  By the way, you can watch the planes from Mackenzie Beach not far from the airport: there are few people, pleasant sand, you swim right under the glide path, and the end of the runway literally goes out onto the beach. Just don’t come close to the airport fence: a security car drives up from the other side very quickly, and from it they look at you with silent reproach.

Cyprus is a country that is rightfully gaining popularity. Here you can find famous tourist routes, and enough unusual places, which are worth visiting for a traveler. Read about what every tourist vacationing on the island should do in today’s article.

Swim in Aphrodite's Bay

According to local legends, Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite. According to myth, it was from the waves of the bay that the goddess of beauty and love came to earth. It is believed that every man who swims in this bay becomes a passionate lover, and a woman acquires unfading beauty. If a couple in love enters the water of the bay, their union will not break up until their death.

Visit the tower of the jealous Moor

Another myth associated with Cyprus refers to Shakespeare's tragedy. The fact is that the prototype of the jealous Othello was the governor of Cyprus, Christopher Moreau, who in the 12th century. actually killed his young wife named Desdemona. The tragedy unfolded within the walls of the port citadel. Today here you can see the very tower where the legendary murder was committed.

Climb the Crusader fortress

The famous fortress, located in Northern Cyprus, inspired Walt Disney to create the animated film “Beauty and the Beast”. The majestic crusader citadel rises on a mountain, so the path to it on foot is not close and is tiring. But the persistent traveler will be rewarded with a view of the coast and the Kyrenia expanses from the fortress walls.

Enjoy local wines

In September, the annual festival takes place in the city of Limassol. Winemakers bring their drinks from all over the world. And 50 km from the city, in the Troodos mountain range, there are vineyards where berries are grown for the famous Cypriot Commandaria. More than fifty wineries and villages are scattered in the valley, lying on the slopes of the mountains, which are famous for their cozy restaurants.

Try the meze

This is the name of a set of many snacks to go with wine. Meze is a special ceremony, so the appetizers are presented in a strict sequence, which largely determines the skill of the cook. Traditionally, the first course of meze is baked goods, and the gastronomic parade ends with meat or fish dishes. The essence of meze is to extend the pleasure of wine and food for many hours.

Get your donkey driving license

One of the most fun excursions from is the donkey farm. Local lop-eared inhabitants have exceptionally big names. Thus, the traveler gets a unique opportunity to ride a Schumacher. For those who want to learn how to ride a donkey and learn all the intricacies of controlling this stubborn animal, there are special “driving courses”, consisting of a theoretical part and direct test drives (roads, mountain paths, rough terrain) with experienced instructors. And after successful completion of the course, a special certificate is issued - “donkey driving license.”

Take a look at the ghost town

But Cyprus is not only a happy tourist country. In 1974, the military conflict between Turkey and Greece turned the world famous resort into a real ghost town: houses are abandoned, hotels are looted, abandoned equipment is on the streets. To this day, the quarter is closed to entry and surrounded by a fence. An ideal place for stalkers, but unsafe: the perimeter of the city is guarded by military police and for trespassing closed area faces a fine of up to 500 €. You can look at the block from the neighboring territory or through binoculars.

Step over the green line

The capital of Cyprus is a unique city in its own way. It is divided by the “green line” - the border between the quarters of Turkish Muslims and Christian Cypriots. Previously, this border was guarded by troops, but today tourists can freely move from one part of the city to another. This is how the capital of Cyprus lives: two peoples, two religions. Of course, the city is also interesting in many ways cultural monuments and attractions: it is worth looking at the monastery of St. Barnabas, going to the Kyrenia Gate, visiting the Haider Pasha Mosque.

See the salt lake

Located near the city of Larnaca on the southeast coast of Cyprus, it is charming at any time of the year. In summer, the lake dries up and its pool becomes covered with a salty crust, which is a rather unusual sight. And during the rainy season, from December to March, huge flocks of pink flamingos, up to ten thousand birds, fly here.

Walk along turtle beach

Alagadi Beach, on the island, is famous for its cleanliness and... turtles. Green and sea turtles many centuries ago chose this place to breed their offspring. Environmentalists from all over the world care about the safety of the turtle metropolis, but entry is open to tourists. The best time to visit Alagadi is in the evenings at the end of summer, when hundreds of small turtles are born.

Cyprus attracts travelers with its mild climate, warm and clean sea, long tourist season, pleasant service and delicious food. Russians also like it because they can apply for a pro-visa to the southern part of the country for free right from home, and to visit Turkish Northern Cyprus a visa is not needed at all.

On a relatively small island, not only two warring states fit, but also two dissimilar ones mountain range Kyrenia and Troodos, the capital of Nicosia, also divided between the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus, and a large number of ancient monuments lying at the intersection of European and Eastern cultures.

Many city names still have three variants - Greek, Turkish and colonial. For example, Nicosia can be Lefkosia and Lefkosa depending on who is talking about it.

When to go

The tourist season in Cyprus is very long. You can swim from May to October, and sunbathe even longer. Best time for a trip: late spring and early autumn, when the air is not too hot and the sea has already warmed up. At the height of summer, the air temperature can rise to +40 ° C, the water is so warm that it is not even refreshing.

Travelers who go to Cyprus in the spring can enjoy the greenery and flowering trees, but by autumn all the vegetation burns out in the sun, the island looks dry and deserted.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

Beach holiday

Most travelers come to Cyprus to sunbathe and swim. The beaches on the island are covered with yellow or white sand, sometimes interspersed with small pebbles, many of them are marked Blue flag. The entrance to the water is flat almost everywhere, and the sea is clean and pleasant.

In the Republic of Cyprus, all beaches are municipal, entry is free, you only have to pay for sunbeds with umbrellas, but you can sunbathe on a towel. Northern Cyprus has both free and private stretches of coastline.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

Excursion holidays

Almost all the interesting places in Cyprus are located along the coast, so you can combine beach holiday with sightseeing. It’s amazing how so many ancient ruins, museums, monasteries, religious sites and uniquely beautiful corners of nature fit into such a small area.

By the way, on “Subtleties” experienced guides offer a lot of exciting excursions around Cyprus.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

The sights of Nicosia deserve special attention - the magnificent Old Town, divided between two states and surrounded by an almost perfectly round fortress wall, the Archaeological Museum, which is worth a few hours to explore, and the modern, but well-stylized Archbishop's Palace.

Many travelers study with interest the ghost town of Varosha, which does not belong to any of the countries that divided the island in 1974. Local residents left the city, and gradually, over the past almost 50 years, it fell into disrepair. It is impossible to get into Varosha; it is examined through a telescope with observation deck near the village of Derynia, located 10 km from Ayia Napa.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

Active recreation and entertainment

In addition to visiting the sights and spending lazy time on seashore, tourists can enjoy active recreation, for example, go hiking along the Camel Trail in the Troodos Mountains or on boat trip from Larnaca or Paphos to Lara Bay with a hatchery station where endangered loggerhead turtles are helped to survive. On the island you can practice almost all kinds of sports - from windsurfing to cycling, from diving to golf (the only thing you shouldn’t forget is diving or yachting, for example).

Those interested in wines go on trips to the wine regions of Cyprus - to the Krosochoria region in the southwestern part of Troodos.

Those whose trip coincides with local holidays - the Apokreo carnival, which takes place in Limassol and lasts two weeks until Lent, will be especially lucky. May holiday flowers "Antestiria", music festivals at Bellapais Abbey and Larnaca.

Who will like it in Cyprus

Holidays in Cyprus are suitable for everyone, because it amazes with the variety of opportunities, activities and entertainment. The main thing is to choose the right resort.

Many beaches are designed for families with children - fine soft sand, a gentle entrance to the water and the absence of waves, and in the cities all kinds of entertainment await children - from water parks to playgrounds. Young and active travelers can go to hiking to the mountains, go diving, golf, hang gliding, windsurfing, tennis and even ride alpine skiing in the Olympus area. Those who like sightseeing will also not be bored - ancient ruins, ancient cities, there are modern museums and aquariums in almost every resort. Elderly tourists will appreciate the hospitality local residents, quiet evenings in restaurants by the sea, amazingly beautiful nature and a pleasant climate.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

update: everything is now much more expensive

I spent the last month in Cyprus. My family and I went there not to relax, but for reconnaissance purposes. They wanted to understand whether it was possible to live on the island long-term - a couple of months, a year, two. I worked no less than at home, maybe even more. I was doing all the usual household chores.

In this post I will describe life in Cyprus in the main areas. What is on the island, what is not, what costs, what are the features of life. I'll try not to drag it out.

It is very important - I do not pretend to be the truth, I am sharing my opinion.

Nature

Perhaps it’s worth starting with nature, because this is the main reason for traveling to the island. It never gets too cold here; in winter the temperature fluctuates around 15 degrees. In summer it's 30-35 degrees, really hot.

There is rarely bad weather; during the month of my stay there was not a single rain, even when it was reported. However, I even saw clouds only a couple of times, and then they went away within a few hours. As the locals say, even if it rains, after a few hours there is no trace left of it.

When we flew to Cyprus, we expected something like the Crimean steppe. When we left the airport, we were wildly surprised that everything around was green. Tall trees, a bunch of different flowers, lush bushes, palm trees.

A little later we learned that we didn’t understand anything at all about the nature of Cyprus, because it is very diverse there. You can now lie on the sand by the sea, and in 2 hours be on a mountain 2000 meters high.

There are also many animals living on the island, it’s worth a trip to national park"Akamas". There are cool houses there where you come with binoculars and look at an endless number of wild birds.

Citrus trees on the city streets were especially delivered - tangerines, lemons, oranges. You can also find figs, papaya, and some small yellow berries like cherry plums. But you won’t find apricots, cherries and other fruits popular in the CIS - they are considered elite here, are expensive and protected.

We should also talk about the sea. It is very clean and warm here. Already in April the temperature was 20 degrees, and in the summer it reaches 25-28. It's also very salty, I don't know why. I didn’t see any jellyfish or other evil spirits, and there wasn’t much algae either.

But good beaches not so much, in Cyprus almost everywhere the sand is some kind of gray-black color, which does not inspire confidence. Therefore, you need to go to the allocated well maintained beaches. Just, if so, be prepared to pay 7.5 euros for 2 sun loungers and an umbrella, or take a towel/folding chairs with you, like many others. 🙂

Now let's move on to the material...

Road cost

A round trip flight for three from Kyiv cost me $550. A Schengen visa for Cyprus is not required, just write a letter to the embassy and they will send you a visa for 3 months. You just print it out on a piece of paper, show it at the airport and move on.

The road does not end at the flight. Since you will arrive in Larnaca, and will most likely go to another city to live, you need to take a taxi or rent a car. We lived in Paphos, the most distant city from Larnaca (an hour and a half drive).

There were 2 options - 80 euros for a taxi or 75 euros for renting a small car on an automatic machine for 3 days. There’s nothing to think about here - we took a car not only to get to residential complex, and drive around the island for a couple more days, although right-hand drive cars are another story.

As a result, over these few days we drove 400 kilometers and paid 28 euros for gasoline. The total cost of renting a car is 113 euros (another 10 are charged at the airport for parking).

Housing cost

Here it’s worth starting with the fact that in the minds of compatriots Cyprus is some kind of wild dear country, offshore zone, villas for millions of dollars... All this is not true. In fact, there is now a housing crisis in Cyprus, entire complexes stand soullessly, rent whatever you want. All this happened due to the crisis in the last decade, when a bunch of investors set up luxury housing on the island in the hope of reselling or renting it out at a high price. And then bang, and a crisis.

As in any tourist country, housing prices are very dependent on the rental period. You can rent the same apartment for 1000 euros per week in the summer and 300-400 euros per month when renting for a year. Moreover, budget apartments are, by our standards, “European-quality renovation”, everything is clean, tidy and with decent furniture.

As for me, I rented an apartment with a piece of my own territory for 600 euros per month. Small, but two-story. With new plumbing, good repairs, panoramic windows, human kitchen. If I want to shoot it again, it will cost 400 euros, because I already understand the market, plus next time I will do without intermediaries.

Utilities are more expensive than ours. Usually people fit into 70-80 euros per month, in winter it will be more expensive, because you have to heat it with air conditioning. There is no gas heating at all, no traditional radiators. There are some generators from gas cylinders, but that’s just it.

But you still have to heat it in winter, despite the warm climate. The houses are cold, built for warmth. And when it’s 8 o’clock outside at night in January, it will be harsh inside. So the air conditioner will have to be turned on for heat.

You can immediately discuss the Internet with utilities. This is the problem here: if at home I pay 3 euros per month for it, then in Cyprus it will be 40 . At the same time, the quality will be an order of magnitude lower, you can count on ten megabits and a terrible ping. This is enough for work, watching videos on YouTube, downloading large files overnight. But relative to the money that has to be paid, this is a big failure in relation to the homeland.

Cost of products

Products are about 2 times more expensive than ours. The most important principle of buying food in Cyprus is to know which supermarket chain sells which products. good prices. For example, at Papantonio it is profitable to buy vegetables and fruits, and sometimes meat. At Lidl we had good luck with baked goods and milk.

Special mention should be made of the promotions. Every week supermarkets launch new promotions, you can see an example on the Lidl website. Discounts range from 15 to 50%, but they apply to really needed products. Not like ours - for rotting meat, sour milk, or something that is not sold at all. Promotions like these make shopping trips even more interesting. 🙂

Now prices for the main categories of products (in spring):

eggs - 3.3 euros / 30 pieces
meat - 3 euros/kg
milk - 1.2 euros/liter
apples - 1 euro/kg
cucumbers - 0.33 euro/kg
whole chicken - 2.5 euro/kg
chicken fillet - 6 euro/kg
yoghurts - 2 euros/kg
young potatoes - 0.6 euro/kg
pears - 1.3 euro/kg
chocolate - 0.69 euro/100 g
flour - 0.5 euro/kg
sugar - 0.6 euro/kg
strawberries – 0.5 kg – 1 euro

Separately, it is worth noting the quality of the products. For example, these apples cost euros per kilogram - these are our “Golden”, “Premium”. There are none of those dirty, bruised and tasteless shit apples that we sell to people, but in normal countries feed to pigs.

All buns are 2 times more expensive, but the filling is 2 times more. 🙂

We spent about a month on groceries 250 euros. Out of curiosity, we asked friends who live in Cyprus for a long time - they have the same expenses.

Cost of things

There are two opinions here. Branded clothing costs the same as ours or even cheaper, for example, Lacoste sneakers from this year’s collection can be bought for 30-35 euros in the official store. I saw Levi's jeans for 25-35 euros. T-shirts are around 8-10 euros. In general, there are no fundamental differences from the CIS.

But some franchises are expensive, for example, in Kyiv I bought a sword for a guy from a cartoon for $10, but here it costs 35 euros. Transformer toys cost from 30 euros, ours again cost around 10 bucks. But all this applies only to brands. Transformers of the same quality, but without a famous name, cost around 1-2 euros apiece. 🙂

Household goods are generally cheap, high-quality cups cost euros, a good yoga mat in a case costs 4 euros, gloves for cycling cost 3 euros. In reality, you go to a Jumbo store, pick up a bunch of small things and leave with a check of 20-30 euros. On average, everything is 2 times cheaper, even than in Ukraine. I'm not talking about the difference in quality. 🙂

Cost of services

Considering that even simple workers such as shop assistants receive ~1000 euros, all services in Cyprus are much more expensive than ours. This manifests itself in absolutely everything. Even if you look at a chicken in a store, you can buy a whole chicken for 2 euros, and a fillet from it for 6, and that’s if you’re lucky. Just because someone took the time to chop up that chicken.

We didn’t really use the services of Cypriots, but we found out how much it costs. For example, a men's haircut costs 10 euros. A trip to the doctor - 30-50 euros. A taxi around the city costs a couple of tens of euros. And such orders are in everything. In general, it's expensive.

It is better to try to solve your problems yourself. 🙂

Entertainment

Here you need to start with your desires. If you are interested in clubs, parties and fun, you need to go live in Ayia Napa.

And there are unreal beaches there. Many say that they are the coolest on the island.

If, on the contrary, you want peace, then go to Paphos. It's like a big village, with fields and caves in the middle of the city. There are places to walk, people are more relaxed, everything is quiet and peaceful. Well, the sea is also cool, but you need to drive about 15 minutes to Coral Bay. There are good, but less colorful beaches within walking distance.

Now we have to answer the question - What exactly is there to do on the island?

The first is to travel. You can go to the Troodos mountains - it’s very beautiful there. There is Akamas Park, which I wrote about above, which generally has its own wild life. There is a cool zoo, tours of wineries, diving, jeep safaris and more. The island may be small, but there is plenty to do.

Secondly, yes. There are many traditional food, all of it is mainly meat. For example, cabbage rolls made from grape leaves. Or swordfish. Or the coolest “taramas” sauce made from some kind of fish roe, I really liked it. To try everything local at once, you need to order meze. Costs 15 euros and includes 15 traditional Greek dishes. Just keep in mind that almost half of them are different sauces. 🙂

Third, pursue your hobbies. I really missed a bicycle, Cyprus is simply made for cycling. The road is of very high quality and mostly smooth. If you need Gym- there are plenty of them. The pool - even more so. There is already someone who loves what. In terms of physical activity, I noticed one thing - everyone walks a lot here. We didn't go a day without walking for at least a couple of hours.

People, the situation in the city

I really liked Paphos. The city can be divided into tourist and urban zones. In the tourist area, everyone is always sitting in cafes, sharpening sea fish and drinking wine. The people are very impressive, friendly, everyone smiles. After my homeland (especially current realities), this is surprising and very pleasant.

You walk down the street and see an English grandfather driving something like this:

It was very nice to see a lot of stylish old cars. All well-groomed, with big beautiful rims, ehh... And they won’t fall apart - there is no temperature difference, no bad roads, no constant precipitation. If anyone is interested, the most popular cars in Cyprus are Mercedes C, E class 7-10 years ago.

In the urban area it’s already a little more tense, everyone is in a hurry somewhere, doing something. Although I don’t know what they are doing in a country that doesn’t produce anything and only makes money from tourists and offshore companies. 🙂

The roads are narrow, it is clear that the city is old. There are very decent shops, but there are also ruins. My wife liked walking the streets, but I didn’t appreciate it. I had a blast in the tourist area, where everything was done for visitors, and not local residents who are ready to endure tired houses and crooked infrastructure.

conclusions

Morally, Cyprus is created for a relaxed and imposing life. For me personally, it is also a place of high concentration. Nothing distracts you, you are completely within yourself. There are few household chores, few acquaintances, it’s very cool to work in the flow.

Financially - you need to count on a minimum budget of about 1200 euros per month. Housing with utilities will cost about 400-500 euros, about 300 must be budgeted for food, another 300 for other expenses that will arise in any case. You can save and live cheaper, or you can rent a car, eat one sea fish and not even spend 3,000 euros. Here it’s up to anyone.

I tried to write honestly and for normal people. I hope this was informative and you enjoyed it.

What to do in Cyprus? A question that new tourists ask for the thousand and first time the day after arriving on the island. Let's try to briefly draw up a vacation plan for the coming week.

While vacationing in Cyprus, you can always find something to keep yourself occupied and what to do. This is a great opportunity to visit the most beautiful island Mediterranean, visit interesting museums, admire the ruins ancient cities, try National dishes and Cypriot wines, lie on clean beaches islands.

Cyprus – perfect place for a family holiday with children. There's a lot water attractions, water parks, where various entertainment events for children are held. And adults won’t be bored here either: sea cruises, water skiing, windsurfing, diving, various excursions to ancient cities, fortresses and medieval castles.

There are many in Cyprus interesting places that are worth visiting. Here are some of them: Nicosia is the capital of the island. Here it is worth looking at the Gates of Famagusta, where exhibitions, concerts and musical evenings are held, at the Byzantine Church of Chrysaliniotissa, which is famous for its collection of Byzantine icons, the Municipal Museum, the Archbishop's Palace and the Church of Faneromeni.

Amathus is a ghost town, its picturesque ruins are located near the resort of Limassol. Here you can look at the ruins of the baths, the sanctuary of Aphrodite and the Christian basilica, which in the bright rays of the midday sun make an indelible impression on tourists.

Kourion too ancient city, in which the sanctuary of Apollo of Hylates, houses of the nobility, Roman baths, and an ancient theater have been well preserved to this day.

The Troodos Mountains are ski resort and the most famous nature reserve, where tourists can ski, enjoy the landscape, visit temples and monasteries, which are protected by the state and belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Russian citizens need a visa to travel to Cyprus. Official currency on the island - euro. It can be exchanged at the airport, at currency exchange offices, at banks, and at travel agencies.

Shops in Cyprus are open from Monday to Saturday, Sunday is a day off. In tourist areas, most shops are open seven days a week.

As souvenirs and gifts for loved ones, here you can buy goods made by local craftsmen: Cypriot wine, goat cheese, Cypriot sweets (halva, lokum), napkins and tablecloths made of Lefkari lace, silverware, jewelry, ceramics, recordings of Cypriot music.

And Cypriot cuisine is a real feast for a gourmet. Its main feature is meze - a set lunch that consists of 20-30 dishes. These are sauces, salads, snacks, fish, meat and vegetable dishes. They will be served on the table one by one.

National Cypriot dishes will delight any tourist: paste made from lemon and sesame seeds - Tahini, fish caviar with parsley, onion and lemon juice - Taramasalati, yogurt with garlic, mint and cucumbers - Tallaturi and much more. You can try these dishes in any restaurant or tavern, which cater to all tastes and budgets.

Speaking about the cuisine of Cyprus, we cannot fail to mention alcoholic drinks. These are numerous wines, Keo beer, an aperitif - ouzo and the strongest grape moonshine - zivania.