Cyprus
An island with the euro, left-hand traffic and two views of the same map, entered through Larnaca
- Currency
- euro (EUR)
- Language
- Greek and Turkish (both official)
- Entry
- outside Schengen
Cyprus belongs to the EU and pays in euros, yet it sits outside Schengen, drives on the left and has a border line across the island. Larnaca is the natural way in, with an airport roughly 4 km south-west of the town, and that is where this guide to the island begins.
Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 and took the euro on 1 January 2008, so prices come in the same currency as most of Europe. For paying in shops and restaurants the short answer is this: cards in resorts, cash in villages. A law from 1968 puts the service charge into the bill in restaurants and bars, which leaves the tip as a choice. The short answer on tipping: service included, otherwise about 10%.
Cities and places in Cyprus
Each place has its own page — what makes it worth the detour, and how long you need.
All 282 places we write about sit on one page — narrow them down by continent, country, price or what you are travelling for.
Membership in the EU does not bring Schengen with it. Time spent in Cyprus does not count towards the 90 days in 180 of the Schengen area, and the EES and ETIAS systems apply only at the outer border of that area, so they do not reach Cyprus until it joins. Entry rules therefore depend on your passport, so look up your own citizenship on the official visa pages of the Cypriot authorities before booking, because the answer differs from one passport to the next.
Traffic keeps to the left, and the limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 outside them, 100 on the motorway and 30 in pedestrian zones. On motorways and tolls the short answer is: none (motorways are toll-free, no vignette). In Larnaca the city bus costs €2.70 (cash, daytime) a ride, and the airport sits on the same network, so the first days need no hire car at all.
The island is divided. The Republic of Cyprus governs the south, and about a third of the island in the north belongs to a self-declared state that no country apart from Turkey recognises. You can cross at nine checkpoints, where police inspect your identity, provided you entered the Republic through a legal point of entry. Landing at Ercan airport, or arriving at the ports of Famagusta and Karavostasi, counts as illegal entry into the Republic. The penalties are a fine, a refusal of entry or exit, and a ban on returning to the north. The Ledra Palace and Ledra Street crossings are for pedestrians only. Days spent in the north count towards your 90. Goods from there face limits, 40 cigarettes per person being one example, and customs can seize them and fine you.
Use Larnaca as the entrance. The airport is a short ride from the seafront, two days cover the town, and a third day goes to Choirokoitia and Lefkara. For now this site describes one place on the island.
Both sites fill in your nearest airport for you; change it in one click.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Four things Cyprus means
The third island of the Mediterranean
Cyprus ranks third among Mediterranean islands in both area and population, and its land covers 9,251 km². Greek and Turkish are the official languages, and the capital is Nicosia.
A cheese with a protected name
Halloumi has held EU protected designation of origin since 2021. Cypriots ate an average of 8 kg of it per head in 2013, usually grilled.
A Neolithic village on the UNESCO list
Choirokoitia, a settlement from the Neolithic, lies 32 km from Larnaca and joined the UNESCO list in 1998. Its round huts stand reconstructed on a hillside.
A ferry that became a reef
The Swedish ferry Zenobia sank on its first voyage on 7 June 1980 with 108 lorries aboard, and nobody died. It rests on its side 1.4 km off Larnaca, at depths of 16 to 42 m.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Do I need a visa for Cyprus?
That depends on your passport, since Cyprus is in the EU but outside Schengen, so the Schengen rules do not apply to it. The official visa pages of the Cypriot authorities list who may enter without one.
Can I cross to the north of the island?
Yes, at nine checkpoints with an inspection of your identity, if you entered the Republic through a legal point of entry. Ledra Palace and Ledra Street are for pedestrians only, and goods from the north carry limits. Anyone with a rental car should ask the rental company what its rules say about crossing.
Which side of the road do they drive on in Cyprus?
On the left. The limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 outside them, 100 on the motorway and 30 in pedestrian zones, and the motorways have no tolls.
Ready for Cyprus?
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Malta
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Larnaca
The whole of Cyprus fits into one query — six questions and you know which of them suits you.
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