When most individuals consider a summer time in Europe, it is most likely pictures of Italy’s pastel-and-turquoise Amalfi Coast they conjure up, or perhaps Greece’s whitewashed islands of Mykonos and Santorini, not often the lesser-known island-nation of Cyprus.
Tucked away within the Eastern Mediterranean, simply south of Turkey, it has all the time been one of many least-visited locations by Americans flying throughout the pond, regardless of its balmy local weather, postcard seashores, and Old World attract.
That’s why it could come as a shock to some that Cyprus has set a brand new tourism file in 2025 already, contemplating the restricted traction it will get within the U.S.
How Have Americans Been Sleeping On Cyprus For So Long?
According to Harris Papacharalambous, the President of ACTTA, Cyprus’ Travel and Tourism Agents Association, the Mediterranean hotspot has already hit a file 450,000 arrivals up to now this yr, greater than first-quarters of previous years.
Cyprus hosts on common 3-4 million vacationers a yr, largely coming from Northern European international locations like England, Germany, and Poland, although for the reason that pandemic, the variety of Americans touring all the best way there has elevated tenfold.
According to a report by Global Economic Data, a mere 5,069 U.S. passport holders touched down within the Larnaca and Paphos airports in 2020, rising to a whopping 48,616 in 2023, when the determine was final adjusted.
The determine is way from being all that spectacular by itself, but it surely marks a noticeable rise in curiosity from the U.S. market in what was beforehand an unheard-of vacation spot.
What Has Cyprus Got To Offer?
If you’ve got been curious sufficient to lookup Cyprus on a map, you may have seen it’s a (pretty) distant island, east of Greece, but nonetheless lots of of miles away from the closest Greek island, and surrounded by the turquoise-most seas you’ve got ever seen.
Though tradition performs an enormous half in it, for positive—that is the Ancient Sea, in spite of everything—a trip in Cyprus can simply be summed up in gorging on tasty souvlaki wraps, lazy afternoons lounging by the beachfront, dipping your toes in heat, translucent seas.
In locations like Protaras or Ayia Napa, the place seashores are of positive white sand, you’d also have a onerous time believing this is not the Caribbean: not one of the normal pebbly seashores, which as lovely as they might be for photos, will be fairly uncomfortable to stroll, not to mention lie on.
Over in Karpass, a finger-like peninsula within the north of the island, there are golden sands operating adjoining to azure waters for infinite miles, and wait till you’ve got been to Paphos, out west, well-known for its scenic bays and crystal-clear waterfalls—and smaller crowds.
Cyprus Is Less Crowded Than Greece, Italy, France
That’s an enormous benefit Cyprus has over its Mediterranean counterparts: as vastly standard as it’s amongst Europeans, it nonetheless feels far much less busy, and not-at-all-hectic in comparison with the typical Greek island, or the fashionable South of France.
Usually, tourism is closely concentrated in a choose few areas, most notably Ayia Napa, the place a celebration scene has developed in current a long time, Limassol, a bustling port metropolis wedged between lengthy strips of sand, and the resort-dominated downtown Paphos.
A brief one-hour drive north of Paphos, Pomos presents a dramatic rugged shoreline interspersed with secret coves vacationers have but to find, or in the event you’re not scared to go off-the-beaten-path, Kato Pyrgos close to the buffer zone has a nearly-untouched public seashore.
Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa might get all the celebrity, however one of the crucial lovely seashores in Cyprus shouldn’t be serviced by well-frequented seashore golf equipment, nor dotted with blue-and-white umbrellas: take a look at Lara Beach, with out main developments or motels, simply pure nature and Mediterranean bliss.
Untarnished Mediterranean Culture
This is a culture-charged island in the midst of the Mediterranean, keep in mind?
If you are flying all the best way from the States to marvel at historic monuments relationship again a number of millennia, you would really by no means exhaust your to-do listing in Cyprus.
A must-see attraction is the Tombs of the Kings, in Paphos, a 2,300-year-old necropolis that includes lovely underground chambers supported by Doric pillars—plus, some respite from the solar is welcome within the scorching Cypriot warmth.
Other noteworthy websites embody Kourion, a Greco-Roman archaeological web site housing a restored amphitheater and complicated mosaic patterns, overlooking the Mediterranean, the medieval Kolossi Castle, close to Limassol, and town of Kyrenia (or Girne) in Northern Cyprus:
Famous for its fortified harbor, donned with a Venetian-built citadel, and its ocher-colored Old Town, with cobble-paved alleys lined with Ottoman-era townhouses and artisan retailers, it’s Cyprus at its greatest: quaint, genuine, unspoiled by mass tourism.
Cyprus Is An Affordable Beach Getaway
Looking for a Mediterranean getaway that will not break the financial institution? Cyprus isn’t any Albania or Montenegro, however it’s undoubtedly on the cheaper aspect of Europe, in the event you’re asking us:
If you are not all about that week-round pampering, reserving a beachfront room in Ayia Napa (Summer’s Hotel Apartments) will set you again by $83 per night time.
If it is the latter you are occupied with, the 4-star Corfu Hotel, outfitted with a pool, and solely 400 meters from the principle seashore, prices a fairly-affordable $162-a-night to ebook.
Keen on exploring Paphos’ historical wonders and turquoise shoreline? An entire beachside flat (Panklitos Tourist Apartments) will run you up a mere $70 per night time in early August, or solely $36 per grownup in the event you’re touring as a pair.
Don’t thoughts splurging a bit of on a luxurious lodge?
Capital Coast Resort And Spa gives a luxurious continental breakfast, 2 swimming pools, a health middle, a tennis court docket, and a wide selection of in-house actions, from dance classes to diving to snorkeling, from solely $174-a-night.
Accommodation apart, in the event you’re questioning how a lot consuming at eating places, or grabbing takeout meals in Cyprus prices, listed here are some estimates compiled from sources like Wise and Move2Cyprus:
Budget restaurant: $13–18 per individual for a most important dish
Mid-range restaurant: $25–35 per individual for a 3-course meal
Street meals: $5-10 for gyros, souvlaki, and different takeout snacks
The One Slight Caveat
If you’ve got been studying attentively up to now, there’s been a whole lot of speaking of south versus north divides right here, buffer zones, and what have you ever, and it is time we lastly transient you on what’s actually occurring in Cyprus on the minute.
Well, for the reason that Seventies, at the very least:
The island is basically break up between a Greek-majority South, acknowledged internationally as a sovereign state, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a breakaway, unrecognized state shaped following a Turkish invasion half a century in the past.
To this present day, there’s a United Nations-overseen buffer zone separating each territories, perceived most dramatically within the Cypriot inland capital of Nicosia, sundered at its very core by a post-seventies, heavily-militarized border.
You can not cross from south to north with out going by means of a checkpoint, and as easy a process as it could be—in Nicosia, locals do it on a regular basis when buying up and down the border-traversed Ledra Street—there are some guidelines it’s essential to observe.
On Crossing From South To North (And Vice-Versa)
For starters, as a foreigner, it’s essential to all the time current your passport, even when the Turkish-controlled North is not acknowledged by the United Nations as a rustic.
Secondly, you may solely cross from south to north and again, not vice-versa: Republic of Cyprus authorities (South) think about any vacationers which have landed first within the North to have entered Cyprus illegally.
In different phrases, it is best to all the time use the airports in Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO) when flying from mainland Europe to the island—the third business airport, Ercan (ECN) is positioned within the North, and thus shouldn’t be used as an entry level in the event you plan on visiting the South afterwards.
To make it easy:
Landing in Southern Cyprus and planning on visiting the North? You’re good to go, and you may cross the border there and again as many occasions as you would like
Landing within the Turkish-controlled North and planning on visiting the South? You’ll be barred entry when trying to cross the border as you will not have a Republic of Cyprus-issued entry stamp
Has the picture-perfect Kyrenia Harbor, or the dreamy Protaras seashore piqued your curiosity?
You can study extra about Cyprus, and why it is the following stylish European vacation spot for Americans right here.
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