Local Information about Northern Cyprus


Travel Arrangements Arrival at Ercan Airport Getting from the Airport to Lemon House Car Hire Local Contact Person Shopping Money Telephone General Information Useful Numbers
	Beaches Castles Monasteries Walks Other Towns Place Names Restaurants Scuba Diving Karting
Travel Arrangements There are regular flights from Heathrow and Stansted to Ercan Airport in Northern Cyprus. These are semi-direct, which means that they touch down in Turkey for 45 minutes, but you do not have to get off or change planes. It is now also possible to fly into the south and cross the border. To book flights, you can either ring Cyprus Turkish Airline direct in London on 0207 930 4851; the office is very busy and it can take a while for the phone to be answered. Adult return fares are about £250 in mid season and children are about £180. You may find it simpler to book through Jewels of the World 0870 116 2233; always very efficient. Its is also possible to drive from England and take a car ferry from Turkey, and this might be worth looking into if you were planning to stay for two or three months to avoid the English winter.

Arrival at Ercan Airport At the immigration desk at Ercan airport, pick up and fill in a small white visa form, giving your name, nationality and passport number. These are free, and it means they will not stamp your passport. You must keep this white form; it is your visa, and will be needed when you are leaving Cyprus. It may also be needed when you stop in Turkey on your flight back. You will need to re-confirm your flight when you get to Cyprus - this can be done in the middle of your stay. All you need to do is ring the Cyprus Turkish Airlines Office, and the number is in the information booklet. If you have any problems such as lost passports etc, you can contact the British High Commission, which has an office on the Turkish Cypriot side. The phone number is in the information booklet.

Getting from the Airport to Lemon House We can arrange for you to be collected from the airport. The driver will meet you outside the arrivals hall and will have a card with your name on it. He will take you to Lemon House. The drive to the house takes about 25 minutes, and the fare is approximately £25. For the return journey, a taxi can also be arranged. It is worth taking an alarm clock in case you need to get up early for the return flight.

Car Hire Car hire is certainly recommended, and can be arranged through us. You can either collect from the airport or Lemon house. Cars cost about £15 -20 per day in high season, depending on the model, but are cheaper in low season. I would recommend the comprehensive insurance, which is something like £3 per day extra. You will need a valid British driving licence. Cars drive on the left, (the same as the UK), and there is a petrol station just at the bottom of the village. Traffic regulations are much the same as in England, but it is worth driving with a little more caution and not assuming, for example, that people will give way when you are on a roundabout. There are regular police speed checks on the open roads, and they are serious about trying to enforce the speed limits. The limit on open roads is usually 80 km per hour, but it varies a lot, and near villages and town it drops to 65 or 50 km.

Local Contact Person We have an agent in Cyprus called Gill who is English. She looks after the house and the people who come to stay, and she will probably visit you on the first morning to introduce herself to you. Her telephone number is in the information booklet.

Shopping There is a convenient supermarket called Lemar, which you cannot miss at the bottom of the village - 1 minute in the car or 5 minutes walk. They accept payment with a Visa card or cash (Turkish Lira OR Sterling!), which can be handy. Other supermarkets include Tempo and AK market in Kyrenia and you can buy most things there. They are open from about 8 am to 8 pm. On Wednesday there is a market in Kyrenia near the bus station. It's a good place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, and you can also get T shirts, shorts etc.

Money There are about 2,680,000 lira to the pound (as of November 2004) The actual rate, which is published daily in the newspapers, varies quite considerably because of inflation, so it is sensible to have no more than £50 - 100 in Turkish lira at any time. Almost everybody will accept Sterling, and indeed most of the restaurants publish their prices in Sterling or Euros. You can change sterling, dollars, or ordinary English cheques with a banker's card etc at the main banks or exchange bureaux in Kyrenia. Travellers' cheques are sometimes problematic to change. If you have a VISA card, you can use the cash machines in Kyrenia, which dispense Turkish Lira. There is a cash machine half way down the hill in the High Street in Kyrenia.

Telephone Most standard (but not pre-pay) mobile phones will work in Cyprus. Before you go, check with your mobile service provider that you have a roaming agreement that covers North Cyprus. With some mobile telephone companies, roaming agreements can take several weeks to set up, so it is worth sorting this out in advance. One thing worth remembering you get charged to receive calls in Northern Cyprus up to £1.40 per minute. If you want to call a number in Cyprus or make an international call, you can use your own mobile or one of the telephone cafes in Kyrenia.

General Information North Cyprus is one of the most attractive places in the Mediterranean, but because of its troubled history and political isolation, it has remained largely unaffected by mass tourism. It has a great deal to offer the visitor - there are ancient Roman ruins, Crusader castles, Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques. It has a wonderful climate, with long hot summers and relatively warm winters. The nearest main town, Kyrenia, is full of narrow cobbled streets leading down to the harbour, which is lined with a wide range of restaurants; it takes just a few minuets to drive.

Useful Telephone Numbers Police emergencies 155 Fire emergencies 199 Forest fire hotline 177 Ambulance emergencies 112 Hospital Girne 815 2266 British foreign mission 228 3862 Health care help line 815 4329 KTA Cyprus Turkish Airline 227 3820 Turkish Airlines 227 1382 Travel world International 815 2968 Gecitkle Airport 393 2058

Beaches The nearest good beach is Escape, although this is now a bit over-developed. Entry is about £2 person for the showers and sun beds. Its west of Kyrenia along the coast road. There is a large concrete monument close to the beach, so it is hard to miss. It has a small restaurant and bar. Along the same road is Deniz Kizi, attached to the hotel of the same name, which is in a pretty bay. Further along the coast you come to Mare Monte, which is well protected in windy weather. A little further on is Alsancak beach, also known as Camelot. This has a rather off-putting triumphal arch by the car park but the beach is clean and simple. As a rule, for beaches near Kyrenia, you have to buy a ticket, which costs about £1- £2 and this gets you sun beds and the use of showers. On beaches further a field where there are no services there are no charges. The best beach for a day trip is "Turtle Beach' - a long, open sandy beach about 10 miles east of Kyrenia and about half an hour's drive from the house. It is often almost deserted and has a small beach bar where you can rent umbrellas. It is a protected area, and at certain times of the year you can see turtles hatching and scrambling down to the sea. A memorable excursion is a trip to the Karpass peninsula or panhandle. The whole area is entirely untouched, and is a nature reserve populated by flocks of goats and wild donkeys. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to get to there, and it is a good idea to spend the night at the Blue Sea Hotel. This is a one star hotel with no mains electricity but is not without its own special charm. The main attraction, apart from the monastery, are the numerous little bays along the road and the massive expanse of sand at the end, which is certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. Simple food and a warm welcome can be had at Ali's Big Sand Café, which overlooks the beach.

Castles Kyrenia Castle is worth a visit, and can easily be fitted in during a visit to Kyrenia. It contains the shipwreck museum and some rather lurid waxworks depicting dark goings-on in the dungeons. St Hilarion is also attractive, and is easy to reach by car. Buffavento is very pretty, but is much more difficult to reach, as you have to climb up the mountain to get to it. Kantara is a long way and probably not worth the effort unless you are passing on the way to Famagusta. In all these castles, there are some sheer drops in unexpected places and the railings are not always adequate.

Monasteries There are two ruined monasteries along the road the other side of Five Finger Mountain (Besparmak). These could be visited in a single day, but it is probably better to see them on separate days. They are both set in a lovely mountain forest.

Walks St Hilarion; this is only likely to appeal to the most dedicated walker. It is well worth the effort though and the views are fantastic. When walking in the hills, it is advisable to wear suitable shoes as a precaution against snakes. Brown ones are poisonous but relatively rare; black ones are more common but are completely harmless.

Other Towns The ancient ruins of Salamis, which are near Famagusta, are interesting and the beaches nearby tend to be sandy and go on for miles. You should allow a full day if you are planning to go to Salamis. The old part of Nicosia has a number of lovely ancient buildings all in fairly close proximity. Recommendations include the Turkish baths, the mosque (which used to be a cathedral), the market and the 'Big Inn'.

Place Names Most places have an English and a Turkish name, which can be confusing. The most common ones are: Karmi - Karaman Kyrenia - Girne Nicosia - Lefkosa Famagusta - Maguza

Restaurants There are lots of restaurants in and around Kyrenia serving Turkish and international food. They are usually reasonably priced, and normally display a menu with prices in Sterling. In Kyrenia, the harbour is an attractive place to eat in. The Harbour Club (which is not a club) is one of the oldest restaurants. It has a slightly colonial feel, and I think it is worth visiting for the atmosphere rather than the food. The Brasserie is at the top of the steps near the Harbour Club. Again, it is a lovely building (the old Governor's residence), and has a simple international menu. More for adults than children. There is another restaurant just beside the steps in the middle of the harbour, which is an old converted carob warehouse. The restaurant, which is on the roof, has a lovely view of the harbour, but the food is fairly standard. Turkish food is a better bet than the European food. Almost any of the other restaurants on the harbour serve reasonable meals - some tend to be 'hamburger and chips' establishments, some offer more local food, but you can normally judge the quality by the number of people. For children or just for a quick meal, the chicken restaurant called Ezic in Kyrenia (on the main road, opposite Tempo supermarket) is excellent. They do take-away barbecued chickens as well and their deep-fried ice cream is extremely popular. The best restaurant, however, is generally reckoned to be the Address, which is in on the sea in Karaoglanoglu, at the bottom of the hill. It serves Turkish and English food and is immensely popular. The full kebab is excellent. Reservations are advised. Jashans in Edremit serves very good Indian and European food, either on the premises or as a take-away, and even does children's food. In Karmi, you can eat at the Levant or at Treasure, where the portions are huge. Hilarion village has a restaurant which is open to the public. Other places along the coast (going west) are Gulers, which is an authentic Cypriot restaurant (as opposed to Turkish). It is called 'Guler's Fish Restaurant' but serves meat as well. For a feel of an old Cyprus house, you can visit Planters, which serves European food.

Scuba Diving The waters around Cyprus are clear and warm and often a T-shirt and tank is all you need to go diving. There is an excellent scuba outfit attached to the Jasmine Court Hotel in Kyrenia. A dive with all equipment is about £20 and the instructor will take you where you want to go to. I would not recommend the aircraft cockpit however as the dive is quite dull apart from the cockpit. The visibility is usually excellent but there is a lack of fish probably due to over fishing.

Karting The Karting track in Nicosia is reputedly the third best track in the world. Last summer an evening out there (for almost 5 hours) for 4 adults and 3 children, which included 3 to 4 races each as well as some beers, coffee and snacks, came to less than £50. The adult karts are twin engine and go very fast. Children, who must be over 8, race on their own track and have single engine karts which move fast for them. All laps are computer timed, and after the races competitors get print-outs with everyone's lap times, highest speed etc. Check with them before you go that there is not a local race meeting on so that you can have the facility to yourself.