What is the largest attraction to CYPRUS? What is the main purpose for people visiting Cyprus? (best, country)
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What is the largest attraction to CYPRUS? What is the main purpose for people visiting Cyprus?
To me, and I wonder if this is the norm, but is is interesting that both Greeks and Turkish are on the same Island, so there must be something interesting about that...and the fact it seems so far removed from Europe, but still uses the Euro, and a part of the European Union is interesting as well.
But, what interests you personally, and what do you think would interest most people? Are the beaches a draw? Is it the archaeology a draw?
Are the cities at all interesting? I've never heard of anyone going to Cyprus and talk about any of the towns or the cities. Is it because I just don't know that much about them with Cyprus, or they just aren't a draw/attraction at all?
What is the largest attraction to CYPRUS? What is the main purpose for people visiting Cyprus?
To me, and I wonder if this is the norm, but is is interesting that both Greeks and Turkish are on the same Island, so there must be something interesting about that...and the fact it seems so far removed from Europe, but still uses the Euro, and a part of the European Union is interesting as well.
But, what interests you personally, and what do you think would interest most people? Are the beaches a draw? Is it the archaeology a draw?
Are the cities at all interesting? I've never heard of anyone going to Cyprus and talk about any of the towns or the cities. Is it because I just don't know that much about them with Cyprus, or they just aren't a draw/attraction at all?
Your thoughts?
I lived there for three years, from mid-2001 to about 2005, in the Paphos area and on the west coast near Polis Chrysochou outside the village of Argaka.
From what I saw living there and later traveling back and forth was that the island did a huge trade in bargain bin tourism. Most of the accommodations in Paphos and Limassol in those years were rather second and third rate. After selling the home I built on one trip back I stayed in a well-known hotel in Paphos and was surprised at how worn out the furnishings were and the assembly line nature of their dining room. However, since I left I know that there were several top-notch hotels built to supplement the existing few. This may mean that the island began to attract better heeled visitors.
Most of the tourists were Brits back then - young people and young working class families. But there were Belgians, Dutch and Germans, as well; however, tourism back then was geared to Brits. Russians seemed to be just moving in - had several Russians look at my house, and I believe they are now there in larger numbers.
I thought most of the beaches in the western part of the island, where I lived were nothing to write home about at all. The best beaches are probably those in the west around Agia Napa/Larnaka. Those in the Turkish north, I was told, are the best, but I have no direct knowledge to support that.
The island has interesting ancient ruins, and back when I lived there most were not packed with tourists...the worship of Aphrodite may have started on the island, and it was considered to have been her birthplace. There are also very old monasteries which you may visit. There is an old mosque near Larnaka where a female relative of the Prophet is buried. Most people went to beach and booze it seemed, and when I lived there the towns had bar strips to cater to the drink-til- you-puke crowd. Lots of cheap eating places, but they were good.
Both Paphos and Lemassol were largely unattractive small cities with nothing to recommend them. But, I must say that I got used to Paphos after awhile and enjoyed the sprawl of it and the sometimes idiotic traffic that didn't need to be that way. But then as a young man I lived in a flea-bag hole for down-and-out pensioners and eventually found it dealable, so perhaps my affection for Paphos is a dubious recommendation.
The Greek Cypriots are very friendly people, so service was usually pleasant. And it was easy to strike up conversations with Greek Cypriots. Almost all Greek Cypriots speak English, and it was possible to live comfortably with no knowledge of the Greek language. I did find (back then) that when I moved to the west coast that there were even young people who did not speak English, and signs were not always bilingual. I studied Greek for awhile just to be able to be courteous when in small towns.
When I lived there there was only one crossing point between Turkish Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot south, and that was in Nicosia (Lefkosia). Now there are more and visiting between the two countries is relatively easy, I understand.
The Cypriot Orthodox Church has been self-governing since the Byzantine era, thanks to a dispensation from one of the emperors. When I was there it was the richest single private industry in the country as it owned the facilities for bottling beer and soft drinks, and it owned much valuable real estate too. It's influence was a major force in the politics of the Greek part of Cyprus. Its own internal church politics were a shoddy scandal when I lived there, worthy of the worst depths of the Middle Ages. I did once shout FU to the Bishop of Paphos when a Land Rover with all its windows open in the horrible heat tried to cut me off in a bad traffic jam in Paphos. The incumbent bishop of that time was an evil Machiavellian swine, but I would have at least shouted "FU, Your Grace," had I seen it was him, but unfortunately I noticed the driver before I saw that a regal passenger and his court attendants were passengers. I received extremely frigid stares, but as many of the clergy regard all foreigners as "Latins," and, thus, garbage on two legs, it was probably no worse than they would have expected.
Secular politics at that time reveled in cutting the nose off to spite the face, and then whining about the pain and humiliation of it all. The government bureaucracy was a sinecure for people who could otherwise have inflated the already large unemployment rolls. Mossad, the Israeli CIA operated freely on the Greek part of the island.
The banks were famous for their corruption, and have now collapsed.
I have been told often that before the Greek Cypriot coup that provoked the Turkish invasion of the island that the northern part of the island had the better beaches, some very lovely towns and interesting Christian sites. However, international shunning of the Turkish north drove the economy into the ground, and like Cuba it physically crumbled into ruins and stagnation. With the ability to travel between the two portions of the island now, perhaps this has changed. Kyrenia in the north was considered the best place to stay in Cyprus at one time.
Unless the place has changed dramatically in the decade since I left, I quite honestly would recommend that anyone look to Croatia or some of the lesser touristed Greek islands in preference to Cyprus.
Thanks kevxu for the writeup, let me chime in for another view.
I visited Cyprus last year for an academic conference. I was in Larnaka for 3 days and then I hit the road for 4 days. I crossed to the northern part twice, and the north/south differences are striking, especially in Nicosia (Famagusta is also very run down). Overall I loved my time in Cyprus.
The area around Paphos is indeed full of British tourists, I guess you can thank Ryanair for that. The archeological ruins and the nearby caves (tombs of the kings) are interesting but nothing compared to Greece. But the coast between Paphos and Limassol is very pretty, and in contrast with kevxu I found Limassol very charming. The southeastern coast (Ayia Napa) looks alright but the built area is nothing special.
But the true gem in Cyprus is the Troodos mountains. That area is road after road of scenic views with vineyards, orchards, monasteries, canyons.... amazing stuff. I ended up spending the better part of two days there. The village of Lofou may be the prettiest I have ever seen and the road to get there is just grand.
I also liked Nicosia (the old town anyway). Dirt cheap, good food, nice old town. The comparison may be dubious because the architecture is completely different but it felt like Tallinn without the tourists.
I lived there for three years, from mid-2001 to about 2005, in the Paphos area and on the west coast near Polis Chrysochou outside the village of Argaka.
From what I saw living there and later traveling back and forth was that the island did a huge trade in bargain bin tourism. Most of the accommodations in Paphos and Limassol in those years were rather second and third rate. After selling the home I built on one trip back I stayed in a well-known hotel in Paphos and was surprised at how worn out the furnishings were and the assembly line nature of their dining room. However, since I left I know that there were several top-notch hotels built to supplement the existing few. This may mean that the island began to attract better heeled visitors.
Most of the tourists were Brits back then - young people and young working class families. But there were Belgians, Dutch and Germans, as well; however, tourism back then was geared to Brits. Russians seemed to be just moving in - had several Russians look at my house, and I believe they are now there in larger numbers.
I thought most of the beaches in the western part of the island, where I lived were nothing to write home about at all. The best beaches are probably those in the west around Agia Napa/Larnaka. Those in the Turkish north, I was told, are the best, but I have no direct knowledge to support that.
The island has interesting ancient ruins, and back when I lived there most were not packed with tourists...the worship of Aphrodite may have started on the island, and it was considered to have been her birthplace. There are also very old monasteries which you may visit. There is an old mosque near Larnaka where a female relative of the Prophet is buried. Most people went to beach and booze it seemed, and when I lived there the towns had bar strips to cater to the drink-til- you-puke crowd. Lots of cheap eating places, but they were good.
Both Paphos and Lemassol were largely unattractive small cities with nothing to recommend them. But, I must say that I got used to Paphos after awhile and enjoyed the sprawl of it and the sometimes idiotic traffic that didn't need to be that way. But then as a young man I lived in a flea-bag hole for down-and-out pensioners and eventually found it dealable, so perhaps my affection for Paphos is a dubious recommendation.
The Greek Cypriots are very friendly people, so service was usually pleasant. And it was easy to strike up conversations with Greek Cypriots. Almost all Greek Cypriots speak English, and it was possible to live comfortably with no knowledge of the Greek language. I did find (back then) that when I moved to the west coast that there were even young people who did not speak English, and signs were not always bilingual. I studied Greek for awhile just to be able to be courteous when in small towns.
When I lived there there was only one crossing point between Turkish Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot south, and that was in Nicosia (Lefkosia). Now there are more and visiting between the two countries is relatively easy, I understand.
The Cypriot Orthodox Church has been self-governing since the Byzantine era, thanks to a dispensation from one of the emperors. When I was there it was the richest single private industry in the country as it owned the facilities for bottling beer and soft drinks, and it owned much valuable real estate too. It's influence was a major force in the politics of the Greek part of Cyprus. Its own internal church politics were a shoddy scandal when I lived there, worthy of the worst depths of the Middle Ages. I did once shout FU to the Bishop of Paphos when a Land Rover with all its windows open in the horrible heat tried to cut me off in a bad traffic jam in Paphos. The incumbent bishop of that time was an evil Machiavellian swine, but I would have at least shouted "FU, Your Grace," had I seen it was him, but unfortunately I noticed the driver before I saw that a regal passenger and his court attendants were passengers. I received extremely frigid stares, but as many of the clergy regard all foreigners as "Latins," and, thus, garbage on two legs, it was probably no worse than they would have expected.
Secular politics at that time reveled in cutting the nose off to spite the face, and then whining about the pain and humiliation of it all. The government bureaucracy was a sinecure for people who could otherwise have inflated the already large unemployment rolls. Mossad, the Israeli CIA operated freely on the Greek part of the island.
The banks were famous for their corruption, and have now collapsed.
I have been told often that before the Greek Cypriot coup that provoked the Turkish invasion of the island that the northern part of the island had the better beaches, some very lovely towns and interesting Christian sites. However, international shunning of the Turkish north drove the economy into the ground, and like Cuba it physically crumbled into ruins and stagnation. With the ability to travel between the two portions of the island now, perhaps this has changed. Kyrenia in the north was considered the best place to stay in Cyprus at one time.
Unless the place has changed dramatically in the decade since I left, I quite honestly would recommend that anyone look to Croatia or some of the lesser touristed Greek islands in preference to Cyprus.
FANTASTIC WRITE-UP!! I'm just going to follow-up with general comments, but all is quite interesting.
1) TOURISTS: Tons of British tourists, i.e. the drink-and-puke type of places - I can easily imagine that type of place, as it seems Europe has many such places. Interesting that I am reading about the large number of Russian tourists now. I'd imagine that they'd fit right into that exact scene as well. Been curious if the Russian ones are a bit dodgy/sketchy with a bit of money laundering involvement going on with Cyprus? I've heard that exists with Russians, but I wonder how obvious it is, when dealing with, drinking around, establishments with a lot of Russian patrons. Interesting nonetheless.
2) ENGLISH-ABILITIES: I've heard that the English is Cyprus is MUCH better than the English in Greece? I guess that might have to be answered by someone who knows Greece well, as well.
3) CITIES & BEACHES: Interesting as you mentioned that neither the cities or beaches were really worth writing home about, or something to that effect. Which is interesting, as I keep wondering what is the draw to Cyprus? What was your draw initially?
Thanks kevxu for the writeup, let me chime in for another view.
I visited Cyprus last year for an academic conference. I was in Larnaka for 3 days and then I hit the road for 4 days. I crossed to the northern part twice, and the north/south differences are striking, especially in Nicosia (Famagusta is also very run down). Overall I loved my time in Cyprus.
The area around Paphos is indeed full of British tourists, I guess you can thank Ryanair for that. The archeological ruins and the nearby caves (tombs of the kings) are interesting but nothing compared to Greece. But the coast between Paphos and Limassol is very pretty, and in contrast with kevxu I found Limassol very charming. The southeastern coast (Ayia Napa) looks alright but the built area is nothing special.
But the true gem in Cyprus is the Troodos mountains. That area is road after road of scenic views with vineyards, orchards, monasteries, canyons.... amazing stuff. I ended up spending the better part of two days there. The village of Lofou may be the prettiest I have ever seen and the road to get there is just grand.
I also liked Nicosia (the old town anyway). Dirt cheap, good food, nice old town. The comparison may be dubious because the architecture is completely different but it felt like Tallinn without the tourists.
This taps into two cities I was thinking of, LIMASSOL and NICOSIA.
NICOSIA: Tallinn without the tourists? You mean, just the 'Old Town' of Tallinn? I visited Tallinn about two years ago, and I found the Old Town to be quite interesting, but quite small, and didn't capture my attention for more than a day or two. The moment I stepped out of the Old Town though, Tallinn had a very bleak uninteresting feel, for the most part. Particularly the area immediately adjacent to the Old Town.
So would Nicosia be more like a larger 'Old Town Tallinn'? Or about the same size?
I imagine both Limassol and Nicosia must feel quite small? Which makes me wonder, is there a 'Sarajevo' type feel? That popped in my head, as there is that East/West thing going on with Sarajevo, and it occurred to me that Nicosia could have that 'feel' to it perhaps?
Nicosia....does it feel very Greek? Like a Crete city? Or completely different?
FANTASTIC WRITE-UP!! I'm just going to follow-up with general comments, but all is quite interesting.
1) TOURISTS: Tons of British tourists, i.e. the drink-and-puke type of places - I can easily imagine that type of place, as it seems Europe has many such places. Interesting that I am reading about the large number of Russian tourists now. I'd imagine that they'd fit right into that exact scene as well. Been curious if the Russian ones are a bit dodgy/sketchy with a bit of money laundering involvement going on with Cyprus? I've heard that exists with Russians, but I wonder how obvious it is, when dealing with, drinking around, establishments with a lot of Russian patrons. Interesting nonetheless.
2) ENGLISH-ABILITIES: I've heard that the English is Cyprus is MUCH better than the English in Greece? I guess that might have to be answered by someone who knows Greece well, as well.
3) CITIES & BEACHES: Interesting as you mentioned that neither the cities or beaches were really worth writing home about, or something to that effect. Which is interesting, as I keep wondering what is the draw to Cyprus? What was your draw initially?
In Memory of the nearly 400 British Soldiers killed in Cyprus by Terrorists in the 1950's, many of them conscripts.
As for the drink culture, the Cypriots can close the bars and stop the heavy boozing by youngsters from Britain and elsewhere if they choose, no one is forcing them to have places full of bars like Ayia Napa. Then again they make so much money out of thsse places to try and change would be like suggesting to Las Vegas that it should cut down on the gambling.
....But the true gem in Cyprus is the Troodos mountains. That area is road after road of scenic views with vineyards, orchards, monasteries, canyons.... amazing stuff. I ended up spending the better part of two days there. The village of Lofou may be the prettiest I have ever seen and the road to get there is just grand.
I also liked Nicosia (the old town anyway). Dirt cheap, good food, nice old town. The comparison may be dubious because the architecture is completely different but it felt like Tallinn without the tourists.
Good points....the Troodos Mts., yes. A really wonderful contrast to much of the rest of the country.
I did not go to the old town of Nicosia more than three times perhaps - at least to actually walk around there as a tourist. I was disappointed - the better part seems to be across the border in Turkish Nicosia, and each time I encountered crowds of Greek teenagers hanging out, some of whom when finished drinking a soda would just toss the cans over their shoulder onto the pavement. Hadn't seen that nasty habit elsewhere in Cyprus though.
I would hope and expect that things would have improved in the ten years since I left.
This taps into two cities I was thinking of, LIMASSOL and NICOSIA.
NICOSIA: Tallinn without the tourists? You mean, just the 'Old Town' of Tallinn? I visited Tallinn about two years ago, and I found the Old Town to be quite interesting, but quite small, and didn't capture my attention for more than a day or two. The moment I stepped out of the Old Town though, Tallinn had a very bleak uninteresting feel, for the most part. Particularly the area immediately adjacent to the Old Town.
So would Nicosia be more like a larger 'Old Town Tallinn'? Or about the same size?
I imagine both Limassol and Nicosia must feel quite small? Which makes me wonder, is there a 'Sarajevo' type feel? That popped in my head, as there is that East/West thing going on with Sarajevo, and it occurred to me that Nicosia could have that 'feel' to it perhaps?
Nicosia....does it feel very Greek? Like a Crete city? Or completely different?
Just curious.
I hadn't thought about the old town vs. surroundings dichotomy for Tallinn but it is indeed a bit similar in terms of contrast (although the Soviet suburb Lasnamae was quite a sight). What I meant is that Old Town Tallinn, while pretty, felt a bit Disney-fied, not unlike my hometown Quebec City, while Nicosia within the walls still semed like an actual working city and not just tourist/cruise ship central. In that sense the coast's loss is Nicosia's gain I guess.
I have not been to Sarajevo so I cannot comment on the similarities. However the Greek/Turkish separation line is still very real and official, so the feel of the city is not going to change just because you took some random left turn. If anything Nicosia's east/west contrasts were likely much stronger before 1974. I only toured the Turkish part for a couple of hours but I found it rather depressing -- the lack of financial resources to maintain what could be very good looking houses was obvious. Maybe there is still that element in some of Sarajevo's neighborhoods?
As for your last question -- Nicosia, and all of (southern) Cyprus, feel 100% Greek now.
Good points....the Troodos Mts., yes. A really wonderful contrast to much of the rest of the country.
I did not go to the old town of Nicosia more than three times perhaps - at least to actually walk around there as a tourist. I was disappointed - the better part seems to be across the border in Turkish Nicosia, and each time I encountered crowds of Greek teenagers hanging out, some of whom when finished drinking a soda would just toss the cans over their shoulder onto the pavement. Hadn't seen that nasty habit elsewhere in Cyprus though.
I would hope and expect that things would have improved in the ten years since I left.
I did not see that but then again I only spent one night in Nicosia, during last year's European basketball tournament or something. I had amazing kleftiko in a restaurant that did not seem like a tourist trap.
....As for the drink culture, the Cypriots can close the bars and stop the heavy boozing by youngsters from Britain and elsewhere if they choose, no one is forcing them to have places full of bars like Ayia Napa. Then again they make so much money out of thsse places to try and change would be like suggesting to Las Vegas that it should cut down on the gambling.
I was speaking in particular of Lower Paphos a decade ago. Whether it has changed significantly or not I do not know. But I didn't make any suggestion that the booze strips should be closed.
My point was - and is, as I live today in a town that draws the same crowd - that when this is a significant part of the tourist scene, it is another indicator that the tourist draw is on the lower end of the scale. And if you looking for the middle, much less the high end of tourism it's in short supply, and you best look elsewhere.
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