GENERAL INFORMATION
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is one of the few unspoilt, relatively un-commercial areas left in the Mediterranean. Its natural beauty will leave you breathless, whether it is the range of mountains running parallel to the coast or the wild flowers that grow at their best in Spring. Crusader castles perch on three of the Kyrenia mountain peaks and offer views reaching far across the land and sea on a clear day. The people are friendly and accommodating, albeit slow to deliver due to the un-commerciality of the North – which makes for a very relaxing holiday!
Travelling east from Kyrenia there are very few towns and loads of beautiful coastline as above.
The building of villas and hotels is starting to take place but luckily the government has ruled that no buildings can be higher than three storeys.
LANGUAGE
The main language is Turkish, but as the island was a British Colony until the sixties, many people speak English.
MAIN TOWNS
There are three main towns on the island: Nicosia (Lefkosa) the capital city which is in the centre of the island and through which the border from North to South goes, Famagusta (Magusa) and Kyrenia (Girne). The whole of the Kyrenia area hosts many hotels and restaurants and has recently been given European Union funding in order to modernise the city’s infrastructure, etc. It has a beautiful old harbour with its own castle. At night the whole area comes alive with restaurants, bars and street sellers selling traditional Turkish Cypriot wares.
 Buyuk Han in Nicosia (Lefkosa)
FOOD
When dining out, you can obtain a variety of dishes. Lamb shish kebab (cubes of barbequed lamb) is very popular, but chicken, fish, salads, rices and ‘firin kebab’ (lamb cooked in the oven with potatoes, onions and tomatoes) are all popular too. There is also, pizza, Chinese and French restaurants galore. At the moment there is only one Burger Restaurant in the area!!
CURRENCY
The currency is the Yeni (new) Turkish Lira. The exchange rate is approximately YTL 2.6 = £1.00. DRIVING Being an ex British Colony, driving is on the left as in England and cars are mostly right hand drive.
BEACHES AND SWIMMING
Swimming is excellent, either from maintained hotel beaches, where a minimal charge is made for use of sun-beds and umbrellas, or from deserted beaches further a field in clear waters rarely seen in the Mediterranean.
FLIGHTS
Due to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus not being independently recognised, flights go via Turkey and take approximately 5-6 hours. The main airport is Ercan. All flights stop in Turkey to refuel, but you don’t have to leave the aircraft. There is only one main airline serving the North at the moment, this is Cyprus Turkish Airlines. Flights cost approximately £275-£370 depending on time of year. There are two main travel agents that deal with Northern Cyprus : Green Island Holidays (020 7637 7338) and Anatolian Sky (0121 764 3550).
CAR HIRE
There are many car hire companies on the island but care must be taken to utilise reputable companies – If you book with us we will put you in contact with an excellent car hire company who will pick you up from the airport and take you to the villa with the car. (NB : If you want to fly to Larnaca which is in the South of Cyprus, our car hire company will do collections and returns from there also).
Because of Cyprus being a British Colony for so many years, all cars drive on the left as in the UK.
WEATHER
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Temp °C 16 17 19 22 26 30 33 33 31 27 23 18
Rainy Days 13 10 7 4 2 0 0 0 1 3 7 11
ELECTRICITY
Voltage/Current - 240v - Electricity supply, to include all devices is compatible with UK fittings.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
There are many beautiful historical places to visit in Northern Cyprus. One spectacular attraction is Bellapais Abbey which was built in the 13th Century :
Cyprus is also renowned for its turtle sanctuary and you can visit the site in August and see the baby turtles being released into the waters of the Mediterranean. Just head east of Kyrenia and look for the Alagadi Turtle Project for more information.
SHOPPING
There are many supermarkets now, just like our own that stock a whole host of products, including English brands such as Heinz!
There are a variety of clothes and shoe shops (although not excellent quality).
There is a market every Wednesday morning in the outskirts of Kyrenia where you can buy fresh fruit, vegetables, cakes, bread olives, clothes, bags, etc. Just head West towards Alsancak and Lapta and turn left at the fountain roundabout in Kyrenia, then sharp left again.
In Lefkosa, there are more shops and an indoor market which sells everything from music to Turkish Delight.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The telephone system is not brilliant as the increasing popularity of the north has meant that the population of both transient and non transient people has grown rapidly in the past five years, but the infrastructure has yet to catch up. The best time to ring home is in the morning.
TELEVISION
There are many different Turkish channels – many playing music and some that show English films with Turkish sub-titles. However, satellite systems enable BRT and BBC Choice which have English programmes too.
INTERNET
We do have an broadband line into the villa, but you need to take your own laptop to utilise this. The internet company we use is SunnyCyprus.net and so you need to contact them and pay £40 for them to turn the broadband on.
WEBSITES
For further information about the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus :
http://www.cypnet.com/.ncyprus/root.html
http://www.trncgov.com/
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