An island of myths and beach resorts — the birthplace of Aphrodite, Roman mosaics at Paphos, a divided capital with a UN Buffer Zone, and some of the Mediterranean's longest sunshine hours.
- Capital
- Nicosia
- Population
- 966,400
- Area
- 9,250 km²
- Languages
- Greek, Turkish
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- GDP
- $38,736M
Good to know
Driving side
Left
National dish
Fasolada
Annual visitors
4,117,000 (2019)
Safety
Very low (0.82/100k)
Avg temp
18.9°C
Religion
Christianity
Coast
Coastal
☎ Police 199 · Ambulance 199 · Fire 199
Travel guide
Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, Turkish: Kıbrıs) is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey. It is one of the world’s oldest civilisations, with a history of over 11,000 years. Cyprus offers lots of archaeological sites, hiking trails through cedar forests, kilometres and kilometres of gorgeous beaches, and 300 days of sun a year.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore Cyprus
Best time to visit
April–October is the beach season. May–June and September–October are ideal — warm without July–August's intensity. Ancient sites like Paphos are best visited spring or autumn. Troodos Mountains are pleasantly cool in summer.
Visa
Citizens of US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and most Western countries receive 90 days visa-free in Cyprus. Note: Northern Cyprus operates separately — crossing the Green Line is possible at designated points.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (3)
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