Visiting Cyprus is a little like ordering mezes, or appetizers, at one of the island's cafes. With mezes, you get several small, tasty servings of the island's traditional foods. And with a visit to Cyprus, you get a tantalizing taste of what both Greece and Turkey have to offer: sunny Mediterranean beaches, charming villages, ruins of ancient civilizations and distinctive local cultures.
You also get a taste of the divisions between the two countries. The island of Cyprus remains divided by a bitter territorial dispute between its ethnic Greeks and its ethnic Turks, encouraged by their respective ancestral states. If you spend some time getting to know Cypriots, it won't be long before you learn of the injustices they or their families have suffered as a result of the conflicts between the two communities. Although there have been no open hostilities for more than two decades, the division of Cyprus continues to be a pressing issue that the United Nations is trying very hard to resolve, particularly now that Greek Cyprus is a member of the European Union—something which Turkey wants very much for itself.
While tensions between the two groups ebb and flow, visitors receive only the warmest of welcomes from both sides. Chances are, when you sit down at a table in a neighborhood taverna, you'll be joined by the establishment's owner. We've found time and again that philoxenia—friendship toward a guest—is the rule everywhere on the island.
Location
Both Larnaca and Limassol are cruise ship calls in Cyprus, although Limassol receives more vessels. There are passenger facilities at both ports, also used by ferries taking people to the Middle East. Both terminals have duty free shops, banking facilities, pay phones and tourist information.
Cyprus is keen to develop as a bigger cruise hub in the Mediterranean and is enjoying increasing success. More cruise lines are now venturing through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea and the Gulf, both areas that were not considered viable for cruising following the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on 11 September, 2001, but are once again attracting interest.
Shore Excursions
Typical shore excursions include day trips to Nicosia, the capital; visits to wine-growing villages in the mountains, such as Omodhos; day trips to Paphos to see the Tombs of the Kings and the Roman mosaics; tours of the Limassol area, visiting the Old Town, Kolossi Castle, the Curium amphitheatre and the shops; and soft adventure trips to the Akamas Peninsula, north of Paphos, for Jeep safaris and gentle hiking. Cruise lines also offer excursions into the Troodos Mountains, with lunch in a mountain restaurant.
Shore excursions do not cross the Green Line into the Turkish-occupied north.
