Ayia Napa information

Bear in mind that  April to May, or September to October is the best time to visit Agia Napa. It gets very hot in July and August, so go well prepared and come back home with a tan that will  make your friends go green with envy.

Transfer

While at Agia Napa  you will be amazed by the excellent  bus service  which connects all  the towns and villages  with very sensible prices. More than seven buses a day run between Agia Napa and Larnaca from 7:15 to 16:30 and Larnaca to Ayia Napa from 9:30 to 18:00 making all your transports very easy and saving you both time and money . Efficient taxi services operate in Ayia Napa and Paralimni and it should be remembered that it is possible to book a seat on a shuttle service taxi to and from all towns making your   holidays carefree and as comfortable as they can possibly be.

Food and drink

 An   exciting experience is waiting for you  while at Agia Napa, where   the food has strong colours and   fresh ingredients as well as  an unforgettable taste  . The food has a lot in common with the Greek kitchen but is also inspired from the Turkish kitchen which makes the Cypriot kitchen an amazing  mix of the  most popular cuisines around the globe. Don’t hesitate to try  the Cypriot Meze   that can be either  fish, meat or a mixed Meze, depending on the type of restaurant and taking into consideration  all your personal preferences. Don’t hesitate to try the most delicious Cupriot food including  feta  cheese  that is Goat or Cheep’s Cheese,Afelia is  Pork cooked in wine providing you with a fantastic mix of unforgettable taste ,the most popular :Rice soup with egg and Lemon Cypriot Speciality that will make you love Cypriot food once and for all made from Goat's Milk .Also try Houmus which is a dip sauce with Chickpeas and Garlic, as well as  Melintzanosalata a dip sauce with Aubergin and Garlic offered mostly as starters ,  but also keftedes which are Greek Meatballs with Oregan. Also try Tachini   a Dip sauce of Sesame seeds and kleftiko which is lamb meat cooked in owen, Tsatsiki Souvlaki:Barbequed Pork meat. Yogurt dip with Garlic, Moussaka  which is Meat gratain with Aubergine, Potatoes, Bechamel and Cheese.

Wines

Cyprus is very famous for a type of Port wine with the Name Commandaria. This wine is one of the oldest known wines in the World. According to the legend the wind God Dionysos who teached the man to make wine (now we know that this technique came from the east).

Today’s wine’s in Cyprus is not very famous but are growing slowly. Of course we recommend that You try some wines, and here are some examples: For  the amateurs of Dry white Wines  try  Arsinoe, Aphrodite and  White Lady. For the amateurs of Semi dry White  try  Ballapais and  Thisbeand for those of you who love Red wines  the best are  Afames, Keo Claret, Ino, Othello at your disposal in most restaurants and bars.

Language

The majority of Cypriots speak Greek, and a small percentage speaks Turkish. The Greek Cypriot dialect differs from mainland Greece. English, German and French are spoken in tourist areas so you won’t have any difficulties  communicating .

Newspaper and magazine

Agia Napa has a very reliable system and you will be able to find English newspapers on sale usually one day after issue. Therefore there is one weekly newspaper published locally in English for travellers. Many other European papers are also available at your disposal providing you with the chance to keep track of the latest news .

Radio and television

A wide variety of  radio programmes including two by the British Forces Network at your disposal will provide with all the necessary knowledge will outside the UK. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation has three radio channels and one television channel which broadcast a wide selection of programmes in English offering you  a variety of choices once you choose to stay in and spend a night watching t.v..

A Second Radio Channel broadcasts in English on 603 KHz on the medium wave band. There are three news broadcasts daily at 10:00 AM,2:00 p.m. and at 8:00 pm.Round and About,a daily radio magazine programme includes interviews and short talks on Cyprus with music Monday-Saturday at 1:30 p.m. .Additionally , British Forces Broadcasting Services transmit 24 hours a day on 2 channels.Its frequencies for the Ayia Napa area are:1044 KH2(MW)and 98.6(VHF)channel 1,and 95.3 MH2(VHF)channel2.

Car hire service

While driving in Cuprus bear in mind that traffic moves on the left hand side of the road  and that International road traffic signs are in use and are placed along the roads and highways on the left-hand side. Especially while on Ayia Napa bear in mind that according to law  the  use of seat-belts for front seat passengers is compulsory . Also  you must be aware that  children under  the age of 5 must not sit in the front passenger seat. For your own benefit  you are advised to keep away from the centres of towns during rush hours ie between 7:30-8:00, 13:00-13:30 and 17:00-18:00 (in winter), 18:00-19:00 (in Summer). International driving licenses are valid and visitors may also use their national driving license from the class of vihicle they wish to drive. Mo-peds and bicicles are also available for hire.

Nature

In the Cape Greco area in Ayia Napa, as in most areas around Cyprus, a strong thermocline is formed in the summer at a depth of 20-30 meters. The temperature just below the thermo cline is about 18C°. The presence of this thermocline has significant effects on the vertical distribution of marine life.

The richest areas in terms of quality and variety of life are below the depth of the thermocline during the summer. An undersea paradise is offered to the  underwater visitor  as the bottom fauna in the shallow waters of Cape Greco may initially seem somewhat disappointing but one quickly discovers the many hidden sea creatures which are indigenous to the area. Without a doubt the most interesting terrain is that of the deep water outcrops starting at Cape Pyla and ending north of Cape Greco.

The delicate lilac incrustations of Lithothamnia contrast sharply with huge dark sponges.  Everywhere you look you will find bright sponges , Axinellas (finger sponges) in all shapes and sizes defy gravity that will capture your sight. Equally interesting are the natural surroundings of the Ayia Napa area and especially its flora. The flora of this area is of great interest not only for the amateur obsever but for the scientist as well.

Ayia Napa landscape is  the area where you will find a variety of  the botanical elements of the neighbouring, Asian, European and African continents that will take your breath away!.

Visa and passport

No visa requirements are compulsory when entering the country although the existence of your passport is necessary in order to travel to Cuprus.

Currency

The majority of  the most popular  banks worldwide  are represented in Agia Napa. Banking hours from 8:30 to 12:00am with special afternoon facilities for tourists from 15:30 to 17:30  will make your transactions even easier  and will eventually not give you a headache!

The Cyprus pound (£) which is divided into 100 cents is legal unit of currency. Travellers cheques can be cashed at any bank while in the North of Cyprus the Turkish lira is widely used.

Water to drink

Internet cafes are available in the main towns and resorts   so you won’t have any problems making all your online transactions and communications.

Communications

The international access code for Cyprus is +357. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom Mobile phone operators use GSM networks and have roaming agreements with most international operators. Therefore   you will find   public phones in  the majority of  towns and villages and can be used for domestic and international calls

Town Dialing codes

Ayia Napa                       03

Paralimni-Protaras              03

Nicosia                         02

Larnaca                         04

Paphos                          06

Limessol                        05

Emergency Services

Fire,ambulance,Police          199

Ayia Napa police station    721553

Paralimni police station    321417

General Hospitals

Paralimni                   821211  

Larnaca                     630300   

Nicosia                     451111

Limassol                    330333

Paphos                      240111

Larnaca Airport

Information Office          654389

Cyprus Airways              623036

Police Immigration          630218

Health Service              630319

Cuprus Tourism Organisation Bureau

Ayia Napa                   721796     

Larnaca Airport             654389

Larnaca Republic Square     654322

Central Offices,Nicosia     443374

Cyptus Broadcasting Corporation

(CYBC)

General Tel.                422231   

News Room                   497904   

Pharmacies

For all-night pharmacies ring up 192 for information.

Ayia Napa Development Board 721179   

                            721904

Paralimni Municipality      821323