Cyprus has always been a relatively expensive destination. Except for some agricultural products, practically everything has to be imported. The cost of living in Cyprus is comparable to Central Europe, especially in the tourist centers. Price examples: National Beer cost €3 to €3.50 euros, a pack of cigarettes €4, a hamburger €5-€7, squids about €10, a steak around €20. Away from the tourist hotels and beaches the prices are much more moderate.

Cyprus uses the euro, like several other European countries. One euro is divided into 100 cents. The official symbol for the euro is €, and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for the cent.

All banknotes and coins of this common currency are legal tender within all the countries, except that low-denomination coins (one and two cent) are phased out in some of them. The banknotes look the same across countries, while coins have a standard common design on one side and a national country-specific design on the other. The latter side is also used for different designs of commemorative coins. The design on the national side does not affect the use of the coin.

Northern Cyprus uses Turkish lira (TRY). Euros are generally also accepted in the tourist centres, but at the unfavourable rate of €1 buying 2 TRY rather than ~2.4 TRY. There are many ATMs in the North too.

BY BUS:

There is a comprehensive network of bus routes that cover all Cyprus. Use Cyprus By Bus to plan your journey using buses in Cyprus.

Buses by City:

• Lefkosia
  
• Limassol
  
• Pafos
  
• Larnaka
  
• Ammochostos
  
• Intercity Buses

Larnaca Airport Shuttle services:

• Larnaca airport to Nicosia
  
• Larnaca airport to Limassol

Paphos Airport Shuttle services:

• Paphos airport to Nicosia
  
• Paphos airport to Limassol

On the Turkish side, buses are more frequent (and smaller). In Nicosia, they depart from stops at the street north of the northern gate. Prices are similar to prices on the Greek side of Cyprus. Beware that return tickets may not be valid on all buses on the Turkish side.

BY SHARED TAXI:

Services run every half-hour or so from 6 or 7AM, but terminate at 5 or 6PM on the dot. You can book a taxi to pick you up anywhere and ask to be dropped off anywhere in city limits; the flip side is that it will often take you longer to get in or out of the city than the journey itself! Figure on £4-6 for a taxi ride on any of these, with an increased price on Sundays and holidays. Also known as a service taxi.

BY CAR:

Car hire is the easiest (but the most expensive) way to get around the island. Companies will typically not rent cars for fewer than three days, although some international vendors (Budget) will offer one or two day service for a high fee. Renting in advance can be beneficial as walk-in options are obviously limited to available cars. Cypriots drive on the left side of the road, in keeping with British and British Commonwealth practice. However, driving standards are poor. Drivers attack their art with an equal mix of aggressiveness and incompetence and view road rules as mere guidelines. Some main roads do not even have road markings and people often sound their horn, especially in Nicosia. Take care when crossing the roads, and even greater care when driving on them. Highways are generally of excellent condition and quite traversable, but other roads vary greatly in quality. As with surrounding countries, rental cars frequently use diesel fuel and manual transmission rentals are cheaper than automatic transmission, although not typically only by a few euro.

EAT:

• Cypriot meze (appetizers akin to Spanish tapas) are an art form, and some restaurant serve nothing but. Meze are available in a meat variety or fish variety but quite often come as a mixed batch, which is rather pleasing.
  
• Kleftiko roasted lamb with flavours of herbs and lemon.
  
• Halloumi (Hellim) is a uniquely Cypriot cheese, made from a mix of cow’s and sheep’s milk. Hard and salty when raw, it mellows and softens when cooked and is hence often served grilled.
  
• Taramosalata is traditionally made out of taramas, the salted roe of the cod or carp. The roe is either mixed with bread crumbs or mashed potatoes. Parsley, onion, lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar are added and it is seasoned with salt and pepper.
  
• Tahini
  
• Shoushoukos is a traditional sweet made out of grape juice. A series of almonds are thread with a needle and they are then dipped into the grape juice several times until it becomes quite thick.
  
• Palouzes/Kiofterka are both traditional sweets made out of grape juice.

Palouzes is a pudding made with grape juice, flour and different flavorings. Kiofterka are made from any leftover pudding. They cut it into pieces, put them to dehydrate and the final result is a hard but chewy thing.

THINGS TO BUY:

• Cypriot wine – the iconic local variety known as Commandaria is strong, sweet and somewhat akin to Porto wine
  
• Lacework of an intricate nature – from the village of Lefkara.
  
• Zivania – a strong spirit based alcoholic drink
  
• Filfar – the traditional Cyprus orange liqueur
  
• Leather goods such as shoes and handbags
  
• Jewellery