I must admit that until I bought a ticket to Northern Cyprus, I was not at all curious about the island.. There wasn’t much to do in Cyprus – that I know of – except swimming in the sea and going to the casino.. (Forgive my ignorance.) I am the one who never turns down a travel offer. Uğur said, “Let’s go to Cyprus, let’s go to Cyprus.” I was astounded that he. Finally, unable to resist their insistence, we bought our tickets to Cyprus.. Of course, before I left, I immediately took over the planning part and started researching everything about Northern Cyprus.. What I saw in the preliminary preparation I made, at the end of the trip, “How did we postpone it all these years!” It was a sign that I would regret. With the North Cyprus Travel Guide, which is the first part of the Cyprus articles I have prepared, I hope to have provided all the information that will be needed for those who will go.. You can find detailed information about the Northern Cyprus travel plan and places to visit in my article titled Places to Visit in Northern Cyprus.
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- Food and Drink
- Recent Tips
Before we start, let me share the following video to better explain the sweetness of the Cypriot dialect and people:
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Transportation / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
* Transportation to Northern Cyprus / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
Pegasus launched for Northern Cyprus last winter we came across a good campaign; Buy 1 ticket, get 1 free! I think this campaign was the biggest factor in our sudden decision to go to Cyprus.. We found 2 round trip tickets for 473 TL in total for the dates of 26-28 May from Izmir to Nicosia.. Flight times were also very convenient: departure at 7:00 in the morning, return at 23:00 at night.. Thus, we have had 3 full days to spend in Northern Cyprus.
You can find direct flights to Ercan Airport in Nicosia from Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Adana and Antalya.. Flights take about 1-1.5 hours. The best part of going to Northern Cyprus is that you can go without a visa and without a passport.. In the last case, the procedures you need to follow at the airport and what you need to pay attention to are as follows;
* You can go to Northern Cyprus with your ID card on which the Turkish Identity Number is written.. (As of June 2017) No obligation to use newly released chip ID card yet. Your passport is the only document that will replace your identity card.. So you can’t use your driver’s license instead of an identity card. Attention! Persons with the TRNC stamp in their passports cannot enter Greece.
* Although we see Northern Cyprus as a part of our country, Cyprus planes at the airport Departs from International Lines.
* If you are going to exit with an ID card, you must obtain and fill the following card before entering passport control.. We got this card from the counter where we checked in.. After filling the card, you must find the counter reserved for those going to the TRNC (it is written on the board in the passport queue) and enter the passport control after SSI control.
* Transportation in Northern Cyprus / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
Before I went, I read that public transport in Northern Cyprus is very limited in most places.. During our 3-day trip, we preferred to rent a car in order to provide comfortable transportation and to save time and see maximum space.. If you are only going to have a holiday in Kyrenia, you do not need a car.. But if you’re planning to go as far as the far corner of the island, as we do, the car can be a good savior.. Let’s have a look at the details right then:
* Traffic in Cyprus flows from the left, so vehicles are right-hand drive.. We couldn’t even follow the road sign for the first 10 minutes because we weren’t used to it and we took the wrong road.. it was very good. We entered the village road leading to Famagusta.. We have done steering training on an empty road for 1 hour.. For this reason, it may not be a good idea for a novice renting a car to go to Kyrenia on the first day, as Kyrenia is more central and traffic is more intense.
* Rental car plates in Northern Cyprus white or red color. So you can recognize and pay attention to newbies like you.. Likewise, the locals realize that you are a beginner and slow down and give you way.
* We got used to the vehicle and the roads on the second day.. This is due to the fact that the maximum speed limit is 100 km/h even on the highway.. You can’t go over 50 km/h in city centers and there is radar everywhere, which allows you to drive more comfortably.
* It is not possible to rent a car for less than 3 days in most places.. We rented our car for 100 TL per day at the most affordable price.
* Gasoline prices in Northern Cyprus are very affordable compared to ours.. In the morning of the first day, we had the empty tank filled for 140 TL.. After touring Famagusta, Kyrenia, Dipkarpaz and Nicosia for 3 days, there was still a quarter tank of gas left in the car.
* You do not need an international driving license for car rental in North Cyprus, but according to the new law, it is available until 2020. you need to have renewed your driver’s license. How to get an international driver’s license? You can get detailed information in the article.
Accommodation / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
As someone who has never been to Cyprus before, we obviously had a bit of confusion in the accommodation part.. We even thought of staying in Nicosia for 1 night.. Then, with the warning of a friend, we headed to Kyrenia.. It was a fair warning, since there is not much to do in Nicosia, it is much more logical to arrange your accommodation in the coastal area.
If you enjoy the night life to the fullest, wandering around a crowded tourist mass. You can stay in Kyrenia or Famagusta. The closer you are to the Marina side, the more comfortable you will move.. However, I must say that Girne, in particular, is not much different from any Mediterranean coastal city.. If you are thinking of a holiday to relax and enjoy the turquoise bays, my recommendation would definitely be the Karpaz side.. There are many bungalow alternatives along the beach.. Since the island is small, you can provide daily transportation to everywhere.
When I looked at Airbnb options as soon as I bought the plane tickets, I saw houses in Kyrenia with a nightly price of 90 TL.. But when it came to the booking stage, there was no trace of any of them.. That’s why we turned to hotels.. Especially in the season, we need to keep our hands fast.. As we were very late in booking, our alternatives were very limited within our budget.. We chose the Park Palace Hotel, which is within a 15-minute walk of the Marina.. We made the reservation through Tatil.com for the first time and we did not encounter any problems.. We paid 338 TL in total for 2 people for 2 nights room + breakfast.
Attention! Where should you not stay in Kyrenia? We wanted to book a place at Jasmine Court Hotel on recommendation. It was very attractive because the price was affordable and I made a reservation via the internet address.. They charged my credit card, but a wolf fell on me; There was neither a confirmation email nor a message.. I called the call centers and the hotel for 2 days, I could not reach. 3. At the end of the day, a half-speaking Turkish-speaking person answered the phone and said that the hotel was full and they did not take our reservation.. “But you got the money!” hung up the phone in my face when i said. After all, I’ve seen very bad reviews about the hotel on sites like Tripadvisor.. Let me state that we are still trying to get our money back.
What to Eat in Northern Cyprus? / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
In the past, I used to not include the prices in my articles, thinking it would be a shame, but now I tried to give the price details while preparing the Northern Cyprus Travel Guide, since it is the first thing everyone is curious about.. In the food and beverage department, this situation peaked.. Let me warn you a little.
* “Make sure to eat hellim!” I’m not saying, even if you don’t want it, it comes across you somehow.. Because it is the most common product of Cyprus.
* If you like seafood, you will have the opportunity to eat plenty of it.. You can eat grouper and sea bass, which we cannot easily find in Turkey, in almost every fish restaurant in Cyprus.. We ate at one of the fishermen in Kyrenia Harbor, the name is Harbour Restaurant. It is not a place that offers super quality food, but we chose it because it is different from other places in the port in terms of appearance.. For those wondering about the prices; 60 TL is requested for the fix menu consisting of fish, 13 kinds of appetizers (in a manageable condition) and hot starters.. 20 raki is 35 TL.
* My favorite place in Kyrenia was Ezic Peanuts. For my sake, stop by one afternoon or evening, whether for a meal or just a beer. It has a more isolated environment as it is outside the Girne Harbor as a location.. Almost the entire menu consists of chicken dishes.. We paid 74 TL for stuffed chicken, hunter pie and 2 beers. Let me also mention that we couldn’t finish half of the meal because the portion was too big.
* One of the most famous dishes of Cyprus is Peach Kebab,they say ‘don’t come back without eating’. On these subjects, “I will find the most different place.” Since I have no anxiety, I preferred to eat at Niyazi’s Restaurant, which is everyone’s recommendation.. It has branches in both Girne and Famagusta.. Peach kebab (with free open buffet salad) and a soft drink total 36 TL.
* Cyprus has local delicacies with different names such as pirohu, nor pastry, lalangi, molehiya, pilafuna.. I don’t know where to eat which is best.. But you can find them all at Cyprus House in Kyrenia. Our choice was pirohu with its taste similar to tortellini, but the most famous dish of the place is molehiya, keep in mind. Here we paid 92 TL for 2 portions of pirohu and 1 bottle of white wine.. (Again, half of the meal is left.) We had the chance to eat Pilavuna at No:3 Cafe, one of the rare places we could find open on Sunday in Nicosia, but the thing that looks like a pastry, frankly, it was heavy for me because of excessive sesame and mint.
Recent Tips / Northern Cyprus Travel Guide
* Sockets in Northern Cyprus are British type, that is, with 3 sockets. Although it is possible to obtain a converter from the hotel where you will stay, we took it with us when we left.. Helped us a lot during the day. We were able to use the sockets at the places where we took a break.
* Everything is closed on Sundays; shops, restaurants, even some museums… For example, if you are going to do shopping, do not leave it until Sunday.
* Make sure you have plenty of room in your suitcase when you go, so that there is room for the alcohol you buy.. When you enter the market, you may be blinded by the prices.. One of the places where we can find the cheapest alcohol and tobacco is Ertan Market in Kyrenia.. open 24 hours. The product variety is too much. There’s even wormy tequila. At this point, there is a super alternative where you can both travel and earn money.. You can reach users who will order from Turkey and bring products in return for commission.. All you have to do is create a profile for yourself on the Glocal Zone site.
* Signage guidance for touristic spots is very insufficient. If you are planning to provide transportation by car, you may find it very difficult without navigation or a map.
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