Transport
Rent a Car
Those wishing to rent a car must be at least 25 years old, have a driving experience of at least 3 years. It is enough to show Russian (not necessarily international) rights. The rental price, as a rule, includes: unlimited mileage, car delivery/removal, car insurance against damage, theft and motor third party liability.
In Cyprus, left-hand traffic, the steering wheel is on the right, gear shifting is done with the left hand and you need to control the movement from an unusual side. Use seat belts. The speed limit in cities is 50 km/h, outside settlements – 100 km/h.
There are no railways in Cyprus; due to the small size of the island, there is also no domestic air traffic, so the only means of transportation is road transport. Buses, “minibuses” and taxis carry out intercity flights and intracity transportation. See Countryvv.com for labor market in Cyprus.
Buses
Intercity buses run quite rarely, making, as a rule, two flights a day: one in the morning, the second in the evening. There are no flights on Sundays. Due to the short distances, a trip by intercity bus to any part of the island costs no more than 2.5 C.
City buses serve passengers from 6.00 to 19.00, in the summer season – longer, sometimes until midnight; the traffic interval in tourist areas is usually 20-30 minutes.
Shuttle taxis
Shuttle taxis run between cities daily from 5.45 am to 6.30 pm (until 7.30 pm in summer) with an interval of approximately 30 minutes. On Sundays and public holidays, the traffic time is somewhat different – from 7.00 to 17.30 (until 18.30 in summer). Taxis carry 4 to 7 passengers at the same time. They are only twice as expensive as buses, 8-9 times cheaper than taxis and are convenient because you can set off from anywhere in the city. It is enough just to indicate where you will be when placing an order, and a taxi will pick you up. This service does not require additional payment.
The trip from Larnaca to Nicosia costs 1.7 C, to Limassol – 2 C, from Limassol to Nicosia – 2.2 C, from Limassol to Paphos – 1.8 C. Moreover, you will have to pay the full cost of the trip, regardless of whether you are going to the final stop, or get off half way.
Please note: fixed-route taxis do not go to and from airports; in such cases, you will have to resort to the services of a regular taxi.
A fixed-route taxi can be called through the hotel administrator or independently, by phone.
Taxi
An ordinary taxi, unlike a fixed-route taxi, will go to any point of the island you have named, except, of course, Turkish Northern Cyprus. You can stop a taxi on the street or call through the hotel reception. You can go to any shop or restaurant – and there you will also be helped to call a car. You will hardly have to wait more than 10 minutes. There are two rates for taxis – daytime and nighttime (see below). The taxi driver turns on the counter not at the time of receiving the order, but only when you find yourself in the car. You will be charged strictly according to the meter, but it is in your power to tip the taxi driver – fifty cents will be quite enough.
If you are hiring a taxi to see the sights of the city, tell the driver exactly what you want to see and agree on the amount of payment right away in order to avoid misunderstandings later.
Day rate (valid from 6.00 to 20.30) Night rate (valid from 20.30 to 6.00)
- Fit 0.65 C 0.88 C
- 1 km run 0.22 C 0.26 C
- 1 hour idle 4C 5.75 C
For baggage transportation, the fare is the same regardless of the time of day: one piece of baggage weighing up to 12 kg is transported free of charge, each piece of baggage weighing more than 12 kg is 0.22 СЈ.
Telephone
All telephone calls in Cyprus are paid. You can call from the public telephone, from the hotel room, from the pay phone. If there is no pay phone nearby, go to any shop or restaurant on the way and ask permission to call – you will not be refused. As elsewhere, calls from a telephone set in a hotel room are more expensive than from a pay phone or from a private phone.
Fax can be sent from the post office or from the hotel; almost all hotels provide their guests with such a service.
Payphones in Cyprus are of two types: payphones that accept coins in denominations of 2, 5, 10 or 20 cents, and machines that accept special calling cards. The card (” Telecard “) can be purchased at any gift shop, kiosk, bank branch, post office. The cost of the card is 3, 5 or 10 pounds, depending on the amount of paid time.
There are six digit telephone numbers throughout Cyprus. For calls within the city, you need to dial six digits. If you call a subscriber in another city in Cyprus, you should also know the area code:
- Nicosia 02
- Ayia Napa and Paralimni 03,
- Larnaca 04
- Limassol 05
- Paphos and Polis 06
- Mobile phones have a single code 09.
For international calls from Cyprus, dial: 00 + country code + area code + phone number.
There are two tariffs for telephone conversations: regular and preferential. For calls within the country, a reduced rate is valid from 20.00 to 7.00 daily, for international calls – from 22.00 to 8.00 daily and all Sunday. The international code of Cyprus is 357.
Northern Cyprus can only be called through Turkey, that is, by dialing the Turkish code – 90, and only then the code of Northern Cyprus – 392.
Any information about telephone or fax numbers in Cyprus can be obtained by calling 192. For information on long-distance and international codes and telephone numbers of foreign subscribers, call 194. Inquiries about faxes of foreign subscribers – 134. Information about mobile communication services – by phone 132.