By Plane

In Southern Cyprus there are two international airports, Larnaca and Paphos. Larnaca International Airport, the main one, now with a new terminal, is 5km (3 miles) from Larnaca town, 49km (29 1/2 miles) from Nicosia, 70km (44 miles) from Limassol, 46km (28 miles) from Ayia Napa, and 139km (86 miles) from Paphos. For flight information (24 hours) dial tel. 77 88 33. The tourist information booth is open from 8:15am to 11pm and is worth calling at to pick up a selection of maps. Private, metered taxis wait outside and all the car rental companies have offices here. Paphos International Airport is 15km (9 1/2 miles) from Paphos town and 63km (39 miles) from Limassol.

North Cyprus is not internationally recognised so planes cannot fly there direct. There are two options: fly into Ercan airport in the north, via Turkey, or fly into Larnaca airport in the south. Ercan airport (tel. 0392 231 4806) is about 12km (7 1/2 miles) east of Lefkos with a transfer time of about 40 minutes to both Girne and Gazimagusa. There is no public transport, other than taxis.

From the UK & Ireland: Scheduled airlines serving Southern Cyprus include: Cyprus Airways (tel. 020 8359 1333, www.cyprusairways.com); British Airways (tel. 0844 493 0787, www.ba.com); Monarch (tel. 08700 40 50 40, www.flymonarch.com); EuroCypria (tel. 22 365750, www.eurocypria.com); and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com). Flying time is 4 1/2 hours from London.

Scheduled airlines serving Northern Cyprus include: Cyprus Turkish Airlines (tel. 020 7930 4851, www.kthy.com); Turkish Airlines (tel. 020 7471 6666, www.thy.com); Pegasus Airlines (tel. 0845 084 8980, www.flypgs.com/en). Flying time is just over 6 hours from London (via Turkey); 4 1/2 hours to Larnaca.

Elsewhere in the world: Southern Cyprus is well served by flights from its important source markets like Russia, Scandinavia, Germany, Britain and the United Arab Emirates. There are no direct flights from the USA but Cyprus Airways has connections to the island from all major European gateways including Rome, Zurich, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Athens. There are also excellent connections from the Middle East via Tel Aviv and Cairo.

For Northern Cyprus, there are some connecting flights from Germany, with the same airlines as listed for the UK, but all other travellers have to fly into Larnaca, or change planes in Turkey.

By Sea

Southern Cyprus is served by weekly ferries operating between Limassol and Haifa, Israel and Limassol and Port Said, Egypt. Check for schedules and prices on www.varianostravel.com.

To reach Northern Cyprus there are two ferry companies operating between mainland Turkey and North Cyprus, with car ferries from Tasucu to Gazimagusa, and Girne to Alanya, and faster seabuses between Alanya and Girne. The ferry takes 4 to 5 hours, the seabus takes about 3 1/2 hours. There are also twice weekly ferries between Gazimagusa and Lattakia in Syria, try Fergun (tel. 0392 815 1770, www.fergun.net) and Akgünler (tel. 0392 815 6002, www.akgunler.com.tr).

By Package Tour

The majority of European visitors to Southern Cyprus travel via an organised tour that includes a package of flights and accommodation. You can find last-minute bargains on sites like Ebookers (www.ebookers.com) and Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) or book through one of the British specialists, who will organise accommodation only if required: Rent Cyprus Villas (tel. 08701 99 99 66, www.rentcyprusvillas.com); Sunvil Holidays (tel. 020 8758 4747, www.sunvil.co.uk/cyprus—the best operator for villas with pools and agrotourism properties).

A number of tour operators visit Northern Cyprus, but there are some real specialists, starting with Direct Traveller (tel. 0845 123 5383, www.directtraveller.com) with in-depth local knowledge, flights into Larnaca and Ercan from 18 UK regional airports and a wide range of hotels and excursions in Girne and Gazimagusa. Another excellent operator is Anatolian Sky (tel. 0845 365 1011, www.anatoliansky.co.uk).

Crossing the Land Border

While you may take a car hired in the South into the North, you may not take a northern car into the South. If going north, you will need to buy additional car insurance as your southern policy will not be valid. If you are buying property in the North, do not take any paperwork relating to your property transaction across the border. 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.