Getting Around by Road: Traffic drives on the left.

Bus: Services connect all towns and villages on the island every day except Sunday and public holidays (limited services only). The main operators are Intercity Buses (tel: (22) 665 814) and Nicosia Buses (tel: (22) 778 841; website: www.nicosiabuses.com.cy).

Rural buses: Limited to one or two services each day and can be slow; however, they are a good way of seeing the more remote villages.

Taxi: These run 24 hours between all the main towns on the island. Fares are regulated by the government and all taxis have meters. Shared taxis operate every 30 minutes between major cities. Rural taxis can only be hired from the base station and do not have a meter.

Car hire: Cars are one of the best ways to explore the island. They should be reserved well in advance during the summer season.

Motorcycles: Riders and pillion passengers must wear crash helmets if the motorcycle is over 50cc.

Regulations: The minimum driving age is 18, but drivers often need to be 21 years old to hire a car. The maximum speed limit is 100kph (63mph) on highways, 80kph (50mph) on most other roads and 50kph (32mph) in built-up areas. Road signs are in both Greek and English. There are strict repercussions for those not wearing seat belts or a crash helmet, or using a mobile telephone/under the influence of alcohol whilst driving.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit or national driving licence is valid for one year. Visitors wishing to bring their car to Cyprus can do so for up to three months provided the car has a valid registration licence for its country of origin.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Nicosia Buses operates an efficient bus service in the capital. Services in Limassol are run by the Limassol Urban Bus Company (E.A.L.) Limited. Smaller operations service other Cypriot towns and cities, though few services are frequent or used often by tourists. Taxis are widely available; a 15% surcharge is in operation from 2300-0600. Tipping is expected.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Nicosia to other main towns and tourist centres in Cyprus.

Road

Limassol 1.00

Pafos 2.15

Larnaca 0.50

Ayia Napa 1.10