Cyprus Travel Guide

Browse the Cyprus Photo Gallery

Cuisine

Major resorts have bars and restaurants of every category. At larger hotels, the cuisine tends to international although authentic local dishes may also be available. All over the island there are restaurants offering genuine Cypriot food. One of the best ways of enjoying Cypriot food is by ordering mezze (snacks), a large selection of a number of different local dishes.

National specialties:
• Tava (a tasty stew of meat, herbs and onions).
• Dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with meat and/or rice).
• Kebabs (pieces of meat - typically lamb - skewered and roasted over a charcoal fire).
• Stifado (a stew of beef or hare cooked with wine, vinegar, onion and spices).
• Fresh seafood such as tsipoura (seabream), lavraki (seabass) and garides (prawns).

National drinks:
• Greek-style coffee (short, strong and unfiltered).
• Cyprus produces excellent wines, spirits and beer.
• Brandy sour (cocktail made from Cyprus brandy, soda, lemon squash and angostura bitters).
• Commandaria (a sweet desert wine dating back to ancient times).

Tipping: A service charge is added to all bills, but tipping is still acceptable and remains at the discretion of the individual.

The legal age for purchasing and drinking alcohol in Cyprus is 17.

Nightlife

There is a vibrant nighttime scene in the coastal towns and cities of Cyprus, with hundreds are discos and bars to choose from; the summer party scene in Ayia Napa is the pick off the bunch. It is normal for nightclubs in Ayia Napa to reinvent themselves every couple of years, but first club in the town, Black & White, remains the same and is still going strong. Typical Cypriot bars line the sea front in Larnaca, with livelier options along the harbor in Kyrenia. In northern Cyprus, ballroom classes and evenings are available, and attract a wide range of age groups.