Nicosia District Travel Forum

Dear All,

I will arrive with Cyprus Turkish Airways in the morning of 23jun from Istanbul. I will have 24 hours in Northern Cyprus, before flying back on the next morning with Pegasus to Antalya.

Is there any public transportation from Ercan airport to Nicosia/Lefkosa? Internet searches resulted that no... How much would a taxi cost?
Is there any possibilty to walk (or if it's too far away take a taxi) to a town or village nearby and get public transportation from there? I couldn't find any map of Northern Cyprus which is detailled enough to find an answer to this question.

Next point: Where shall I sleep? I thought about getting back to the airport before sunset and sleep there. I guess it's opened round the clock as there are very early morning departures? Or is there any cheap hostel or similar (I'm on a budget) in Nicosia/Lefkosa. If not on the Northern Cyprus side, maybe on the other side? (although I guess I would not be allowed to enter Cyprus coming in from the North, even I have a EU passport).

Is it worth to take a bus to the sea just for half a day from Nicosia/Lefkosa? How much would it cost? Is public transportation reliable and safe?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Frederic

Hello,

I can confirm that there is no regular public transport (i.e. buses) from the airport. You can possibly stop a minibus on th main highway from Famagusta to Nicosia, but that is quite a walk (several km). The best way to go is to take a taxi, although I don't know for sure how much it will cost.

>Where shall I sleep? I thought about getting back to the airport before sunset and sleep there. Not a good idea. The airport is pretty small, and the seats provided are likely to be very uncomfortable. Its best to stay in a hostel or hotel.

>Is it worth to take a bus to the sea just for half a day from Nicosia/Lefkosa? How much would it cost? Is public transportation reliable and safe?

Public transport isn't well developed in Cyprus. There is a very limited bus service, but that is not likely to be of much use to you. The seaside is very much like any seaside in southeastern Europe, there is nothing really special there. So unless you are desperate to go for a swim, I would stick with wandering through both sides of Nicosia. If you have time left, you could take a dolmus/shared minibus to Kyrenia, which has a lovely old harbour.

George