Cyprus is an island in the eastern Mediterranean with long, dry summers, beaches, ancient sites and pine-covered mountains. Distances are short, and English is widely spoken.
Cyprus for visitors
Paphos, on the west coast, has Roman mosaics and the rock-cut Tombs of the Kings, and Aphrodite's Rock lies along the coast road. Limassol has a long seafront, with the ancient theatre of Kourion on a cliff nearby. Larnaca, by the main airport, has a palm-lined promenade and the Church of Saint Lazarus, and Ayia Napa and Protaras in the east have the sandiest beaches. Inland, the Troodos Mountains have cool villages, hiking trails and small Byzantine churches with painted interiors. Nicosia, the capital, has an old town inside Venetian walls and the Cyprus Museum. There are no railways: buses link the towns, but most visitors rent a car.
Time in Cyprus
Cyprus uses Asia/Nicosia, which is on UTC+2 right now. Clocks go forward one hour on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, as in the rest of the EU. The next change forward is on 28 March 2027, and the next change back on 31 October 2027. The time zone database lists the north of the island under a second identifier, Asia/Famagusta, which follows the same clock: UTC+2. Right now Nicosia is 2 hours ahead of London, 1 hour behind Istanbul and 2 hours behind Dubai.
Climate and weather
Cyprus has a hot Mediterranean climate: long, dry, sunny summers and mild winters, when most of the rain falls. Nicosia, inland on the central plain, is hotter in summer than the coast, while the Troodos Mountains are much cooler and get snow in winter. In Nicosia, average highs reach 38°C in July, and average lows fall to 6°C in January. The capital gets about 330 mm of rain a year, and December is the wettest month in Nicosia. It has about 3,298 hours of sunshine a year.
- Nicosia
- Cairo
Show the numbers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicosia | 15.8 | 16.6 | 20.0 | 24.7 | 29.8 | 34.4 | 37.5 | 37.4 | 34.0 | 29.2 | 22.7 | 17.7 |
| Cairo | 18.9 | 20.5 | 23.8 | 28.1 | 32.2 | 34.6 | 35.0 | 34.9 | 33.4 | 30.0 | 24.9 | 20.5 |
Best time to visit Cyprus
April to June and September to October are the best months: warm and sunny, with the sea pleasant for swimming from early summer into autumn. July and August are very hot inland and the busiest time on the beaches. Winter is mild on the coast and good for walking, and the slopes of Mount Olympus in the Troodos have skiing after good snowfalls.
Practical facts
- Capital: Nicosia. Population: about 1.3 million (UN World Population Prospects 2024, 2023 estimate).
- Currency: euro (EUR). Cards are widely accepted.
- Languages: Greek, Turkish. English is widely spoken; efcharistó is thank you in Greek.
- Calling code: +357.
- Driving: on the left.
- Emergency number: 112, as everywhere in the EU ([1]).
Plan your trip with hoyoopin
- The live weather and the month-by-month climate table for Nicosia are on this page.
- World Clock and Weather for Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca or any other town in Cyprus.
- Asia: time zones and key facts for the continent; our guide to UN regions explains why Cyprus is listed under Asia.
Sources
- European Commission: 112, the European emergency number: 112 is available everywhere in the EU, free of charge.