North Cyprus Things to Know

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation offered in North Cyprus ranging from 5 star Hotels, Hotel-Bungalows, Hotel-Apartments, camping and Self Catering Apartments, Villas to small family-run bed and breakfast establishment.

There is a star grading system. These stars are awarded locally and should not be confused with international standards. The majority of tourists come on a package holiday which is much better idea. There are only 8,500 tourists beds available. Dring August, September and October it is difficult to find space anywhere. The different accommodations are described in some detail in the brochures of tour operators that specialize in Northern Cyprus.

See also
North Cyprus Student Accommodation

Telephone

Public telephone booths are available and telephone cards can be purchased from the Telecommunications Office. Visitors will usually phone from their hotel, or from the Telecommunications Office, which in Kyrenia is opposite the Post Office. The telephone codes for North Cyprus are listed below:

The telephone country code for North Cyprus is (00)90-392. For example, to call the Kyrenia number Kyrenia 8154321 from England, dial 0090-392-8154321

Most European countries may be dialed directly from North Cyprus. The code for England is 0044 followed by the local number but omitting the first number (0). Codes for other countries are listed in the telephone directory.

GSM Operators in North Cyprus

There are two GSM mobile telephone networks that provide international communications to visitors: TR TELSIM & TR TURKCELL
Read more about Mobile Operators in Northern Cyprus

Postage

The outgoing postal system is reliable. Incoming mail must be suffixed “Mersin-10, Turkey” and not “Northern Cyprus”. The history of the postal service in Northern Cyprus will definitely be of interest to all philatelists.

Stamps can be bought from post offices, many small shops and hotel receptions. Mail sent to Europe should arrive in seven days. You can take mail to the post office or alternatively there are small yellow post boxes, but these are not frequently emptied. Many hotels will also post your mail if you leave it at reception.

Electricity

In North Cyprus, voltage is 220/240 volts AC, supplied at 50 Hz. Standard British rectangular 3-pinned plugs at 5 amp or 13 amp are used, but also exist some 2-pinned plugs. In particular most anti-mosquito machines are continental 2-pinned, so an adaptor is required. There are widely available in the stores, supermarkets, grocery shops and electricians, or provided by holiday hotel itself. In Northern Cyprus power cuts occur quite often. Larger hotels, companies and holiday villages operate with their own generators. A torch is therefore useful to bring, as there is little or no street lighting in the villages and along the minor roads. Not many accommodations have a shaver point, so it is better to take wet razors. Batteries (including alkaline and Ni-Cad) are manufactured locally or imported, and are available in all popular sizes.

Tourist Information

Tourist Information Offices are available in all major towns. Tour guides, Hotel Receptionists, Taxi drivers and the locals are also a good source of information. Tourist information centers can be very helpful to you whilst visiting North Cyprus. There are tourist information centers located in Kyrenia, Nicosia and Famagusta.

Duty Free Regulations

Each adult is permitted to bring 400 cigarettes, 500gr tobacco or 50 cigars, 1 litre of wine or spirits and up to 100cl of perfume. Duty-free shops can be found at Ercan Airport and the ports at Kyrenia and Famagusta.

Packing

Visiting North Cyprus in the summer requires few clothes. The standard luggage allowance permitted by the airlines is 28Kg plus small hand luggage. The restaurants require no formal dress code. Light weight pale coloured clothes are advised for the summer months and a jacket or cardigan may be useful in the evenings. Other things to bring are toiletries and camera. Camera film is cheaper here. The sockets here are three point – the same as the UK, but it is still well worth taking an adaptor for bathroom appliances.

Time

North Cyprus is normally two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC), and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). For summer time clocks go forward one hour at 3 am on the last Sunday in March and back again at 3 am on the last Sunday in October.

Opening Hours

Shops are open with some variations but generally:

	summer	winter
Shops	8:00-13:00, 16:00-19:00	9:00-13:00, 14:00-18:00
Banks	8:00-12:00	8:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00
Public services	Monday: 07:30-14:00, 15:30-18:00 Tuesday-Friday: 07:30-14:00	Monday-Friday: 08:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00

North Cyprus History