Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Northern Cyprus observes Muslim religious holidays. These holidays change each year, since they are calculated by the
lunar system. The two major holidays are Kurban Bayramı and Şeker Bayramı, both coming at the end of the month-
long Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) fast. The fast itself is not strictly observed in the North, and restaurants and cafes
are open as normal. As in the South, children are on holiday in August and over the New Year. Other holidays:
New Year's Day
1 January
Peace & Freedom Day
20 July
Victory Day
30 August
Turkish National Day
29 October
Proclamation of the TRNC
15 November
SAFE TRAVEL
SCAMS
You may well come across time-share touts if you hang around the main resorts in Cyprus and, in particular, Pafos. If
you like the island enough, a time-share may be worth considering, but be careful about how and what you choose. You
need to have all your rights and obligations in writing, especially where management companies promise to sell your
time-share for you if you decide to buy a new one. A number of 'free' sightseeing tours are little more than a quick trip
to a theme park and then a solid round of the hard sell, as touts pressure you to buy time in a property. If you're not into
this, say so up front and save yourself the hassle and always allow yourself a 'cooling off' period to consider. In other
words, leave the credit cards safely at home.
TELEPHONE
There are no area codes as such in Cyprus; they are an integral part of the telephone number.
In both the North and the South, mobile phones are popular. If you have an international GSM-equipped phone,
check with your local service provider if global roaming is available.
You can make overseas calls from any public telephone box. However, calling from your computer using an internet-
based service such as Skype is generally the cheapest option of all.
TELEPHONING BETWEEN NORTHERN CYPRUS & THE REPUBLIC
Despite the ease of crossing the border from South to North and vice versa, telephoning the other side of the is-
land is still done via half of Europe and Asia.
Phone calls to Northern Cyprus are usually routed through Turkey. So you first dial Turkey (international access
code 90), then the regional code for Northern Cyprus (392), and finally the local number.
Note that these phone calls are billed at international rates.
If you have a mobile phone from outside Cyprus with global roaming activated, it's possible to tune into the GSM
networks of either side.
