depending on your location..
paralimni/protarus about 20 mins
Lefkosia (formaly nicosia) about one hr 15 mins
Lemesos (formaly limasol) about an hour nd half
pafos about two to two and a half hrs

Try Troudos Visitor centre and have a look a bit nearer the top.

Magnificent views.

Gosh, where do we start?! Lots to see right on your doorstep! East of Ayia Napa is Cape Gkreko, great for a snorkel or scuba dive. Drive west for fast and furious water sports off the beaches of Larnaca Bay, or go back in time by driving through the sleepy villages of the Troodos Mountains foothills.

Just north of Ayia Napa is the Green Line border that has divided south and north Cyprus since 1974. Drive to the village of Deryneia, grab a seat at at the cafe and you'll have uninterrupted views of the border and the deserted hotels of Varousha beyond.

Is it possible to get into the north for a day?

Yes, but not with a hire car (sensibly, anyway).
Most hire companies will not let you take their cars over. Insurance for a "South" car is not valid "up North".

You can get insurance at the border, but this is only Third Party insurance.
A breakdown would be a nightmare, no doubt.

A way round it would be to walk over and hire a car there, but most hire companies insist on 3 days minimum.

Mark

ther are plenty of places of interest in cyprus and hiring a car is the best way to get to them ,troudos mountains and village ,kolossi castle are just two ,most places can be travelled to on the motorways ,which are well sign posted , look for the signs with historic sites marked on them . there are plenty , some of gthe monasterys are fasinating . richard the lionheart was based in cyprus at kolossi castle during the crusades, and he married a girl from trudoss village,the whole island is steeped in history ,to much to mention here ,when i go to cyprus i hire a small jeep for two weeks at a time ,done so many times and there are still places i have not seen , enjoy you holiday

bluepeterno1

Cheers for both replies. I wasn't even sure whether it was possible to cross the Green Line from south to north for a day. we will be staying in Aiya Napa in June, so not too far from there. I wonder are the borders patrolled?

they are definatley patrolled . if you go to nicosia you will be able to go on to the border checkpoint and look into northern cyprus it is like looking into iraq it is desolete as far as the eye can see . there is a nato base on cyprus , i was once heading towards a monastery i could see it over hanging a steep mountain drop . i was not paying any attention to the signs , when all of a sudden as i turned round a blind bend in the road there was a road block and we were surrounded by armed soldiers ,my wife myself and the car were searched before being allowed to proceed with all kinds of warnings ,do not stop do not take photographs, really scary as we carried on up the hill we could see machine guns behind bushes and such following us along the road,so pay attention to the signs at all times. also at the checkout in nicosia there is a book of condolance for the estmated 250.000 people who were displaced ,killed or left homeless during the invasion of 1974 ,makes some people cry when the read it and the facts and pictures on the wall of the gate house ,well worth a look
bluepeterno1

The borders are patrolled. You will see Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and UN towers and soldiers all along it.

There are 2 crossing points at the Eastern end of the Green Line, both on the ESBA (Eastern Sovreign Base Area) Ay Nik (Ayios Nikolaos) and Pergamos. There will also be British squaddies at these checkpoints.

Mark

sorry my last post is a bit mixed up but i am sure you will get the gist of it, must have left my cursor in the wrong place , not paying attention again

bluepeterno1

Why not go back into it and edit it?

thanks for that edwardes.m

bluepeterno1

Really, no need to edit it. I got the gist believe me, hiring a car doesn't seem a plausible option for us for just one day, what with changing insurance etc. and patrols popping up out of bushes!
Do local buses pass back and forth? or would it be very expensive to hire somebody local for a day's driving or is it even allowed?
Does anybody know whether resident Northern Cypriots can move freely south to Southern Cyprus. I am very green on the restrictions between the two areas.
I gather that you can only cross at checkpoints in and around Nicosia and that the restriction of having to be back before nightfall has been lifted.
Thank you to the two that have replied to me, I appreciate your time.

I believe they are running trips up into the TRNC now. It'll be a long day though.

You can do several organised trips over (into Famagusta, Salamis, Kyrenia, etc.) There are also taxi drivers from the South that you can 'hire' for a fixed fee for the car and will take you over. Works out much cheaper if there are more of you Look for any of the taxi stands in resort for info.

Kezza

bluepeterno1 wrote:

thanks for that edwardes.m

You're welcome!

Was the monastery Stavrovouni, near Larnaca?
I've passed that National Guard camp a half a dozen time with no problems.

The only trouble I've ever had with the NG was when I went up to the tomb of Archbishop Makarios.
I'm not easily scared, but when a dozen well armed (H&K G3 assault rifles) start walking towards you..........
I got back in the car and drove off. Perhaps 7:30 in the morning was a little early for sight-seeing.

Mark

If you are going to stay in protaras/agya Napa why not consider renting a scooter 50cc. its good for getting around and better than a car. But this wont do you any good if you want to go to Nicosia or other far cities.

Kostas

i hope this will help you in having an idea about distances provided that you are traveling with a car:
Nicosia to Larnaca 30 mintues
Larnaca to Limassol 25 minutes
Nicosia to Agia Napa 55 minutes

Kostas