Cyprus recently announced that it would welcome UK holidaymakers in the summer. The Cypriot Government said that those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter the country without restrictions from 1 May. At the moment the restrictions on international travel from the UK are not due to be eased until 17 May but this is still good news for potential holidaymakers.
Portugal and Greece are also keen to encourage UK tourists and no doubt other countries will following that example as the vaccine programme takes effect and international travel returns once again.
Following the announcement from Cyprus many holiday companies such as TUI and Thomas Cook have announced a big increase in holiday enquiries. It's always been a popular destination for brits but, if it's one of the first to open its doors then it will be a magnet for travellers desperate for a holiday in the sun. If you've booked or thinking about booking a trip to Cyprus but have never been, we can give you an idea of how much euro spending money you might need.
Food and Drink
A meal in a cheaper restaurant or cafe will cost you around €7 and if you had a 3 course meal in a mid priced restaurant you are looking to spend around €40 (about £35). A combo meal at McDonalds is around €6.50. Not the cheapest European country by any means for food but certainly not the most expensive.
Beer and wine are much cheaper than the UK with a pint of local beer around €2 (£1.75) and a bottle of wine around €4. A small bottle of water will set you back €0.60 and a coke €1.20.
If you're self catering then local produce is very reasonable. Fresh meat, fruit and vegetables are all cheaper than the UK. Dairy products are similar in price to our own. If you smoke, a packet of cigs will set you back around €4 (£3.50) – doesn't encourage anyone to give up on holiday!
Travel
There's a good local transport service in Cyprus. A ticket for one journey will cost €1.50 but you can buy tickets for multiple journeys from 4 trips upwards and the cost of each journey is greatly reduced.
Taxi fares start at around €6 and increase by €1 per kilometre. If you want to hire a car it is relatively cheap. We did a search for cars for a weeks hire at the end of May from Paphos airport. We found small cars like a Hyundai i10 for around €64 (£52), medium cars like a Ford Focus for €120 (£101) and if you've won the lottery or just insanely rich then you could get to drive around on you holidays in a Maserati Quattroporte for a mere €2500 for the week and that's discounted from €3218!
You could drive from one end of the Island to the other in a day so it would be easy to explore by car. Petrol is pretty much the same price as in the UK.
Hotels and accommodation
You can find hotels for less than €40 per night. I found a few on a search but not many of them had good reviews it has to be said but you get what you pay for. But, that is the baseline and If you want a budget break you can get one. At the top end of the scale you would be paying €200 plus per night in a more prestigious hotel.
The prices were very similar on Airbnb. Although for €50 plus per night you could get a whole apartment rather than just a hotel room. Of course, package holidays would come with accommodation anyway so for most people this part of the planning is taken care of.
Leisure
Some of the attractions and great places to visit in Cyprus include:
- Kato Paphos archaeological park €4.50 admission
- Konnos Bay, Aiya Napa. Free
- Agios Lazaros, Larnaca. Free (Donations encouraged)
- Guided bicycle tour of Larnaca. €22.50 pp
- Cyprus museum, Nicosia. Free
- Sightseeing boat trip from Aiya Napa. €25
Conclusion
Of course, like many countries there will be a range of tourist trips and excursions you can pay for but Cyprus has many areas and attractions that are free to visit. With a full price range of accommodation and restaurants, cheap car hire and it could quite easily be a great value holiday and you should also get a lot more free sunshine than you can expect back home!
If you are heading to Cyprus in the summer, or any other European destination, don't forget to check out the best deals for euros when you come to buy your travel money.