North Cyprus: the first questions

Is North Cyprus part of Turkey?

No. North Cyprus has its own flag, its own government and its own central bank. As a state, it is recognised only by Turkey. The official currency is the Turkish lira, and direct flights to Ercan come only from Turkey, but people here drive on the left and the plugs are British, both left over from British times. Even the clocks differ: in winter North Cyprus is one hour behind Turkey (more on time).

Is North Cyprus a Muslim country?

By its constitution, no: the first article calls it a secular republic. Most Turkish Cypriots are Muslim, and there are mosques, of course, but the community here is much more international than that. Halloween, for example, is celebrated, and with pleasure.

Why are there so many casinos in North Cyprus?

Because Turkey banned casinos in 1998, and the business moved here. There are about thirty casinos in the north now, mostly in hotels, which is why Google Maps is full of “hotel & casino”. Many are open round the clock, and a lot of people work there: gambling is a huge job market here. And plenty of visitors come to the north just for the casinos.

Paphos, Larnaca, Nicosia: north or south?

Paphos, Larnaca, Limassol, Ayia Napa and Protaras are in the south, in the Republic of Cyprus. So are the Troodos mountains, where the island’s ski slopes are. Kyrenia (Girne), Famagusta (Gazimağusa) and Iskele (Trikomo) are in the north. Nicosia is divided: the northern part, Lefkoşa, is the capital of North Cyprus, and the southern part is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. Several checkpoints connect the two parts of the island, for example Ledra Street (Lokmacı) and Agios Dometios (Metehan) in Nicosia and Deryneia (Derinya) near Famagusta. Two names again, Greek and Turkish. All the apartments on this site are in the north, in Girne and Iskele.

Kyrenia or Girne: what’s the difference?

None, it’s the same town. Kyrenia is the English name, Girne is the Turkish one. This is normal here: many places in North Cyprus have two names. Iskele is also Trikomo, Famagusta is Gazimağusa, Nicosia is Lefkoşa, Güzelyurt is Morphou, and even Bafra, a small village on the Karpas peninsula, is also Vokolida. For me Bafra is Bafra. For Google it’s Vokolida: when I typed Bafra while setting up a delivery area, it kept offering me the Greek name. On road signs you’ll often see both names, listings and websites use both too, so this site writes “Kyrenia (Girne)”. Just remember that Girne and Kyrenia are one and the same.

Girne or Iskele as a place to live is a different question, and there is a separate article about it.

What is Varosha?

The abandoned southern quarter of Famagusta, Maraş in Turkish, once its resort district. It was fenced off in 1974 and stood empty for almost half a century; in October 2020 part of it was opened to visitors. I walked there in July 2021: new asphalt and cycle lanes run between empty hotels and houses with bushes growing out of the entrances, and the buildings themselves are roped off. There is a working beach with sunbeds too, and from the sand you can see how many hotels stand right on the shore.

Why does my weather app say Trikomo?

If your weather widget says “Trikomo” and you live in Iskele, don’t panic. It’s the same town under its other name, and many weather services only know that one: search Google for Iskele weather and you get Trikomo. With Girne it depends on the service. Google finds Girne, while some weather sites know only Kyrenia, and a search for Girne brings up towns in Turkey. Climate month by month in Girne and Iskele is a separate article.

Are there dangerous animals in North Cyprus?

Not many. There are no big predators: the largest wild animal on the island is the mouflon, a wild sheep. The only really dangerous snake is the blunt-nosed viper, and it isn’t aggressive; two other snakes are venomous too, but hardly dangerous to people. In seven years I’ve seen snakes a couple of times, in the mountains and on a patch of waste ground. I’ve never seen a scorpion, or a jellyfish either, although the nomad jellyfish does reach Cyprus. What you’ll actually notice is dogs: they bark, and some nights it gets noisy.

What time is it in North Cyprus?

The north and the south of the island live on the same time and change the clocks on the same night. In 2026 winter time starts on 25 October. Turkey doesn’t change its clocks, so in winter North Cyprus is one hour behind Turkey, and in summer there is no difference. In the winter of 2016/17 the north stayed on Turkish time, and the island had two time zones.

Do people speak English?

The official language is Turkish. I can’t say that shop assistants or civil servants speak English, so you’ll mostly rely on the diaspora. There are a lot of English and Russian speakers here. And that’s normal: if you want to live here and sort things out on your own, learn Turkish.

What currency is used in North Cyprus?

The official currency is the Turkish lira, but lira, pounds, euros and dollars are all in use, and in general everything is accepted. If you have pounds, euros or US dollars, you can pay without changing money, but many shops take them at their own, lower rate, so it’s better to always have some lira for everyday spending. The other day I saw a Brit paying in pounds at a shop. I asked if he’d lost his mind. “Who cares, I’m here to enjoy myself for a week,” he said. Cleaning is usually paid in euros, and flats from developers are priced in pounds. So are the four listings on this site.

Which airport do I fly to?

There are two airports, and they face different ways. Ercan (ECN) in the north links this part of the island with Turkey: direct flights come only from there, and from any other country you change in Turkey. Larnaca (LCA) is in the south, in the Republic of Cyprus, with ordinary European flights, and the road from there goes through a checkpoint. Whether that route works for you depends on your passport, see the disclaimer. The listings on this site give drive times to the airports.

Can I drive in North Cyprus?

Yes, and you’ll probably want to: without a car you’re stuck in your own area. People drive on the left, as in the UK. Renting a car is fairly easy, but during the bayrams, the Muslim holidays, when whole families get together, it can be hard to find a free one. Traffic depends on where you are: in Iskele and Famagusta it’s village driving, while Girne has lots of traffic lights and jams, and most of the traffic is in Girne and Lefkoşa. When I drove, Iskele to Girne took about an hour, and Güzelyurt to Iskele about an hour and a half. Tourists drive on their own licence, but if you get a residence, student or work permit, you need a local one. The current rules are on the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Do I need a visa?

Most passports, including UK, EU and Russian ones, don’t need a visa in advance: permission to enter is given at the border. The current rules are on the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. If you plan to fly in through Larnaca, the crossing between north and south has its own terms, see the disclaimer.

What do 1+1, 2+1 and 3+1 mean?

The first number is bedrooms. The “+1” is the living room, labelled “salon” on floor plans and usually combined with the kitchen. So 1+1 is a one-bedroom apartment, 2+1 has two bedrooms, and 1+0, or a studio, is the salon itself, with no separate bedroom. Bathrooms are not part of the formula and are listed separately. You’ll often see a master bedroom with its own bathroom (en-suite), and a 3+1 can easily have three bathrooms, like La Isla. The apartment is sold as a whole: two 2+1s in the same building cost differently depending on the floor and the view, and price per square metre is hard to compare because listings count square metres differently.

On this site: Royal Sun is a 1+1, Coliseum Court a 2+1, La Isla a 3+1, and Sea Pearl a 3+1 villa.