Cyprus : Safety by CityCyprus is a Mediterranean island positioned south of Turkey, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, right after Sicily and Sardinia.
Geographically, this island is in Asia though politically it belongs to Europe and is even a member of the EU.
This gorgeous island is most famous for its archeological findings, its turquoise beaches, and beautiful coastal drives.
Divided into a Turkish North and a Greek South, it is a place that invites many tourists to visit each year.
There are about one million British nationals that visit Cyprus every year, and with this staggering number of tourists, it is no surprise that most visits go by smoothly and with no troubles, however, one should be cautious since this country has some safety issues.
Warnings & Dangers in Cyprus
OVERALL RISK: LOW
Cyprus is generally very safe to travel to, even though it is geographically close to countries hit by terrorism and wars. Petty crime does occur, especially during the holidays and summer.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
Taxis and other types of transportation are normally safe in Cyprus, with reliable and modern vehicles. Taxi sharing is not permitted in Cyprus.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
Pickpocketing and bag snatching have been reported and such cases occasionally happen, as do cases of valuables theft when left unattended or in plain sight in an unattended vehicle. Be cautious when handling money or other objects of importance.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
Minor tremors happen occasionally in Cyprus. In the event of a natural disaster, follow the advice of the local authorities.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
Street crime rarely happens and even if it does, it is usually performed by unarmed criminals. Armed robbery is most common in the Turkish, northern part of the country, and is rare elsewhere.
TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
A general threat of terrorism exists, since Cyprus is located very near to war and terrorism stricken countries, to which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office adds: “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners.
SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
Scams do happen, during the holidays and summer when the number of visitors increases, so double check your change and negotiate everything in advance.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
When it comes to women traveling alone, if you follow the basic protocols of a lone traveler, male or female then your trip to Cyprus should go smoothly. Use common sense and be aware of your surroundings at all times.
So... How Safe Is Cyprus Really?
The main safety issue with Cyprus is that it’s surrounded by countries hit by terrorism and war – with Turkey to its north, Syria, and Lebanon to its east and Egypt and Israel to its south.
The island is located just over 50 miles off the west coast of Syria at its closest point and it takes just under an hour to get to it- when traveling by plane.
There have been numerous incidents where refugees kept arriving in Cyprus by boat, after making the perilous trip from Turkey or Syria.
Overall, Cyprus is a safe country and has seen less violent crime on the streets or elsewhere than other European countries of similar size.
However, crime-related incidents do occur as does the petty crime.
Most street crimes are non-violent and non-confrontational, and the chances of tourists being attacked are very low.
The incidents range from scams to petty theft and, as a tourist, you should mostly be concerned about pickpocketing, and that only applies to areas frequented by tourists.
You should be careful when handling money or other objects of importance since thefts of valuables left in plain sight in unattended vehicles also happen.
However, these cases, as well as cases of pickpocketing, purse snatching or carjacking, are likely to rise during the holidays or summer when the number of tourists also increases.
The highest number of robberies and armed crime in the Turkish part of Cyprus was reported in Kyrenia, Famagusta, and northern Nicosia.
How Does Cyprus Compare?
| Country | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Cyprus | 75 |
| Morocco | 54 |
| Portugal | 57 |
| Japan | 83 |
| Greece | 73 |
| Australia | 86 |
| Slovakia | 80 |
| Kazakhstan | 72 |
| Norway | 85 |
Useful Information
Visas
You might need a travel visa in case you are traveling to Cyprus for reasons other than immigration, and you plan for your visit to last less than three months. The travel visa enables you to travel to Cyprus continuously or to visit it several times. However, the total duration of your visits should not exceed three months. If you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
Currency
There are two currencies in Cyprus, euro and Turkish lira. The Cypriot pound was replaced by the euro as official currency of the Republic of Cyprus on 1 January 2008 and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus used and still officially uses the Turkish lira as their currency.
Weather
Cyprus possibly has the warmest climate and warmest winters in the Mediterranean part of the European Union. The average annual temperature on the coastline is around 24 °C during the day and 14 °C during night. Its climate is temperate with hot and dry summers and cool winters. The country, generally speaking, is basking in the sun the whole year round.
Airports
Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international gateway and the largest of the country's two commercial airports, the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern coast. It is located 4 km southwest of Larnaca.
Travel Insurance
Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Cyprus, since it covers not only the costs of medical problems, but also theft and loss of valuables.
Cyprus Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 16 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 38 | 38 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 18 |
| Low °C | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| High °F | 61 | 64 | 70 | 79 | 86 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 93 | 84 | 75 | 64 |
| Low °F | 41 | 41 | 45 | 50 | 57 | 66 | 72 | 72 | 66 | 59 | 48 | 43 |
Cyprus - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Limassol | 69 |
| Nicosia | 71 |
Not mentioned but be cautious when driving as the standards are poor in Cyprus. Signals are rare, speeding and driving whilst using a phone is common although illegal. They also frequently ignore pedestrian traffic lights.
It’s a lovely place but just drive defensively.
Driving
Spot on, a very accurate observation regarding the standard of driving. Watch out for scooters passing on the inside! Keep your eyes open and wits about you.
My daughter leaves on the 18th of September to study at University of Nicosia, I’m worried about racism, how are blacks treated?
Beautiful Country
I have not been to Cyprus since 2014 but when I went, I had a wonderful time. The sights and food were fantastic. There is surprisingly a lot to see and do there. Most locals were friendly and helpful. I did run into a group of fellas that were not so friendly but they didn’t intimidate me. I am planning on going again in 2020 with my brother in law.
Beware!
Isn’t Cyprus the country where if you’re raped and go to the police they jail the victim? Not really safe for women.
Absolutely untrue
Melsy is liars!
Dangerous for girls
Yes. Amnesty International has pointed out that sex crimes are way up in Cyprus, far beyond the European average.
That’s not a lie, check with Amnesty International who obtained the details from the government’s own statistics.
The recent notorious case is basically kidnapping.
Under both Cypriot and European Human Rights law, no statement should be relied upon where there is no lawyer OR where a possibility of coercion exists.
In this case, the rape victim was held incommunicado for seven hours before making the retraction.
Under severe stress, a LOT of rape victims retract initial statements just to try and get away and put it behind them.
Her lawyers were refused the possibility of bringing any evidence that the rape took place even though she had bruises that were consistent with force being used.
Due to the nature of the illegal statement, her arrest and detention were illegal and legally, in fact, kidnapping.
Defend your daughters, boycott Cyprus
Every year in south , hundreds of people are thought to be victims of drink spiking, where alcohol or drugs are added to someone’s drink without them knowing.
In some cases, so-called “date rape drugs” may be used to spike a drink before a sexual assault.
Many more incidents happen abroad or go unreported because of embarrassment or memory loss.
Thats rubbish. Untrue safe to walk around even at night
Very UNSAFE for women
exactly – is very UNSAFE for women
This website is dangerously miss-leading
A girl got raped by 12 people and then had to suffer more abuses from the police and a corrupt judge. And it’s not the first time this happen in Cyprus
Hope the editors will take this into account so women who travel there know that they might be drugged and attacked and there’s no one there to protect them
https://twitter.com/No_DNC_No_GOP/status/1274350609114845184
Very good place
Yeah, I wouldn’t believe anything written by “the sun” and the protesters are wearing Corona masks tells the tale. They have no clue what really happened. Fake news. I will go to Cypus with my daughters. I won’t allow any racists to spread false rumours. These other women are just jealous no one want to have sex with them lol. The self proclaimed “rape victim” was a dirty whore and now she feels bad about it. Shame. Go back to Western society if you can’t handle it.
Generally safe and friendly but use some common sense.
What you miss out is that very many local Cypriots were also completely outraged by this case and the manner in which it was mishandled by the police. This went as far as public demonstrations outside of the courts in support of the girl. Unfortunately this case was a political issue as the attackers were Israeli boys and the Cyprus government was negotiating a deal with the Israeli government at that time to exploit natural gas reserves. It stank to high heavens and a lot of Cypriots were disgusted by the outcome. I have lived here 20 years and it is one of the safer places to be. Male and female visitors should, however, as they should anywhere in the world, exercise some common sense. Don’t get so drunk that you can’t stand up or remember where you are staying and don’t go off alone with a stranger you have just met.
Napa
I am from
Cyprus and my experience is its very safe for women.
Apart from in ayia Napa where mostly locals don’t go – it’s full of the kind of people who would go on Jeremy Kyle- get blind drunk and act disgustingly.
I would not let me daughters go there and to be honest I’m sure they wouldn’t want to as it’s been ruined by the type of tourists they get there.
I lived in Cyprus for my first 14 years and visited the island every second year since
My uncle is a chief policeman and according to him the crimes that happened in Cyprus are due to the surrounding countries trying to go through to their next destination.
Refugees from everywhere come with boats and bring drugs and guns with them.
The police are aware of the situation and they’ve got it covered.
And to answer your dilemma about the safety of women traveling alone on our island is safer than your own home.
Unless you want to drug yourself and lose your mind.
rapists are indeed prosecuted
I have been living in Cyprus for many many years and it is a very safe place and of vourse rapists are sentenced to quite long pruson sentences-so not true
I am from Cyprus and have never seen any crime happening but you definetly should drive defensively as driving and using mobile phones is common
Safe, but roads can be dangerous
I have lived in Cyprus and been there several times a year for 13 years. I have never been a victim of crime, nor witnessed anyone else be a victim. Of course petty crimes do occur but on a minor scale. Drivers can be dangerous. Lack of signalling and generally breaking speed limits and other road rules occur in Cyprus. A lot of parents fail to use car seats for their children and use mobiles whole driving. This I would say, is the biggest concern at the moment.
Unsafe for women
how about this?
https://twitter.com/No_DNC_No_GOP/status/1274350609114845184
Kay are you travelling there this year looking for someone to travel with me I’ve never been n want to go
Hey Kay
Can you recommend the best place in Cyprus please? Eg Pharos where there is an airport making it easy to travel for the first time 🤔
Safe
Put in perspective. Firstly the men were tourists themselves, not locals. Any tourist destination in the world is therefore at risk from this kind of thing. Cyprus is as safe a place as anywhere in the world can be where tourists gather and drink and can be left vulnerable. Cyprus itself has a low crime rate. It’s not like say India which has a high violent crime rate against women both to locals and tourists. So saying Cyprus is an unsafe country is not accurate. If you are referring to that one isolated case where a tourist was allegedly pushed into signing a confession that it didn’t happen, I agree that does look fishy but until you can give me more cases like this that makes it systemic, it still doesn’t make Cyprus unsafe. Plus they drive on the correct side of the road. I say drive loosely though.
To say the risk for women is low is dangerously irresponsible.
Cyprus is sensational!
My girlfriend and I visited Cyprus for 8 days in May 2019. Honestly, she is a very attractive woman, we had NO problems.
Furthermore when I did SCUBA she chose to stay onshore alone. It is true we were always together outside after sunset
I drove on Cyprus and we are from rural Midwest USA. Absolutely drive cautiously, and defensively, no issues.
Cyprus is a gem! It’s hard to believe that less than 100km is war-torn Syria.
Cyprus is sensational!
My girlfriend and I spent 8 Days on Cyprus in May 2019. I’m very lucky, my girlfriend is attractive. When I did Scuba she chose to stay onshore alone and had no problems.
We did however always stay together after the sunset.
I did drive there and had no problems of course you should drive cautiously and defensively, be aware of your surroundings.
We encountered no scams, pickpockets or anything of the sort. In fact even though there are a lot of Brits, haha friendly people everywhere excellent food andwine.
It’s hard to believe that war-torn Syria is less than 100 km away but it truly is out of sight out of mind.
Safe country
Went to Cyprus in 2019.stayed in protarus wonderful place great food and fantastic beaches never saw any crime place was spotless .people very friendly and the weather was very hot in September will be going back in September 2020
I’m beyond excited about our trip to Cyprus in September but should I be worried coming from USA?
You will be very safe in Cyprus and the people are wonderfull.
I love Cyprus!
I have lived in Cyprus for 3 years, left in 2006 but since, I go back once a year. I absolutely love Cyprus! I have a young daughter and the locals are always so sweet to her, they are very family oriented. I have always been made to feel extremely welcome. The food is amazing and so are the beaches. I have always felt very safe in South Cyprus. I do drive there but not late at night and mostly in Paphos. And yes, there have been a couple of ‘hairy’ situations. BUT CYPRUS IS MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE WORLD!!!
I will let to travel in Cyprus but not know anyone.if anyone can help me…
Boycott Cyprus
Avoid holidays to Cyprus, the treament of a young rape victim was appalling. To be raped by 12 men who walked free because of poor investigation says everything you need to know. It is not a safe place for women. Support your mothers, sisters, daughters and nieces BOYCOTT CYPRUS. Hit them where is hurts and it will bring about positive change.
The Truth
Do you mean the girl who intentionally had sex with twelve men, who didn’t even know each other, and when forensics finished with her they found semen from three other men?
MY experience:
I’ve been there and it was kind of safe i’d say.
I wouldn’t level it “low” for solo women travelers, cause it does happen quite often (i’ve witnessed it many times) that women are getting unwanted attention a lot. Catcalling in bars is an issue too..
If you’re taking your kids with you, i’d keep vigliant and keep an eye at your local surroundings, to make sure nothing is suspicious. Why im saying that is because there have been quite a lot reports for children missing, (mostly age group of 10-15).
However, i do recommend to visit Cyprus because of its very interesting history and the very beautiful beaches, and especially their culture!
Do keep im mind that everyone experiences something diffrent. But what i can ensure you is that its very sunny and ideal summer holiday location 🙂
Rape victims are prosecuted instead of rapists in cypress. Do not trust them. Do not go there.
I visited Cyprus around January to mid February,it was a wonderful experience during my stay,I never encountered any difficulty.iam planning my next trip in March 2021.such a lovely place to visit
Overall, safer than most
My wife and I have holidayed in Cyprus on over 12 occasions. Whilst I cannot speak for what goes on on in “clubby,”Ayia Napa, I can assure everyone who wishes to travel to the Paphos area of Cyprus, that we found it safer than any holiday destination. The locals are very friendly, honourable and respectful and appreciate that tourism is a very important aspect of the Cypriot economy. Like everywhere else, if you wake up in the morning, not remembering the night before, it’s because you were that drunk – holidays abroad are never ideal for those with zero common sense.
Cyprus is interesting
I had a good time while I was here. I agree that the drivers here are not the best and you need to take care but I didn’t have any problems otherwise. Plenty of things to do but if you want to travel as a single woman I would advise against it. Come with some friends or get a guide at least. It’s not the safest place for single women.
Very Safe!
Very safe, even for new and younger travellers. I had my first holiday alone without any family here at 18. I visited the Paphos area. It’s very secure and safer than everywhere I’ve been in the UK. Apply common sense and you will have 0 issues here. Even after dark in Kato Paphos I’ve not felt unsafe once. The locals are friendly and helpful, the taxi’s are safe and reliable and the police are active here. Driving standards aren’t as good as the UK’s, but they are generally the road users aren’t too bad here.
A very safe holiday paradise
My personal opinion is that Cyprus is much safer than most European countries. Beaches, weather and food are excellent. Locals speak English and are helpful and friendly. If you are driving exercise caution, drive within speed limits and don’t worry.
Yikes!
Oh great, I’m due in Cyprus this week! I had so little time to research but wish I saw this sooner as I will be on my own for touring the island, and staying on the Turkish side when I make it to Nicosia, a bit of a walk from the Old Wall area. I was sure there were local buses there!! Agh. I’ll have to go and see for myself. I get harassed enough when I travel alone, especially in France and Italy but so far nothing as bad as having gotten kidnapped in Medellin! ^fingers crossed for Cyprus*!
Greek side is safe
I can’t speak for the north side of the island, but the south side is very safe, especially for visitors. If there is crime, it usually effects native and not tourists. All major cities in the world will have their bad neighborhoods. For insurance, in Paphos, I would definitely recommend avoiding the area west of the bus station. Overall the island is quite safe; take the same precautions you would anywhere else.
Safest place
Cyprus is the.safest place to visit…but please do not mention Greek part and turkish part…Cyprus is just one. the north part is occupied by turkish troops since 1974 and that fake state is not recognized by any country but turkey.
rest my case