Cyprus-Forum.com

[supporttheunderdog]

Camy07, I too can assure you that you will have no problems if you move to Cyprus because you do not speak Greek. In 16 years think I can count on the fingers of one hand Cypriots who had little to no English, mostly older Cypriots.

A few simple Greetings go down very well.

On the practical point of view if you are without transport I would suggest picking an area with good local shops in walking distance or look closely at the bus options to get you to shops. Local produce is generally very so find a good meat market and fruit and veg shop. The quality is often better than in supermarkets and prices usually not much higher, except in 24 hr bakeries and peripetro.

[Camy07]

supporttheunderdog , now THIS is a supportive and helpful answer, thank you!
and Cap grazie per il Benvenuto!

[repulsewarrior]

...cheers.

[supporttheunderdog]

Something I have found in Cyprus is how if one is a consistent user of a particular shop that the staff will get to know you by sight and you be welcomed with a friendly greeting - I have found this not just on the smaller local shops , for example the pet shop where I buy dog and cat food, the tyre shop, the meat shop and the Grocery store, but occasionally with checkout staff at the lager supermarkets and a petrol station we use on a regular basis when making our regular trips to Nicosia or Larnaca - for various reasons we usually make at least two trips from Limassol to Nicosia and one to Larnaca each week and this one is conveniently close to the highway. Cafes and restaurants too, if you are a reasonable regular. The service in shops is generally very good - except in some upmarket clothing stores where if there are two bewers behind the counter they will sometimes spend more time nattering to each other than dealing with the customer.

[Tim Drayton]

I don't really agree with the general platitude that 'everybody in Cyprus speaks English'. English is very widely spoken, and a lot of people are fluent in it it, yes, but to say that absolutely everybody here speaks fluent English is just not the case. For example, go to to the old covered municipal market in Limassol to buy fruit and vegetables and you will find that, of the remaining three vendors, one of them speaks excellent English, one of them has just a smattering and the third appears to have no English whatsoever.

[Camy07]

supporttheunderdog, always very helpful info from you. I will not buy a car for the first few months but then I will definitely buy a second hand car because I want to enjoy the whole island. Any suggestions on where, what type of car is better for Cyprus, what are the prices for used cars and any other useful info.
Tim I will definitely attend a basic course in Greek language just to be able to exchange some sentences when I deal with locals like vendors in shops and markets.
Due to my past job I've worked mostly in foreign countries so I am used to live in a country where I do not necessarily understand every word they speak. I have always made an effort to learn a bit of the local language.

[Tim Drayton]

Please note that the dialect of Greek spoken here differs considerably from standard Greek (although less than it once did, apparently).

[supporttheunderdog]

For S/H cars try a web-search. There are lots of websites offering cars eg Autotrader, etc, and lots of car dealers but only the bigger more switched on dealers seem to have websites with lists and prices. Simply due to lack of knowledge I cannot comment on any S/H dealer: Last two cars we got were new from the VW dealership. They were OK. Do not be be surprised that there is no price on the Screen in many show rooms. Prices for S/H cars can be higher than you might expect. Many cars are imported S/H by the traders from Japan or Singapore or UK. That costs. Some people buy and bring in from the UK on private basis and there are companies e.g. Algy's Autos that specialise in arranging this as in some cases it can be cheaper over all.

If you wish to explore the whole Island I would suggest something rugged with good ground clearance - many interior roads (but not the main ones between main villages ) are still loose surface or unsurfaced so can be quite rough in places and you can get to very nice places once on these roads. (Even some town roads can be very bumpy - not just from traffic calming measures)

We have a Skoda Yeti 1.6 TDI (2WD) which is very good in all respects and economical ( we average about 6.5L/100km and get closer to 5.5 L/100 on the Nicosia/Larnaca trips ) but I would have preferred 4WD for some trips. Other options are the "Duplo Cabino" type or the Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero type or Toyota RAV4 / Suziki Vitara type of SUV. That said with care (and ground clearance) you can get a normal saloon type car most places even on unmade roads, if it is dry. (I have ! )

Very soft/loose are the worst, ie gravelly river beds or sandy beaches. Got stuck in both! On steep wet mud the surface can break loose and you go sledging where wheels are not turning but the car is moving, and steering is ineffective. Had that happen too.

Enjoy.

[Camy07]

Great advice from you all. Thanks!

[supporttheunderdog]

Great advice from you all. Thanks!

More on shopping - We use the internet a lot to buy some items, in particular clothing, and Technology, from overseas. There can be quite a large Mark-up if one compares e.g. Marks and Spencer in the UK with Marks and Spencer in Cyprus: M and S do not in fact offer an online service to orderto here from the UK, probably as a term of the Franchising Agreements with the two companies who run the M and S in different parts of the ROC. Many of the companies which do ship here however (and you may have a favourite Italian site or two) may charge only a small amount per order - eg John Lewis I think charges GBP 6 to ship here, so it can be a very cost effective way to get things here, which are otherwise very highly priced, or not readily available. (For clothing we tend to buy in the sales - with growing girls up to a year in advance if the item is right.)

Same for technology though some sellers will not ship to Cyprus or the cost is high.

We will also shop around on different EU Amazon sites as prices/availability/willingness to ship to Cyprus are not always the same

For larger domestic electrical goods we tend to buy in the sales in Cyprus visiting half a dozen or so shops to see who has what we want at the best price.
(I am told that dock costs automatically mean an extra 8 to 10 Euro per Fridge or washing machine or similar "white goods" item)