Hi All,

I hope this post is okay here. We are a young couple, M30 and F29 and considering a short winter getaway in the beginning of December to Paphos.

We live in northern Europe where summers are around 20-25 degrees warm and 18-19 and above is sort of considered a beach weather…

Therefore we think that during this trip we can combine hiking, sightseeing, seeing mythological and archaeological sights and trying local foods.

Is there anything we should know about? We will fly in with Ryanair and are looking for hotels on [booking.com](https://booking.com) that have good ratings.

What are the typical foods on Cyprus and what is a normal price for a dinner at a restaurant? Nothing fancy, we are both just starting off our adult lives, so not considering Michelin star restaurants – rather something the locals would consider.

Do you think that people used to a Nordic climate can actually enjoy an afternoon of swimming in the sea in the first week of December? Or should we expect it to be very rainy?

Will we get by with English? Is Paphos predominantly Greek-speaking?

Any insights and tips are super welcome so we can be prepared for this trip. We already know about having to buy British style electric plugs.

Is hitch hiking a thing (around cities) and are taxis affordable?

We only go for 3 days and don’t plan to rent a car for cost-saving reasons. Hope to walk to most places or take public transport 🙂

Thank you!!!

3 comments

  1. >What are the typical foods on Cyprus and what is a normal price for a dinner at a restaurant? Nothing fancy, we are both just starting off our adult lives, so not considering Michelin star restaurants – rather something the locals would consider.

    A gyros or souvlaki in pita with salad in a fast food place is around €6. A similar portion in a plate is around €10. An “affordable” restaurant will cost you from about €20 per person + drinks, which can be as affordable or expensive as you like.

    >Do you think that people used to a Nordic climate can actually enjoy an afternoon of swimming in the sea in the first week of December? Or should we expect it to be very rainy?

    I am not Nordic and successfully swam on the 1st of December. It really depends on the year, sometimes winters are cold and sometimes they’re not. On average, I’d say that the sea will be sufficiently warm during the 1st week of December, but you have to make sure to bring towels and a change of clothes, as winds will be coldish and leaving the water will be unpleasant, and extended exposure to the wind may lead to a nice cold.

    >Will we get by with English? Is Paphos predominantly Greek-speaking?

    You will be fine with English, no issues with it whatsoever.

    >Any insights and tips are super welcome so we can be prepared for this trip. We already know about having to buy British style electric plugs.

    Beware of taxis, they’re quite scammy 🙂

    >Is hitch hiking a thing (around cities) and are taxis affordable?

    See above.

    >We only go for 3 days and don’t plan to rent a car for cost-saving reasons. Hope to walk to most places or take public transport 🙂

    Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get very far using public transport, as it is notoriously shit in Cyprus.

  2. > Any insights and tips are super welcome so we can be prepared for this trip. We already know about having to buy British style electric plugs.

    There are adaptors being sold everywhere because many appliances are sold with euro plugs here. The best you can bring with you is a regular multi-socket extension cord (a power strip, or whatever you call that thing) with euro plug and sockets and then just buy one adapter (even at the airport) to be able to plug this thing in. Then you can use it for everything you bring with you.

    > We only go for 3 days and don’t plan to rent a car for cost-saving reasons. Hope to walk to most places or take public transport 🙂

    Forget about public transport, and I’m not sure what would be cheaper: taxis or a rental car. Taxis are expensive here. Everyone using cars here. I also had this idea of carless life (I’m not on a trip though, I’m immigrating), but gave up it almost immediately. Paphos is not very pedestrian-friendly at all and public transport is very spotty and unreliable.

    Renting a car would be a very, very good idea.

Leave a Reply