Cyprus (Turkish) » Getting to Lefkosa

 An approximate flight time to Lefkosa from London is 5 ½ hours.

By Air

All visitors to Northern Cyprus will need to pass through TRNC immigration, which is fairly painless. Citizens of the European Union, the US, Japan and most other industrialized countries get a visitor visa issued free of charge at the border or green line crossing point. Others will need to apply at "representative offices" (the TRNC has no embassies outside Turkey) in London or Washington D.C.

When passing a Green Line checkpoint, TRNC immigration will stamp a piece of paper instead of your passport. When arriving at an air- or seaport immigration official will do so on request, although TRNC stamps are no longer a major problem for later visits to Greece or Cyprus. After the accession of Cyprus to the European Union, the restrictions on travel to the north have been lifted.

Scheduled flights on Cyprus Turkish Airlines connect to various destinations in Turkey, as do those on Turkish Airlines. Charter flights are also available with the Turkish carriers Onur Air, Fly Air, Atlas Jet and World Focus Airlines. As of 2005, it is possible to fly to either of the airports in southern Cyprus (Larnaca is closer) and take a taxi to the north, crossing near Nicosia. It is best to have a travel operator arrange for a taxi from the north to collect you, since most Greek Cypriot taxi drivers may not be willing to take tourists to the north.

By Road

You can enter the North with a rented car from the South at any one of the border crossing points. You will need to purchase insurance for the North at the border, as the companies in the South do not provide cover in the North. You can cross by foot at the Ledra Palace crossing point in Nicosia. This crossing point is for pedestrians only, so if you are travelling by car you will need to use one of the other crossing points.

By Sea

Frequent ferry services operated by Fergün Shipping connect Kyrenia to Alanya and Tasucu in Turkey. There are occasional ferries to other destinations in Turkey as well.