Cyprus

Is Cyprus safe to visit?

Yes, for an ordinary beach or city holiday. In 2024 Cyprus recorded 0.93 intentional homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in the area the Republic controls, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says crime against tourists is not common. The US State Department rates the country Level 1. We score Cyprus 84, a little above Greece and well above Turkey.

The score is lower than Cyprus's crime figures alone would suggest, for two reasons: the war in the Middle East has already reached the island once, and summer wildfires can be deadly. The FCDO also rates local driving as poor. The island is also split in two, which changes the rules on where you can go and who can help you.

The Middle East war and Cyprus

Cyprus is about 200 km from Lebanon and hosts two British military bases, Akrotiri and Dhekelia. When the US and Iran went to war on 28 February 2026, that mattered. Just after midnight on 2 March a drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, near Limassol. Cypriot officials said it was an Iranian-made Shahed, probably launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon, and that the base, not Cyprus itself, was the target. There was limited damage and no casualties, and two more drones that day were intercepted. Commercial flights were heavily disrupted at the start of the war, according to the US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary.

The US and Iran agreed a memorandum of understanding on 17 June 2026. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary still describes the situation as unpredictable and warns that events in the region make protests likely in Cypriot cities. The Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary 2026 dropped Cyprus nine places to 80th of 163. Keep your plans flexible, register for FCDO or US embassy alerts, and avoid taking photos near military sites, which can get you arrested.

Crossing to the north

Cyprus has been divided since 1974. The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, governs the south; the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey, runs the north. A UN buffer zone, the Green Line, separates them and runs through the middle of Nicosia. Police and UN peacekeepers enforce it strictly, and the US advises against entering it anywhere other than a designated crossing point.

Crossing is easy and common. Many visitors walk through at Ledra Street in Nicosia with a passport. What to know:

• If you enter through the north, for example via Ercan airport, the Republic treats it as illegal entry. You can be fined or refused entry to the south.
• Cars hired in the Republic usually have no insurance in the north. Some crossings sell it.
• The UK can only give limited consular help in the north, and local authorities do not tell the British High Commission about British nationals they detain.
• Fertility and surrogacy clinics in the north are not regulated the way they are in the UK, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns.

Wildfires and heat

This is the most serious natural risk. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says wildfire risk is high from April to October. On 23 July 2025, in 43°C heat, a fire broke out in the hills north of Limassol, burned about 100 km² and killed two people who were trapped in their car while trying to escape. Several villages were evacuated.

Make sure your phone can receive Cyprus emergency alerts, and if you rent a villa in the Troodos foothills or Akamas, know two ways out. Cyprus also has occasional earthquakes; know what to do if one strikes.

Roads

Cyprus drives on the left, which helps British visitors and confuses others. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 3.9 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, a low rate by world standards. ETSC counted 45 deaths in 2025, 46 per million people, a little above the EU average. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says driving standards are poor and enforces the basics with heavy fines: seat belts for every passenger, helmets on motorbikes, no phone at the wheel, no drink-driving.

Quad bikes and mopeds are popular in Ayia Napa and Protaras, and hire firms often give only third-party insurance and may ask for your passport as a deposit, which is illegal. Refuse, and photograph the vehicle before you ride.

Crime and nightlife

Crime against tourists is not common. The risk the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary flags is drink spiking, including with GHB, and drug-assisted rape in resort nightlife. Cyprus also has zero tolerance for drugs, including laughing gas, and airports scan bags in transit.

How we scored it

Violent crime (93) is the strongest factor, with a homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary under 1 per 100,000. Natural hazards (68) is the weakest, because of deadly summer wildfires. Conflict (74) is lower than for most EU countries because of the March 2026 drone strike and the regional war, Road safety (90) is scored on WHO's 2021 estimate of 3.9 deaths per 100,000, at the bottom of the top band, because the 2025 count was a little above the EU average.