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Pauline Read on Come to north Cyprus via Larnaca or Ercan?
A friend told me that it was quicker to get to Kyrenia if he went via Larnaca airport. I asked him to explain and he told me that the flight from the UK takes 4 hrs 30 minutes and the taxi takes 1 hr 30 minutes; 6 hrs in total. The same journey to Ercan was 5 hrs 45 minutes by air, including 1hr on the tarmac in Turkey. Add the 45 minute taxi journey and that makes 6hrs 30 minutes; 30 minutes longer.
For a moment I was ready to agree that it was better to fly to Larnaca until I thought about the cost. I decided that I’d try www.skyscanner.com and see what price a flight was from London to Cyprus. I chose Saturday 27th February to Saturday 6th March as an example.
Thomas Cook to Larnaca costs £142.08 and Pegasus to Ercan £167.97. The taxi one-way prices were roughly £40 from Larnaca and £20 from Ercan so that the total cost for a couple via Ercan would be £375 and via Larnaca £365. Hardly much of a saving. Car hire from airport to airport would make it slightly cheaper to travel from Larnaca if you used one of the car hire firms which allowed you to take a car to the north. In both cases the price would be around £120 for a 8-day hire, and that includes the extra insurance needed to cross into the north.
In the past I would say that travelling via Larnaca made sense, 30 minutes quicker and £10 cheaper, but in the light of recent events perhaps the sensible thing to do is fly via Ercan. As to where to spend a holiday, Eurozone or LovelyLiraLand, no contest!
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When you consider that some airlines do 99€ deals to Larnaca. eg, Easy Jet from LGW-LCA or Lufthansa FRA-LCA or MUC-LCA and compare to Turkish Airlines cheapest from Germany at 251€ then it makes sense to fly to the south. Especially as CTA have cancelled all German connections. Pegasus are relatively expensive and sometimes the “connecting” times in Turkey stretch into the best part of a day or involve transferring from Attaturk to Sabiha in Instanbul. Altough the last Easy Jet flight was not as cheap as expected. The offer was 49 GBP each way -20%. Ok a good deal on the face of it. Then 10 quid each way for the case and no food or drink and a scramble for seats in a full plane. Lufthansa 99€ including luggage 20 Kg and a hot meal plus drinks and I can reserve my seat online. A no brainer I’m afraid. When I can book CGN-ECN or DUS-ECN online with Turkish Airlines and see transparent pricing and flight times then maybe I’ll think differently. By the way, just to make it clear, I’m talking about return fares here.
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Fly to Ercan
1 the luggage is out quicker
2. Not lost if the Larnaca people know you are going north
3.On the return journey you can carry your proper UK allowance of duty free
4. The flights are at a better time originating in TRNC no silly early mornings starts or late night arrivals as with the darkside
5. hire a car from the darkside only Third Party cover trust your wealth at being under insured
6.Support people who support you
7. Don’t buy from people who would sue you for trespass no Dome coffee!!
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You have to take into account where you fly from in the UK if you want to include total travel time in the equation.
When we lived in Exeter it was only 15 mins to the airport and a flight to Larnaca. When we flew to Ercan we drove for 4 hours to Stansted. A lot further and a nail-biting stint on the M25 to boot.
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The article uses only London flights and for a random specific date, Saturday to Saturday. I was surprised how close the costs were. I’m sure that canny travellers who travel mid-week can get better deals and as Vaughan points out, there are few opportunities for Ercan flights from regional airports.
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Pegasus are currently doing Stanstead – Ercan for £75 ish each way if you book in advance. That is with sensible flight times going out on a Saturday returning on a Friday in March. Return tickets for 2 adults cost £291.57 including credit card charge. Did’t choose a seat and don’t know if you get fed. Departs Stanstead 12.40 pm arrives Ercan 20.30 pm if all goes to plan.
I have never used Easy Jet but I have heard a raft of complaints from friends using them both ways, who say they will never use them again. I have also spent nearly 5 hours waiting for cases in Larnaca once, not keen to repeat that experience, nor is my taxi driver to Girne.
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YS,
You keep going on about people breaking the law by entering by illegal ports, dealing in GC property, etc. I have entered by Larnaca and Ercan many times and have the TRNC stamps in my passport to prove it. Not once have I been challenged about illegal entry. Could you please enlighten us as to why these laws are not enforced by the “RoC”?
There seems very little point in making laws but not enforcing them.
Please try to stick to the point and refrain from abuse and rhetoric (some hope!).
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Yiannis,
How come, having entered through an illegal port of entry,
trespassed no matter where we stay, that the border
officials allow us to come and go as we please through the
many border check points, even selling us insurance for our
illegally imported cars and quite happily allow us to spend
our tainted money in your shops. Double standards or what??
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Robert
6. support people who support you.
I think you got that one wrong as far as ex pats are concerned.
Support the country you have chosen to live in would be
appropriate. You have only to see how many people have been
ripped off property wise to know the depth of feeling on that
subject with the government choosing to ignore the situation.
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first time me and my wife visited NC the only crossing point was in the capital, when we went through the police check point, we were told that we had to be back by 5, on no account get your passports stamped as this could cause problems entering roc again, and finally don’t spend any money there either, also GC’s were not allowed to cross over then. On our last vist to cyprus we went again to the NC, this time from a crossing closer to protaras. And going through the border crossing i was amazed at the number people going over, i’m not talking about tourists, but GC’s going over to do their shopping. I agree with VW why don’t ROC enforce it or even still stop every tourist going to visit NC via the south , yet more and more crossing are opening up, i’m afraid it’s not only politicians who are two faced,
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yiennia,You sure know how to encourage tourism !!
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YS,
I take on board what you are saying about the “RoC” being a small country with a finite prison resource that cannot throw every “scoundrel” into jail. What you fail to say is why your government doesn’t make a case, like the Orams, of one or two people to see what happens. I suspect you, like your government, knows full-well what would happen and that this is one can of worms you do NOT want to open.
You talk the talk, but you don’t walk the walk.
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The Orams would have to be in in Contempt of Court to be arrested
and since it is not their fault they have been unable to comply with the court ruling, that is not going to happen.
As for the other empty threats, well that is exactly what they are.
We spend too much money in their shops and on car insurance -
principles are ok as long they dont cost you lost revenue.
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it appears to be that GC’s and TC’s on both sides of the fence are queueing up to take people to court to get their prospective properties back, however i feel the GC government are being a bit one sided, they say all persons illegally occupying in the north must comply with the courts ruling, ie vacate the land demolish it and return it to the rightful owners, but at the same time tc’s who have won their case in the south are being told they can’t get their land back, ie because there is now an airport there plus other lands have been developed, so it will have to be on a compensatery basis. The GC’s who have property in the north they don’t want the money, just the property as do the TC’s. There seems to be a feeling of anti british sentiment going about cyprus these days. As a suggestion why don’t the GC government kick the british out of their base in acrotiri, at the end of the day it is cyprus soil taken from them by the british. By doing that they could demolish larnaca airport or parts of it and return it to their rightful owners
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There is no question of having to chase the Brits out.
The UK still needs the Sovereign Territory Base areas as a staging post whilst in Afghanistan, but once we have retreated, having fertilized that land with blood and discouraged world terrorism for about a week, they will be out as fast as they can go to more strategically advantageous locations. They are already trying to give it away and get out without too many compo payments to local base workers, it’s called forward planning. Turkey would be great for getting to Iran, but there again the whole of Greece would be cheaper to buy. Just as the USA does, we like to site our potential targets in someone else’s country.
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VW , the RoC DOES NOT WARRANT INVERTED COMMAS.
Apart from the occupying power and some cheapskate British yobs , YOU INCLUDED, every one else on this planet recognizes the legitimacy of the RoC.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Clive , do you ever wonder what happened to those 160 thousand plus G/Cs who fled in fear of their lives at the advancing Turkish military ?
Do you know how they feel about their ancestral homes towns and villages , land that the British cheapskates buy from unscrupulous criminals , do you blame them for despising the cheapskates ?
Tourism is welcomed in Cyprus , illegal entrants are trespassers .
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RG,
you have the feeling that the RoC is unfair ? The RoC has already stated they are returning the TC properties (and it’s not like they ever took them). Whats so unfair about that ? in any case it seems the RoC has no choice BUT to vacate these properties to their original owners. What larnaca airport? wtf are you talking about? There was more GC land apropriated than tc land to build it. and in any case they paid the tc off.
Your argument is as empty as your morals
let me repeat my previous post for all those of you who clicked on dislike. Pls feel free to do so again:
Regarding orams/writs/arrest warrants, RoC police has no choice other than to enforce court orders.
If a court judment has been made against anyone (orams or not orams related), the police executes writs/warrants on entry (or exit) at the airport.
It is NOT in the discression of the of the RoC DEA to execute these. The RoC goverment does not have juristiction over the execution of these. Our legal system works
So let there be no doubt, if you use RoC entry points, the law will be enforced.
So please, save the convesation comparing cypriot “airports” (ercan is illegal) and start thinking what moving company you are going to be using.
I think the way they deliver writs now is inside your passport, when it is returned back from the immigration officer
Ofcourse, better to get a writ than a court judgement delivery.
Enjoy your trip and safe travels.
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For the record, the Orams have tried to comply with the court
order, therefore no arrest warrant can or will be issued. they
are not in Contempt of Court the TRNC Government is in not allowing
them to comply with the order. Here’s an idea arrest President
Talat when he next attends talks in the South. Yeah, there’s
another pig with wings
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Do you think he’s upset?
Now where did I put my cart – watch out for my horse Yiannis
he’s not fussy who he s***s on.
Can I sell you some pegs, read your palm, who’ll buy my lucky heather??
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Now you go too far – insulting my domestic skills, I’ll have you
know, I sweep nothing under the carpet – I use my vacuum cleaner
and I would never get your head in the bag.
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polly.
noone is interested mr n mrs piggy. we are through with them.
noone wants them to demolish the villa. im sure mr a. can do that if he decides he doesnt want to keep the house.
and polly the only thing that surely does not fly anymore is thieving expats from RoC airports.
not even them are soooooo stupid.
and you know it
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Not my head Pollie and not your…boobies either !!!
Lets have a laugh by reprinting the ..offending to cheapratskates article :
“Love the way you ..cheapratskates rush to brush me under the carpet !! The truth hurts does it not , now that you have found out how bloody stupid you all were in buying stolen loot you best method of defencs is to bury your heads in the sand and hope that the nightmare will end soon !! Not on your pollie !!
Go on brush this one under the carpet !!
PS. You hate the fact that you have made fools of yourselves , are you all as ..glamorous by any chance as the Orams ? !!!!
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YS, how long is it since the invasion some 36 years now and , and what have the UN and the EU done for you in that time, other than say please leave cyprus you’ve broken one of our resolutions , did they threaten to force turkey out or sanctions, no! , maybe if all the countries at that time imposed some kind of sanctions against them it might have worked. I hear a lot of hype about illegal immigrants passing through your country to get to the north or vice versa, if all you people in the south are so upset by this, why are you all sitting about on your backsides doing SFA about it, sitting in cafes drinking coffee and smoking “oh i forgot smoking is banned now”, moaning groaning on websites as well. Isn’t time you all got yourselves organised and do something positive, get yourself heard, demonstrate block border crossings,airports, because the way things are progressing you could well be waiting another 36 years. and frankly all those tourist who do come to cyprus do you really think they give a toss who owns what. When turkey gave cyprus to britain in 1878 after ruling the country over 300 years, then the british kept it unofficially for some 47 years, then as a colony for another 35 years, give your forefathers their due they wanted their land back from the british, and they got it not by whinging and moaning but by positive actions, sadly which is lacking by some people these days, maybe with hindsight it would have been better for the island if the greek military junta had assassinated makarios and taken cyprus under there wing, things might have better under your greek cousins, certainly the british would have been kicked out by the greeks, isn’t history exciting!
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YS, i really do hope one day that people do get their lands back on both sides , but nobody seems to have a solution to the problem, nobody on both sides are willing to give an inch, all the european countries have stated they don’t recognise the north but that is far as it goes, no sanctions nothing. The last time i visited the north we visited the forbidden city our driver was a GC’s on the way there we stopped at this house, and he said this was my fathers house, and look at it now, he told us he approached the people who was occupying it at the time and how the building was in need of repair they’re reply was give us money and we’ll repair it, to me personally the UN and the EU have let you down, if nobody is prepared to force them out, who can!, even going to court doesn’t seem to solve anything these days. despite my feelngs for the eu and the euro we’ve had some good holidays in cyprus, maybe some day in the future there will be a solution to all of this
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Masta
You got that wrong – they do fly from Larnaca and they do
shop in the south as and when they wish. The stupid (greedy)
ones are your government who choose to turn a blind eye rather
than loose the revenue. Everyone is greedy in their own way.
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Polly,
You are wasting your time challenging YS to put into action what he loves to say in words. The day the GCs start arresting people for being “illegal” immigrants, etc., is the day I will take my hat off to him. He won’t answer the challenge because he knows that the truth of the matter is his gov has about as much bottle as he does.
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YS,
You are welcome to my vote!
We are still waiting for you to enlighten us why the RoC authorities do NOT exercise the laws they have passed.
You say you know why but you haven’t told us.
I repeat – what is the point in passing legislation on something you know you will not, on past history, enforce?
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Vaughan,
Don’t underestimate the authorities; they will enforce the law once they have worked out how to take a personal backhander out of it, but I am sure that they won’t descriminate. Carry a couple of packets of fags with you just in case.
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i agree 100% of what you say VW all talk no action, i can’t ever recall switching on the tv and hearing of mass demonstrations in cyprus, people blocking border crossings targeting airport where all these illegals come through, or lobbying their politicians, at least their forefathers had the guts to stand up for their convictions, if the people are blamiing the government for dragging their heeels, who was it that voted them in? Sadly it’s not just britain who have corrupt politicians
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