Perfect holiday destination: Cyprus

Cyprus is third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which is placed very close to three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. Before it became an independent country, it was being ruled by the British. Because of this historic link, it has become a very popular destination for holiday makers from Great Britain.
It has a rich history starting from the Neolithic period. It has been under the control of Greeks, Romans, Venetians and the Turks. Finally, it was ruled by the British till its independence. The tourists to the island will be able to visit the old churches and monasteries of Byzantine period, palaces and castles built during the period of the Crusades and Frankish Lusignans and also city walls built during Venetian rule.
The biggest reason of popularity of Cyprus as a holiday destination is because of its weather and its beaches. It enjoys more than 300 days of glorious sun shine in a year. It has a very mild Mediterranean weather. Temperature in winter rarely goes below 18° C. The weather is the main factor making the tourists to come back to Cyprus year after year.
Cyprus is very popular with British travelers as a holiday destination, because they do feel they are still at home because people in Cyprus speak in English as it is their second language. All the road signs are in Greek and English and the vehicles drives to the left of the road as in UK. This is all because Cyprus was under British rule till 1960 when it became an independent nation.
People visit the island to enjoy the sunshine and beaches as well as its culture. Those visiting Northern Cyprus will be enjoying similar amenities here too. Because tourism in Northern Cyprus is less developed and not so popular, tourists to these places would enjoy quieter and more private holiday. But, the authorities are trying to develop tourist potentials of this region and so, before long, enjoying such a holiday will become a thing of the past.
The other attraction of this island is that it provides you many sandy beaches along with private bays where one can enjoy all the sun shine and the sea.
Those who are interested to know about the rich cultural heritage of the islands, there are many excursion trips arranged to visit all these interesting places.
Unfortunately, this country is now divided between Turkish ruled administration in the north and Greek Cypriot ruled administration in the south.
The details of some of the towns you may visit are given below:
Nicosia
It is called Lefkosia in Greek and Lefkosa in Turkish. It is the capital city for both the administrations.
Old Nicosia in the southern part of the city houses some of best museums in Cyprus. This area also has small, charming streets having traditional shops and cafes. In northern Nicosia, you may visit Selima mosque, which was originally built as St Sophia Cathedral built in 1228, and converted as a mosque in 1570.

Larnaca
This is known to be the oldest sea port of Cyprus. Though, most of the town is modern, remains of the ancient period can also be seen here. One of such place is Kition which has a history since 13th century BC. The place has an Archaeological Museum showing some of the remains of that period. But, Pierides Foundation Museum is more well known. Other places of interest include 10th Century Church of St Lazarus and a 17ch Century Turkish fort.
Limasol
It is the island's second biggest town. It is old port town. The town has a medieval castle where Richard the Lionhearted got married to Princess Berengaria of Navarre. To the west of the town, there is a salt lake in Akrotiri peninsula, which attracts flamingos in the winter.