Places
Places worth the trip — filter by area below.
Kyrenia and the north
Kyrenia harbour and castle, Bellapais Abbey, St Hilarion, mountain villages and Alagadi turtle beach.
Kyrenia and the northKyrenia Old HarbourA horseshoe harbour below the castle: old carob warehouses, fishing boats, seafood tavernas and the best sunset on the north coast.
Kyrenia and the northKyrenia Castle and Shipwreck MuseumA Byzantine, Lusignan and Venetian fortress holding one of the oldest merchant ships ever found, from the 4th century BC.
Kyrenia and the northBellapais AbbeyA 13th-century Gothic abbey high above the sea — one of the finest medieval buildings in the eastern Mediterranean.
Kyrenia and the northSt Hilarion CastleA fairy-tale castle on crags over 700 metres up — local legend says it inspired Disney’s Snow White castle.
Kyrenia and the northBuffavento CastleThe highest and wildest of the three mountain castles — almost 1,000 metres above the sea.
Kyrenia and the northAlagadi Turtle BeachTwo hotel-free sandy beaches where loggerhead and rare green turtles nest every summer.
Kyrenia and the northKarmi VillageA mountain village of white houses, bougainvillea and sea views — the quietest spot near Kyrenia.Nicosia
The old town behind Venetian walls: Selimiye Mosque, the Büyük Han and the crossing to the south.
NicosiaSelimiye Mosque (St Sophia Cathedral)The Gothic cathedral where Cyprus’s kings were crowned, a mosque with two minarets since 1570.
NicosiaBüyük Han – the Great InnAn Ottoman caravanserai from 1572: a two-storey gallery round a courtyard, a tiny mosque in the middle, cafés and crafts.
NicosiaOld Nicosia: walls, Kyrenia Gate and Ledra crossingEurope’s last divided capital: a ring of Venetian walls, an Ottoman gate and a pedestrian crossing right in the centre.Famagusta and the east
Famagusta behind its walls, ancient Salamis, closed Varosha and the long beaches of İskele.
Famagusta and the eastFamagusta Old Town and Lala Mustafa Pasha MosqueA fortress town behind Venetian walls: the Gothic St Nicholas Cathedral, ruins of dozens of churches and quiet lanes.
Famagusta and the eastOthello CastleFamagusta’s harbour citadel, linked with Shakespeare’s “Othello”, set “in a seaport in Cyprus”.
Famagusta and the eastAncient SalamisThe largest ancient city in Cyprus: marble columns of the gymnasium, a theatre, Roman baths and basilicas right by the sea.
Famagusta and the eastSt Barnabas MonasteryA monastery by the tomb of the Apostle Barnabas, founder of the Church of Cyprus — now an icon and archaeology museum.
Famagusta and the eastVarosha (Maraş) – the closed resortFamagusta’s former resort, fenced off since 1974; part of its streets has been open to visitors since 2020.
Famagusta and the eastLong Beach (İskele)A long sandy beach with a gentle slope and beach clubs — and North Cyprus’s fastest-growing residential area.Karpaz
The island’s wild “finger”: Kantara Castle, Golden Beach, wild donkeys and Apostolos Andreas.
KarpazKantara CastleThe easternmost of the three mountain castles — from its towers you see both coasts of the Karpaz peninsula.
KarpazGolden Beach, KarpazKilometres of wild sand and dunes at the tip of the island: no hotels, just sea, turtles and wild donkeys.
KarpazApostolos Andreas Monastery and Cape ZaferA pilgrimage site at the very tip of Cyprus, restored in the 2010s, and the cape where the island fades into a chain of rocks.
KarpazAyios Philon and DipkarpazRuins of an early Christian basilica and a 12th-century church right by the water, on the site of ancient Karpasia.The west
Güzelyurt’s orange groves, ancient Soli and Vouni Palace above Morphou Bay.
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