Best Beaches in North Cyprus, Month by Month

The beach season in North Cyprus is long, and every month has a different beach worth your time. This page goes through the year one month at a time: when to swim, when to walk, and which stretch of sand suits that month. Temperatures are averages for Famagusta (Gazimağusa). For more on the climate, see our weather guide.

January to March: walking weather

Winter is mild but wet. Too cold for most swimmers, which leaves the sand almost empty.

January

The coolest month, with a daily mean around 13 °C. Most of the year’s rain falls between December and February. The water is cold, but the beach is all yours. Glapsides, the town beach near EMU, is a good place for a windy afternoon walk.

February

The sea hits its low point, about 17 °C. Brave? Take a quick dip. Not brave? Get your feet wet and call it a win. It is a good month to explore the ruins of Salamis and then walk the beach right beside them, with hardly anyone around. More in our Salamis guide.

March

The rainy spell is ending. North of Famagusta, the Bafra and İskele coast, with its resorts and Long Beach at İskele, is ready for long walks along the shore. The water is still cool: bring good shoes rather than a towel.

April to June: the season opens

Spring is the best time of year for getting around, and by May the sea joins in.

April

One of the best months for walking and sightseeing, and the perfect moment for the drive to Karpaz and Golden Beach (Altınkum), about 1.5–2 hours from Famagusta. Expect a long, wild beach and wild donkeys roaming the national park area. Go before the heat sets in.

May

The sea is now warm enough for a comfortable swim, and the season opens. So does turtle season: green and loggerhead turtles nest from May to September. On Golden Beach, keep well away from marked nests. Alagadi, the Turtle Beach east of Kyrenia, closes at night in nesting season, so read the sign at the entrance.

June

A good month to try the Kyrenia side: Escape Beach, Acapulco, Kervansaray. You will mostly see lifeguards on hotel beaches and managed ones, so think twice before swimming far out at a quiet cove. Some northern beaches fly the Blue Flag. For the rest of Kyrenia, see our Kyrenia guide.

July to September: hot sea, hot sand

In summer the sun is the main event. When you go matters more than where.

July

Afternoon highs reach 33–36 °C. Hit the beach early or late, and spend midday in the shade. The beach inside Varosha can be used as well; for a swim in front of the empty hotels, choose the cool of the morning. The rules are in our Varosha guide.

August

The warmest sea of the year, about 28 °C, with a daily air mean around 29 °C. Rather than baking on the sand for hours, get in the water often. Want to stay close to town? The Famagusta side has plenty: Palm Beach sits right beside the Varosha fence, and Silver Beach is on this coast too.

September

The summer heat starts to ease while the sea stays warm. Turtle nesting ends in September, but keep an eye out for marked areas on Golden Beach until the month is out. Sightseeing and swimming fit into one day again.

October to December: last swims

Autumn is when the crowds leave and the warm sea stays.

October

For us, the best sea month of the year: warm water, quiet beaches, a gentler sun. Alagadi’s night rule still applies in October, so go in daylight.

November

The sea is still around 22–23 °C. Swimming is comfortable until early November, and the season winds down as the month goes on. Take your last swim at Glapsides or on the beach beside Salamis.

December

The rainy season begins. Swimming is over, but the beach is not: a winter walk at Kervansaray or Glapsides is still a pleasure. One note: Lara Bay is not in North Cyprus but in the south, near Paphos, so don’t look for it up here. For a rainy evening, KARTAL is a tavla and PlayStation café in Famagusta.