North Cyprus Travel Guide: A Six-Day Plan from Famagusta

Six days, one base, a car and a few friends. That is the whole plan. We are KARTAL, a tavla and PlayStation café in Famagusta, and we wrote this the way we would plan a week for our own friends: one big thing a day, a swim when it gets hot, and free time after. Swap the days around as you like. Only Day 0 has to come first.

Day 0: land and sort the basics in one go

Most visitors land at Ercan, the north’s airport, and flights reach it only through Türkiye. Ercan to Famagusta is about 50 km, roughly 40–50 minutes by car. Shuttle, taxi and transfer options are in our Ercan guide. Want to see both halves of the island? Then the honest advice is to fly into Larnaca instead.

Once the bags are down, get these done:

• Money: the Turkish lira. Exchange offices (döviz bürosu) beat hotel rates. Cards work in most restaurants and supermarkets; small cafés and markets want cash. Prices move with the lira.
• Phone: EU roaming rules stop at the north. A British or EU number may cost international rates here, so look at your plan first. The two local networks are Telsim and Kuzey Kıbrıs Turkcell; a local card or an eSIM both work.
• Plugs: UK-style three-pin sockets, 230 V. Pack an adapter.
• Clock: the same time zone as the south, with summer time.
• Emergencies: 112 for an ambulance.
• Papers: a passport, or an ID card for EU and Turkish citizens. The details are in our entry guide.

Day 1: Famagusta’s walled city

Day one is on foot. Start inside the Venetian walls, in Kaleiçi. Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque began life as St Nicholas Cathedral, Gothic and 14th century, where Lusignan kings took the crown of Jerusalem. Walk on to Othello Castle, restored and reopened in 2015 — yes, the Shakespeare one. Then the Sea Gate, the Land Gate (Ravelin), the Namık Kemal Dungeon where the Ottoman poet was held, and ruined Gothic churches such as St George of the Greeks. It is all close together.

Famagusta is a student town. Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), founded in 1979, brings tens of thousands of students, so food is affordable and nights run late. Wrap the day up with a few games of tavla at KARTAL. More of the town is in our Famagusta guide.

Day 2: Salamis, then the sea

Salamis lies 8–9 km north of town, on the coast. For centuries it was the island’s chief city, until earthquakes and Arab raids in the 7th century ended that. See the gymnasium with its columned palaestra and statues, the Roman baths with their mosaics, and the theatre that once seated about 15,000. Give it two to three hours. In summer, go early or late and wear a hat. Tickets are sold at the gate; fees and hours change, so check first.

Then walk down to the sandy beach right beside the ruins. On the way back, stop at St Barnabas Monastery, with its icons and archaeology museum, and at the Royal Tombs. All of it is in our Salamis guide.

Day 3: Varosha by bike, then the town beaches

Varosha (Kapalı Maraş) is the old resort quarter on Famagusta’s south edge, fenced off by the Turkish army after 1974 and empty ever since. Part of it opened to visitors in October 2020. Entry is free. Bikes and e-scooters are hired at the entrance, and that is the best way to cover the marked routes. The rules are strict: stay on the routes, go into no buildings, take nothing away, fly no drones, and never photograph soldiers or military or UN posts. Hours change with the season, so read the board. The UN calls for its return; it is a sensitive place, so visit with respect. More in our Varosha guide.

Afterwards, cool off at Palm Beach beside the fence, or at Glapsides, the town beach near EMU.

Day 4: Kyrenia, Bellapais and St Hilarion

Kyrenia (Girne) is the north’s main tourist hub, about 25 km from North Nicosia. The Nicosia–Kyrenia highway is a dual carriageway; the roads over the Kyrenia range are winding. Keep left, and give way to the right on roundabouts. Walk the horseshoe old harbour, then go into Kyrenia Castle. Its Shipwreck Museum holds a merchant ship that sank around 300 BC, one of the oldest ever recovered.

In the afternoon, head up to Bellapais Abbey, Gothic and 13th century, in the village Lawrence Durrell wrote about in “Bitter Lemons”. Energy left? St Hilarion Castle sits on the ridge above town. Some of it has been closed for restoration work, so ask before you drive up. The full picture is in our Kyrenia guide.

Day 5: Karpaz, all the way to the tip

The long panhandle in the north-east is a 1.5–2 hour drive from Famagusta. The road is the day: long, empty and through a national park. Golden Beach (Altınkum) is long and wild, with wild donkeys in the park area. Sea turtles nest there from May to September, so stay off the marked nests. At the very tip stands Apostolos Andreas monastery, restored; check that it is open. Dipkarpaz village and the Ayios Philon basilica are on the way. Leave early and carry water. For the sand, see our beach guide.

Day 6: Nicosia, both sides on foot

End the week in Nicosia. Park in the north and walk across at Ledra Street (Lokmacı), open to pedestrians only since 2008. Show your passport or ID on both sides. A Turkish citizen needs a passport to go south and, as a rule, a Republic of Cyprus visa, so check the Republic’s rules first. Flew into Ercan? The Republic treats it as an illegal port of entry. Every crossing and its rules are in our border guide.