Top 10 Things to Do in North Cyprus, Ranked for Groups of Friends

How did we pick these ten? We are KARTAL, a tavla and PlayStation café in Famagusta, and we ranked this list the way friends plan a day out over a game: for groups. Things you do together beat things you only look at. Moving beats a museum. A swim beats a queue. The verdict under each entry is our own opinion — not a star rating, and not anybody else’s review.

1. Varosha by bike or e-scooter

Varosha (Kapalı Maraş) is the old resort quarter on Famagusta’s south edge, closed off by the Turkish army after 1974; nobody has lived there since. Part of it has been open to visitors since October 2020, and entry is free. You can rent a bike or an e-scooter at the gate. Visitors keep to the marked routes, go into no buildings, fly no drones and never photograph soldiers or military posts.

Our verdict: The top pick for a group that wants somewhere quite unlike anywhere else. If a fenced, empty town feels too heavy for a holiday, skip it. Go in the morning, before the heat, and give it two or three hours. Opening times shift between summer and winter; the notice at the entrance has them. Rules and history are in our Varosha guide.

2. Up to St Hilarion

St Hilarion Castle stands on the ridge above Kyrenia (Girne), the castle of the “Disney castle” legend. The roads of the Kyrenia range are winding, and parts of the castle have been under restoration.

Our verdict: For anyone with good shoes and a love of a view. If a lot of uphill walking wears you out, pass. Go early or late in the day, and keep half a day free counting the drive. Check that it is open before you set off. The rest of that coast is in our Kyrenia guide.

3. A road trip to Golden Beach in Karpaz

Golden Beach (Altınkum) is a long, wild stretch of sand in the national park area of the Karpaz peninsula. Wild donkeys roam the park. Sea turtles nest here from May to September. From Famagusta the drive is 1.5–2 hours.

Our verdict: Made for a group with a car and a good playlist. If you want shade, sunbeds and a beach bar, choose another beach. Leave early, take the whole day and carry water. Keep well clear of marked nests. Other beaches are in our beach guide.

4. Salamis, then a swim beside the ruins

Salamis is an ancient city-kingdom 8–9 km north of Famagusta: a gymnasium with a columned palaestra, Roman baths with mosaics, and a theatre with room, once, for some 15,000 people. A sandy beach sits right next to the ruins. Tickets are sold at the gate; fees and hours change.

Our verdict: For anyone who wants history and the sea in one afternoon. If columns leave you cold, just go for the beach. In summer, go in late afternoon, walk for two or three hours, then jump in. Details in our Salamis guide.

5. Othello Castle and the walled city

Othello Castle stands in Kaleiçi, Famagusta’s walled city, and reopened after restoration in 2015. Around it run 16th-century Venetian walls. Inside: the Namık Kemal Dungeon, ruined Gothic churches, and Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque, a Gothic church of the 1300s that was St Nicholas Cathedral before it became a mosque.

Our verdict: For everyone in Famagusta, and the best pick if you have no car. Tired of castles and churches? Just walk a loop of the walls. Go in the late-afternoon light and allow three or four hours. The whole town is in our Famagusta guide.

6. Kyrenia harbour

Kyrenia is where most of the north’s tourism happens, and its old harbour, shaped like a horseshoe, is the place everyone ends up. Beside it stands Kyrenia Castle. In its Shipwreck Museum lies a trading ship that went down around 300 BC, among the oldest ships ever brought up from the sea.

Our verdict: A good stop for a big group that likes to sit and watch the world go by. If you are after quiet, summer evenings here may be too busy. Go in the afternoon and allow two or three hours with the castle. More in our Kyrenia guide.

7. Walking across at Ledra Street

The Ledra Street crossing (Lokmacı) in Nicosia has been open to pedestrians since 2008. You show your papers on both sides. A Turkish citizen needs a passport and, as a rule, a Republic of Cyprus visa to go south.

Our verdict: For anyone who wants to see both faces of the island in one afternoon. If you hold a Turkish passport and no visa, this one is not for you. Go on a weekday, in daylight; half a day is enough. Crossings and rules are in our border guide.

8. Apostolos Andreas at the island’s tip

Apostolos Andreas monastery stands at the very tip of the Karpaz peninsula and has been restored. Dipkarpaz village and the Ayios Philon basilica are on the way.

Our verdict: For the group that wants to say “we went to the very end of the island”. If long drives bore you, skip it. Put it on the same day as Golden Beach and leave early. Check it is open before you go.

9. Buffavento Castle

Buffavento is one of the castles of the Kyrenia range, alongside St Hilarion and Kantara. The mountain roads up there are winding.

Our verdict: For anyone who has done St Hilarion and wants a quieter castle. If hills and hairpins are not your thing, leave this one out. In summer go early in the morning. Ask about opening and the road before you go.

10. Bellapais Abbey

Bellapais Abbey is a 13th-century Gothic abbey in the village of the same name — the village Lawrence Durrell wrote about in “Bitter Lemons”.

Our verdict: For a group that loves photos and wants an hour of calm. If you want action, go back up the list. Drop in late on your Kyrenia day; an hour is plenty.

Fitting the ten into a week

From a Famagusta base, the ten fall into four days:

• Famagusta day: Varosha in the morning (1), Salamis and a swim in the late afternoon (4), the walls and Othello Castle the next morning (5).
• Karpaz day: Golden Beach (3) and Apostolos Andreas (8) — leave early, come back late.
• Kyrenia day: St Hilarion (2), Buffavento (9), Bellapais (10) and the harbour at dusk (6). All four in one day is a stretch; pick two.
• Nicosia day: across at Ledra Street (7).

The days left over are for the sea, for sleep and for tavla at KARTAL.