Kyrenia North Cyprus

Kyrenia (Girne) is the most famous and popular town in North Cyprus, it’s also where all visitors to the island are naturally drawn.

The town is built around the pretty horseshoe shaped harbour along which you’ll find many bars and restaurants and dominating which is the immense Byzantine castle.

The town sprawls out from the harbour and is home to a number of interesting museums and galleries, as well as being a hub for local tradesmen. The old town is located behind the harbour and if you wander along the rambling narrow streets you’ll come to small secret shops, cafes and restaurants some with tiny courtyards all tucked away in the shade of the buildings.

Take time out to explore the back streets from the harbour to the mosque and then if you fancy some shopping the main shops are all fairly centrally located with a few more springing up on the main Lapta road in recent years.

You’ll find banks, money exchange offices, souvenir shops, pharmacies, clothes shops, taxis, estate agencies, the odd pub, bar, cafe and restaurant all located in the centre of the town, and if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for just ask one of the many friendly shop keepers for directions.

Kyrenia’s harbour area is a natural draw, it’s so picturesque and viewing it and strolling around it for the first time is an unforgettable experience. The harbour side cafes and bars are great places for whiling away sunny hours and the visitor is afforded a great view of the small fishing vessels, tourist boats and occasional yachts that vie for position on the overcrowded quays.

At night, especially in the summer, the harbour is the place to be and to be seen! Expect great people watching possibilities, enjoy a leisurely dinner with family or a lively drink with friends.

Kyrenia castle is lit up beautifully in the night time and adds a stunning focal point to the whole harbour area. It dates back to the late 12th century and is believed to have been built on a former Roman fort. Today it’s an exciting visitor attraction and museum with its lofty heights free and unrestricted by guard rails for people to climb around...parents watch out because a lot of those edges really are unprotected!

Inside the castle is the famous shipwreck museum which houses one of the oldest ships ever recovered from the sea. It was raised just off the shore of Kyrenia, North Cyprus and has been beautifully preserved and offers an interesting attraction for visitors to the castle.

If you climb up on to the walls of the castle you can see the whole of the town beneath you and your back drop will be the stunning gothic-like Kyrenia mountain range. In front of the castle across the Mediterranean lies Turkey. The mainland is only 90km away and on a clear day you can see the coast and the mountains. You can sail across to Turkey from Kyrenia’s new harbour. The new harbour is situated just 2km east of the old harbour and receives many commercial vessels as well as passenger ships daily.

The town is small enough for visitors to easily walk around and it is perfectly located just 30 minutes drive from Nicosia (Lefkosia). It provides a great starting point for visitors to North Cyprus, in fact, once you arrive you might not want to leave. Many British have already made their home in and around Kyrenia and so if you do decide to stay you’ll be afforded a very friendly and familiar welcome.