North Cyprus Tourist Information

Visitors to Northern Cyprus are spoilt for choice when it comes to ‘things to do’ but there is a serious lack of centralised North Cyprus tourist information either online or off. Hopefully this article should give you a few ideas and point you in the right direction to find out more about what there is do here all year round.

Any visit to North Cyprus would be incomplete without a trip to the old harbour in Kyrenia. This pretty horseshoe shaped harbour is home to many pleasure crafts and tourist excursion boats...as well as the occasional amazing yacht in the summer.

If you pop down to the harbour by day you can book a diving trip, a parascending experience, or a cruise out to Escape or Turtle beach. You can then breakfast at any one of the many bars and restaurants who are at home on the harbour...in fact you can happily sit at one and while away the day, evening and night! My personal choices are Cafe 34 where you can sit with the ‘beautiful people’ and listen to fantastic music and people-watch all night, or Boaters Cafe which is the first establishment as you walk onto the harbour and which is home to some very friendly staff.

Just before you get to the harbour you’ll walk past Kyrenia’s tourist information office and at the other end of the harbour is Kyrenia castle, another must see, must do attraction. And if you have a love of castles there are St. Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara to visit as well. This trio of crusader castles are incredible examples of Lusignan Gothic building and will take the breath away from the visitor as they are perched so precariously high, high above the towns and villages of Northern Cyprus affording the visitor unrivalled views.

For those who prefer to soak up the sun by day you can head East up the Karpas Peninsula to the remote and stunning sandy beaches including the 7km Golden Beach and Malibu Beach; or if you prefer to stop off on the way you could also try Lara beach and then Alagadi (or Turtle) beach as well...both are located East of Kyrenia and before you reach Esentepe. Lara and Turtle beaches have cafes nearby where you can purchase essential beach fare - namely ice creams and beer! If you want a more lively scene then consider Escape beach which is to the West of Kyrenia or Club Acapulco to the East...note that those hotels (like Acapulco) who have private access to beaches sometimes charge non-residents a small fee to go onto them.

During the Spring there are many organised treks in the mountains and flower and orchid walks, these are often advertised in the Green Jacket Bookshop in Kyrenia and in the local English language newspaper Cyprus Today which comes out on Saturdays. Green Jacket Bookshop is also an excellent place to pick up Cyprus history books and maps and even a North Cyprus restaurant guide or a walking tour book as well.

If you want some aqua fun there’s plenty going on at Escape beach or in Lapta and there’s also a water park called Octopus Aqua Park on the road from Ozankoy to Catalkoy...all have the added bonus of bars onsite for parents to escape to!

If you’d like a spot of culture you’re truly spoilt and I’m not sure where to start! You have the famous Bellapais Abbey, Lawrence Durrell’s house and the Tree of Idleness up in Bellapais behind Ozankoy. You have the Icon, Folk Art and Ship Wreck museums in Kyrenia, the Venetian Walls and Othello’s Tower in Famagusta and of course Salamis. If you want stunning scenery then you can simply stand still and look all around you! You have the breath taking Kyrenia mountain range, the Mediterranean sea, the tiny Cypriot whitewashed villages, the olive, carob and citrus groves...and in the Spring the lush greenery and pretty flowers that abound.

If shopping is your sport then you can buy well price jewellery and clothes in North Cyprus as well as pretty hand embroidered items, pottery, Turkish delight and lots of genuine fake (!) items from Rolex watches to Gucci handbags. Some of the copies are so close to the original that they probably are the original whereas some are poor cousins...but whatever your budget you’ll afford treats for yourself and your family and friends back home. Near the main Mosque in the centre of Lefkosa (Nicosia) there’s an outdoor and indoor market where you can bag many a bargain as well, and where you’ll find plenty of coffee shops tucked away to refresh you in your hunt for the best bargains.

For the active tourist among you, you can go horse riding, quad biking, cycling, snorkelling, swimming, diving, jet-skiing, climbing, trekking, parascending and dancing! For the animal lovers you can visit the Karpas donkeys on the peninsula - these are big feral donkeys who maraud about the place eating crops apparently! But they are free to roam and you’re free to visit them. You can also join organised groups to see the very rare turtles here. We have green turtles and extremely vulnerable logger head turtles, also known as caretta caretta. They love Cyprus as much as you will but you have to be incredibly respectful of their nesting grounds. Unfortunately they like to nest on the same beaches you like to sunbathe on so please don’t dig your sandcastles too deep or bury the tip of your beach umbrella too far from the seashore as you might accidentally crush or unearth precious eggs! There are environmental groups here all summer long protecting the turtles though and they invite a select number of visitors to visit the nesting grounds at night when the turtles come in to lay their eggs - again, they advertise and write all about their work in Cyprus Today. Fauna-wise watch out for the cats and dogs who wander the streets and roads freely...they generally stay out of the way of tourists but if in doubt leave them alone as if they feel threatened they might growl or scratch and the last thing you want when on holiday is a trip to the doctor! In the mountains you’ll find goat and sheep herds, butterflies and many birds, and if you want to help the local wildlife population you can head out to Kyrenia Animal Rescue and take a rescued puppy for a much appreciated walk!

In each main town you’ll find a small North Cyprus tourist information office where you can get information and opening times of main attractions and where you’ll find all the latest brochures relating to events and festivals and most of the main hotels have stacks of literature about what there is to do and see in Northern Cyprus...ensuring that your every waking moment will be filled with possibilities.