KYRENIA (Girne): Kyrenia (Girne) is the most famous and popular city in North Cyprus, it’s also where all visitors to the Island are naturally drawn. The city is built around the pretty horseshoe shaped harbour along which you’ll find many bars and restaurants.

Places to go in Kyrenia:

The Kyrenia Museum of Folk Art
Archangelos Mikhaeil Icon Museum
Agha Cafer Pasha Mosque
Ancient Graveyard of Girne
St Hillarion Castle
Bellapais Abbey
Buffavento Castle
Antiphonitis Monastery
Alevkayasi and Herbarium
Soup Magar Monastery/ Armenian Monestry
Tekke of Hazreti Omer
Vrysi Neolithic settlement place
Lambusa Antique City
Lapta

The old city is located behind the harbour with small shops, cafes and restaurants. You’ll find banks, money exchange offices, pharmacies, clothes shops, estate agencies, the odd pub, bar, cafe and restaurant which all located in the centre of the city. 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 best place to be seen! You can 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. 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 city 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 fromNicosia (Lefkosia). It provides a great starting point for visitors to North Cyprus, in fact, once you arrive you might not want to leave.