Cyprus · NORTHERN CYPRUS TOURS
Day trips from the south cross at a checkpoint, so bring a passport and expect the coach to wait. The 15 below run to Famagusta, Kyrenia and St Hilarion, with prices, crossing times and how long you actually get at each stop.
Explore abandoned Famagusta from Protaras or Ayia Napa, with border views, old-city history, hotel pickup, and a personal local guide.
“Highly recommend the tour. It was sad & frustrating to see a beautiful town left that way. It’s a great loss’s to society. No one is a winner here.”
Review of the full-day Famagusta tour from Paphos, with Salamis ruins, medieval landmarks, Varosha, border tips, costs, and honest drawbacks.
“Excellent day, our guide was kind and informative. Loved Salamis ruins amazing and guide gave us great information. Varosha very sad, also to see beautiful cathedral in famagusta bare, in poor condition and turned into a mosque Bring change for toilet once you get to Turkish side as they charge to use them. Maybe a suggestion for Tour to include lunch option at extra price as I and some others on tour felt overcharged by restaurants in Famagusta (I want to stress this had nothing to do with the tour, absolutely no fault on their part)”
Explore Varosha from Ayia Napa by red bus, with guided history, two hours to walk or swim, and practical tips on passports, pickup, and value.
“Great guides, very british. Verosha is a very sobering but interesting experience! Would recommend!!”
Explore North Nicosia on a small-group walk through the Green Line, Ottoman courtyards, markets, mosques, and the historic Büyük Han.
“We genuinely found this tour really interesting and informative. Our guide, Nelin, was very friendly and accommodating to the group. We got so much more than just seeking to explore the area on our own. So glad we did this and well worth the money.”
Review of the Paphos to Famagusta day tour, with Salamis ruins, Varosha Ghost Town, border tips, timing, price, and honest advice.
“This trip was educational and emotional. Our guide Eva, not only knows the history she was telling us about, she has lived through it. She was relaying her very personal and detailed tragic experiences she's gone through during an illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkey and beyond. It was a long day but theres plenty of stops for refreshments and eats. All credit goes to both Eva, our guide and Yani our driver who gave us a comfortable safe ride.”
Review of a private Kyrenia and Bellapais tour from Nicosia, with castle history, harbour views, local guiding, hotel transfers, and practical tips.
“I visited Cyprus for the second time this year. As I decided to get acquainted with the northern part of the island, I pre-booked a private tour to Kyrenia and Bellapais Abbey. The trip was led by Mrs. Sirin Suha. It was a spectacular half-day tour to amazing sites. And Mrs. Sirin was a wonderful companion - she speaks English perfectly, knows her job very well, and knows Cyprus and its history very well too. Therefore, immediately after that, we arranged an excursion to the medieval city of Famagusta and to the Troodos mountains. The last trips left a great impression not only because of the uniqueness of the objects…”
Explore St. Barnabas, Salamis, medieval Famagusta, and Varosha on a private seven-hour Cyprus day trip from Kyrenia.
“Sirin was an absolute joy to spend the day with. I had known a littl bit of history regarding North Cyprus, but she went above and beyond in explaining the history surrounding the ghost town (my highlight of the trip) as well as the other sites we saw. I highly recommend this tour. It’s a must see when visiting Cyprus, and with Sirin you won’t be disappointed!”
Review of a private Kyrenia tour from Nicosia, covering St. Hilarion, Bellapais, Kyrenia Castle, harbor, lunch, and practical tips.
“I had a wonderful tour guide, Sedat, whose knowledge of Northern Cyprus, it's history, and culture was fabulous. I had returned to Cyprus, where I once lived, for the first time in 63 years. I got to see Kyrenia Harbor where we had a house, Kyrenia Castle and St Hilarion's where my family visited often. Not only was it a great tour, but it was a walk down memory lane. Sedat was very supportive and encouraging in making sure I got to see the places that were important to me.”
Explore Famagusta, cross into northern Cyprus, and swim at the Blue Lagoon on a small-group jeep and boat tour from Protaras.
“We had George Michael as our driver/guide who was incredible. Looked after us and ensured we had an amazing day, extremely informative and passionate about his delivery of the tour. It started off with an incredibly insightful but sad history of Famagusta and a tour of the walled city, giving a view into the history of the divide of Cyprus. It ended with a wonderful boat trip with 2 swimming spots and BBQ lunch was excellent. Highly highly recommend.”
Explore Famagusta, Salamis, Bellapais, and Kyrenia on a private North Cyprus tour with hotel pickup, guide, and flexible pacing.
“Cemal is very knowledgeable and explain the history of Cyprus. we had a pleasant trip. Really like the old monuments and heritage of north Cyprus.”
Explore Famagusta, Salamis, St. Barnabas, and Varosha on a private Cyprus day tour from Larnaca with transport and hotel pickup.
“We were fortunate enough to be able to take this tour from Limassol at extra cost. Our driver was very experienced, and although he provided much information, did not act as a guide, so we visited the locations ourselves. Given the venues this was not adverse. All the area is in the Turkish north of Cyprus so passports were necessary, and while there can be very long delays/queues at the border, this was January, so it was quiet. Although memorable it cannot for us be described as enjoyable, since the experience of visiting Varoche (now Maras) the up market area of Famagusta, and its desecration, now decaying after 57 years…”
Tour North Cyprus from Ayia Napa, with Salamis ruins, St Barnabas, Varosha, Famagusta, and practical border-crossing tips.
“The tour was well planned and managed, and the guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave a really good insight into the past and more recent history of Cyprus”
Review of a private Nicosia and Kyrenia tour with St Hilarion Castle, Bellapais, Kyrenia Harbour, Great Han, tea, and local guiding.
“Gemma was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. She was very friendly , easy to talk to and very accommodating and responsive to my tour preferences . I can highly recommend the tour as it was very interesting and enjoyable and enabled me to see a part of Cyprus I had wanted to visit very much.”
Explore Salamis, Famagusta, Varosha, and North Nicosia on a private Kyrenia tour with lunch, entrance fees, and hotel pickup.
“Sedat picked us up at a hotel near our Airbnb in Alsancak and first drove us to eastern North Cyprus, on the way providing information on North Cyprus history not only from his perspective as a schoolteacher, but also as a resident who'd lived through the 1974 war. He patiently answered all our questions, no matter how arcane. He's the sort of tour guide we always hope to find. The tour itself includes lunch and all admission fees so there's no additional cost.”
Review of the Kyrenia Mountain Villages tour, with St Hilarion Castle, Bellapais Abbey, six-wine tasting, and Kyrenia Harbour.
“A day before departure we were advised of changes to the program. We accepted but the next day apparently realized the company combined our program with that of another 2 passengers traveling on a different program. Overall what we did was OK but by combining us with the others the biggest problem was that the vehicle was too small to comfortably accommodate any of us. It was a long 8 hours.”
Pick a harbour, a mountain road or a dive site.
