An independent guide
The heart of Northern Cyprus.
A curated route from unmissable highlights to hidden gems.
Tier I · Must see
You have not seen North Cyprus if you skipped these.
- GirneBellapais AbbeyBellapais ManastırıThe great Gothic abbey of the island, above Kyrenia.
- LefkoşaBüyük HanBüyük HanAn Ottoman caravanserai of 1572, still full of life.
- GazimağusaFamagusta Walled CityGazimağusa SuriçiA Gothic city of churches inside Venetian walls.
- GirneKyrenia CastleGirne KalesiA harbour fortress that holds a 2,300-year-old merchant ship.
- GirneKyrenia HarbourGirne LimanıThe most visited place in the north, by a wide margin.
- GazimağusaLala Mustafa Pasha MosqueLala Mustafa Paşa CamiiA French Gothic cathedral with a minaret, the centre of old Famagusta.
- GazimağusaOthello CastleOthello KalesiFamagusta's harbour citadel, the castle named for Shakespeare's Othello.
- GazimağusaSalamisSalamis Antik KentiThe great classical city of the island, by the sea.
- LefkoşaSelimiye MosqueSelimiye CamiiThe Gothic cathedral of Nicosia, with two minarets on its west front.
- GirneSt Hilarion CastleSt. Hilarion KalesiThree wards of a Byzantine castle climbing a mountain ridge.
Worth a detour
Each deserves its own half-day.