Kyrenia Harbour.

What to see at Kyrenia Harbour

• The basin is a horseshoe about 250 m from east to west and 130 m from north to south, closed by two moles and a long breakwater.
• Stone warehouses line the quay. They were built to store carob and salt before it was shipped to Anatolia and Europe, and are now cafés and restaurants.
• On the eastern mole stands the medieval Chain Tower, which once anchored the chain that closed the harbour mouth at night.
• The old lighthouse rises off the mole, and Girne Castle closes the east end of the basin.
• Fishing boats and gulets lie moored along the quay. A timber pier on steel piles runs along the inner face of the north breakwater towards the lighthouse.

History of Kyrenia Harbour

Hellenistic–Roman

The harbour's origins go back to these periods.

After 1489

The Venetians give the harbour much of its shape: two-storey houses with stores below.

Ottoman period

Part of the quay dates from these centuries, while carob and salt leave for Anatolia and Europe.

After 1880

The British build a breakwater and a customs house.

2021–24

Restoration in four stages: the customs house and walls, the ground and services, the quay fronts, then the works in the sea.

2024

Official reopening on 20 April, after the quay had been open to the public since October 2023.

2026

Timber piers go up along the breakwater, and the customs house opens as an exhibition hall in July.

Visiting Kyrenia Harbour

Allow an evening. The quay is open ground with no gate, so there are no visiting hours; it suits walking at any pace. It lies in Girne's old town: a car park is mapped about 100 m away and the nearest bus stop about 200 m. The Carob Warehouse museum, the castle and the Shipwreck Museum are all within about 200 m of the quay.

About the Kyrenia Harbour 3D model

The model covers the basin, the quay fronts, the Chain Tower, the old lighthouse and the castle side; the castle is the same geometry as our Girne Castle model. The basin and 105 building outlines come from mapping. Fronts, paving and the timber pier follow photographs taken after the 2021–24 restoration. The fishing-boat pier, the pier in front of the restaurants and the customs house are not modelled, and the heights of the Chain Tower and lighthouse are estimates.

Open the 3D model of Kyrenia Harbour

Monuments near Kyrenia Harbour

• Carob Warehouse and Cyprus House Museumabout 50 m south-westOn the quay itself: village tools and handwork in an old carob warehouse.
• Kyrenia Castleabout 150 m eastThe fortress that closes the basin.
• Ancient Shipwreck Museumabout 150 m eastInside the castle: the hull of a merchant ship of about 300 BC.