Northern Cyprus Day Trip from Paphos and Limassol
Paphos, Cyprus
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 11 hours
Dip into the scenery, culture and history of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus on this full-day trip from Paphos and Limassol. Travel by coach to the island’s divided capital of Nicosia and cross the famous 'Green Line' buffer zone into the occupied north. Explore two of its showpieces, with a guided tour of ruined Bellapais Abbey and time in the mountain-backed seaside town of Kyrenia, home to a beautiful harbor and Venetian castle. Visit the fortress and enjoy free time for lunch (own expense) and shopping along its charming harbor front and streets.
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Dip into the scenery, culture and history of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus on this full-day trip from Paphos and Limassol. Travel by coach to the island’s divided capital of Nicosia and cross the famous 'Green Line' buffer zone into the occupied north. Explore two of its showpieces, with a guided tour of ruined Bellapais Abbey and time in the mountain-backed seaside town of Kyrenia, home to a beautiful harbor and Venetian castle. Visit the fortress and enjoy free time for lunch (own expense) and shopping along its charming harbor front and streets.
Leave your central Paphos or central Limassol hotel in an air-conditioned coach and drive to Nicosia, Cyprus’ divided capital.
As you travel, hear from your local guide how Cyprus was split into a Greek south and the Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus in 1974, and how the border between the two was closed until 2003. Learn how, as part of this, Nicosia was bisected into a Greek South (Lefkosia) and Turkish North (Lefkoşa), with a UN-controlled zone or 'Green Line' in-between.
Arrive in South Nicosia and drive through the Venetian walls to the main 'Green Line' crossing. Then, drive into Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus and watch as your surroundings change into a more traditional world of well-worn streets and quiet fields.
Continue through the craggy Five Fingers (Pentadaktylos) Mountains to Bellapais Abbey, a semi-crumbled monastery spectacularly set on a mountain terrace. Discover the ruins of this 13th-century Augustinian abbey with your guide, and marvel at the epic views down over seaside Kyrenia far below.
Next, descend into Kyrenia’s old center, where cobbled alleyways and old houses frame a horseshoe-shaped harbor. Head for 16th-century Kyrenia Castle, a massive Crusader fortress edging the water. Visit the towers and courtyard and hear how Richard the Lionheart is said to have spent his honeymoon here. While you're here, peep inside its Shipwreck Museum, home to a well-preserved Greek merchant ship from the 4th century BC.
Afterward, enjoy free time for lunch (own expense) and shopping on the waterfront, before heading back to south Cyprus. Your tour ends with a drop-off at your Limassol or Paphos hotel.
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