This tour explores the picturesque seaside town of Kyrenia located on the Mediterranean coast and facing Turkey’s southern shores; it also visits three important, nearby historical sites - Bellapaix Monastery, St Hillarion Castle and the ancient city of Lamboussa.
The first place to visit in the tour is Bellapaix Monastery, located in a village not far from Kyrenia; the ruins feature beautiful Gothic arches. After half an hour, the tour moves on to St Hillarion Castle which nestles in the Besparmak Mountains and offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and coastline.
At midday the tour leaves for Kyrenia and free time is given at the harbour where there are many small restaurants and café bars to enjoy a lunchtime meal. After lunch, the tour continues to Kyrenia Castle which overlooks the harbour and enjoys beautiful views.
The tour’s last stop is at the ancient city of Lamboussa. Dating back to 1000BC, during Roman times it had as many as 10,000 inhabitants and was a wealthy centre for processing copper and earthenware.
In this tour, we’ll first take you to the Byzantine castle of St Hilarion were in the 1920s Walt Disney was inspired to create the famous castle of Snow White. After that, we will visit the beautiful Kyrenia Castle that dominates the picturesque horseshoe harbour. Within its ancient walls, lies the oldest Shipwreck in the world. Our next visit will be to the breathtaking Bellapais Abbey regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic art situated in the village of Bellapais hugging the slopes of the Five Finger mountain range. The day will finish with free time to explore the old town of Kyrenia.
If you only have limited free time and you can only take one excursion we recommend that you take this one. This tour begins with a wonderful stop at the fisherman’s village of Bogaz were you can enjoy a lovely refreshing drink at one of the many harbour tavernas gazing into the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. We will then proceed to the fifth century church of Ayia Trias (sipahi) were you can admire its 1500 years old mosaics followed by lunch at a village taverna with a selection of traditional foods or fish. Our journey will continue into the beautiful country side of the peninsula which will take us to through many more local villages until we will reach the Lourdes of Cyprus Apostolos Andreas Monastery were you can make a wish and sample the Holy water. During our journey you will be able to admire the unspoilt country side and the beautiful golden beaches. The tour will end with some free time to go swimming. (Weather permitting).
Visited sites include Salamis Ancient City which has the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Cyprus, St.Barnabas Monastery with its superb collection of priceless icons, Othello’s Tower where Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous play, Lala Pasha Mosque, Venetian Palace, The Magnificent Ancient Walls of Famagusta and finally some free time to explore the beautiful city and local shops.
Take a full-day boat trip and enjoy the sea breeze while discovering the beautiful Cypriot coastline that offers white sandy untouched beaches. Take the opportunity to snorkel, sunbathe or simply swim in the warm crystal clear waters. Late afternoon return back to the mainland and transfer to hotel.
This private tour takes in the sites in and around the Famagusta area of Cyprus’s eastern coast, including St Barnabas Monastery and Museum, the ruins of Salamis, Famagusta city centre and St Nicholas Cathedral (Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque).
After collection from your hotel, the tour sets off for St Barnabas Monastery and Museum, close to Famagusta Bay. This monastery is founded on the site of the tomb of the Apostle who originally joined St Paul to spread the Gospel through Cyprus and Asia Minor. Following this we move on to the ruins at Salamis, once a strategic city in ancient Greece and with an impressive amphitheatre, agora and statues amongst the remains of the city still visible.
Then we arrive at Famagusta where some free time is given for you to go and get some lunch (approx. 1hr) before visiting Shakespeare’s famous Othello Tower; a castle built within the fortress walls of the city. The tour ends at the heart of the old walled city with a stop at the former St Nicholas Cathedral. Dating from the 14th century, the cathedral is named after the Turkish leader who laid siege to the city in the mid-16th century.
This day’s tour takes you to the most northerly tip of the island on the north-east coast where the beautiful Karpas National Park is located. This unspoilt area is known for its’ wild donkeys and is also home to Apostolos Andreas Monastery; an ancient site of pilgrimage on the tip of the Karpas peninsula.
Departing, the tour stops first at Iskele fish port for a scenic break before driving on to Dipkarpaz village for a coffee break. In this quiet village, Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities still live together.
In the afternoon the tour visits Apostolos Andreas Monastery; a well-preserved building close to the geographical end of Cyprus. After a little over an hour here, the tour moves on to one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Golden Beach. Here there is free time for lunch and swimming before departing at 4.30pm for the return journey.