About North Cyprus · Lapta
Lapta coastal walk: what the sources say
As of 24 October 2026, Lapta (Lapithos) is a coastal town in the Kyrenia district of Northern Cyprus, west of Kyrenia. Its seafront walkway was opened in April 2018 by the former Lapta Municipality, which has since been merged into Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel (LAÇ) Municipality. This page summarises what local news reports, the municipality's own website and Wikipedia say about the walkway, the municipality, the town's history and its coast. Details that sources do not agree on are marked as such.
Checked 23 October 2026 against the sources named in the text and listed below. Positions of parties are attributed to them.
The Lapta coastal walkway
Kıbrıs Postası (24 April 2018) described the Lapta Sahil Yürüyüş Yolu as a coastal walking path of about 3.5 km, running from the Lapta side towards Karşıyaka village. Haber Kıbrıs and Anadolu Agency, in reports of 25 April 2018, give the same total of about 3.5 km, of which 400 m are sea crossings built over the water. The first-stage walkway was also reported to follow the Lapta coves.
Kıbrıs Postası says the second stage is 2 km long, including the 400 m of sea crossings. Reports differ on when the first stage opened: Kıbrıs Postası and Kıbrıs Genç TV give 2008, while Haber Kıbrıs and Detay Kıbrıs give 2014. Sources agree that the first stage had European Union co-funding and that the second stage was financed with municipal funds and the Turkish Embassy's Development and Cooperation Office in Nicosia.
1 / 3
What is along the walkway and recent works
At the 2018 opening, Kıbrıs Postası interviewed the operator of a small cafe on the path, so refreshments were available along it at that time. The municipality's website also lists a kiosk lease tender for the Lapta seafront walkway dated 10 May 2023, which indicates that a kiosk operates on the route.
Kıbrıs Postası quotes then Mayor Fuat Namsoy as saying a social life area was planned nearby, with a cafe, sports courts, fitness areas, children's playgrounds and green space. This was a plan stated in 2018, and the sources consulted do not confirm that it was built.
Gündem Kıbrıs (29 June 2026) quotes Mayor Fırat Ataser as saying the municipality was making a major rearrangement of the walkway and aimed to finish its first stage in July. Haber Kıbrıs (12 October 2026) reports him saying investments on the walkway would continue in stages. No source consulted says whether the July target was met.
1 / 2
Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel (LAÇ) Municipality
Lapta is now administered by Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel Municipality, usually shortened to LAÇ. Turkish Wikipedia states it was created in 2022 through a law that merged the Lapta and Alsancak municipalities, with an area of 285 km2, 10 neighbourhoods and 17 villages. The municipality's own site is lacbelediyesi.org, which also lists a Facebook page and an Instagram account.
BRTK reported on 13 May 2025 that President Ersin Tatar visited the municipality, which serves 22 villages. Mayor Fırat Ataser told him the municipality was working to connect the Lapta area to the sewage system.
1 / 2
Lapithos in brief
Lapta is the Turkish name of the town the Greek-language sources call Lapithos (Λάπηθος). According to English Wikipedia, which is a secondary source, it lies in the Kyrenia district about 14 km west of Kyrenia, between the Pentadactylos range and the Mediterranean. The same article says the ancient writer Strabo linked its founding to Laconian settlers, that pottery finds point to settlement as early as about 3000 BC, and that ancient writers counted it among the island's nine kingdoms.
Wikipedia adds that the coast was affected by Arab raids and that residents later settled further inland. It notes a Turkish Cypriot municipality founded on 19 November 1974 and a Greek Cypriot municipality in exile. Its 2011 census figure for the town is 7,839 residents.
1 / 1
The coast and sea access
The 2018 reports describe the walkway as passing along the coves, with 400 m of sea crossings. On 31 December 2025 Kıbrıs Gerçek and Haber Kıbrıs reported that LAÇ Municipality planned a separate Alsancak coastal walkway, starting in January 2026, with Mayor Ataser saying the coasts belong to the public. The Alsancak plan is a different project from the Lapta walkway.
1 / 1
Practical notes
A walking app listing (Pacer, updated 1 October 2026) shows a user-created route called Coastal walk near Lapta, about 4 miles, rated easy, tagged beach and noted as having no shade. This is a user listing, not an official measurement, and it differs from the 3.5 km given in the news reports. For current conditions, works or closures on the walkway, the municipality's official channels are the appropriate place to check.
Practical notes
- Walkway length (about 3.5 km, 400 m of sea crossings) and the April 2018 opening come from Kıbrıs Postası, Haber Kıbrıs and Anadolu Agency reports; the first-stage year differs between sources (2008 versus 2014).
- The municipality named in 2018 (Lapta Municipality) has since merged into LAÇ Municipality; Turkish Wikipedia gives 2022 for the merger.
- Recent works on the walkway (June and October 2026) are stated aims by the mayor; completion is not confirmed in any source consulted.
- History is taken from English Wikipedia as a secondary source and is attributed as such.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lapta coastal walk?
Kıbrıs Postası (April 2018) describes a path of about 3.5 km along the Lapta coast, running from the Lapta side towards Karşıyaka village. It includes 400 m of sea crossings. Reports from 2018 and 2026 do not describe the exact start point in the same way.
What is Lapta Municipality?
Lapta Municipality built the walkway. Since the 2022 merger described by Turkish Wikipedia, the area is run by Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel (LAÇ) Municipality, whose official website is lacbelediyesi.org. The current mayor named in 2026 reports is Fırat Ataser.
Where is Lapta?
English Wikipedia places Lapta (Greek name Lapithos) in the Kyrenia district, about 14 km west of Kyrenia, between the Pentadactylos range and the Mediterranean coast. Other sources describe it as roughly 15 to 20 minutes by car from Kyrenia.
When did the Lapta coastal walkway open?
News reports date the official opening ceremony to 25 April 2018. Sources differ on when the first stage opened, giving 2008 or 2014, so the page should present the 2018 ceremony as the confirmed date.
Is the Lapta walkway being worked on now?
Gündem Kıbrıs (29 June 2026) quoted the mayor on a major rearrangement with a July first-stage target, and Haber Kıbrıs (12 October 2026) reported that investments would continue in stages. No source consulted confirms completion.
Sources
- Kıbrıs Postası, 24 April 2018: Lapta Sahil Yürüyüş Yolu opening
- Haber Kıbrıs, 25 April 2018: Lapta Sahil Yürüyüş Yolu törenle açıldı
- Anadolu Agency via haberler.com, 25 April 2018
- Kıbrıs Genç TV, 24 April 2018 (updated 13 September 2024)
- Detay Kıbrıs, April 2018: Lapta Sahil Yolu Projesi
- Gündem Kıbrıs, 29 June 2026
- Haber Kıbrıs, 12 October 2026
- Haber Kıbrıs, 31 December 2025: Alsancak Sahil Yürüyüş Yolu Başlıyor
- Kıbrıs Gerçek, 31 December 2025: Alsancak walkway
- BRTK, 13 May 2025: Tatar visits LAÇ Municipality
- Kıbrıs Türk Haber, 29 August 2026: weather warning
- Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel Municipality official website
- Vikipedi: Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel
- Wikipedia: Lapithos
- North Cyprus Education, 27 May 2026: Suna's Beach, Lapta
- Pacer: Coastal walk near Lapta (user route, updated 1 October 2026)
Questions about North Cyprus?
Write to NORTHEA for a private conversation about areas, hotels or property.