Must-see places in North Cyprus: Girne, Lefkoşa, Gazimağusa and Karpaz, with sources

Girne area

Bellapais Abbey stands about 5 km from Girne, at roughly 220 m. Wikipedia dates its first buildings to 1198–1205 and says Premonstratensian canons took it over in 1206. The ruined church, cloister and refectory can be visited; the refectory is used for concerts.

Hz. Ömer Türbesi lies on the Çatalköy coast, about 4 km from Girne. The Vakıflar İdaresi says the tomb, mosque and rooms date from the Ottoman administration and that the tomb is open as a place of worship. Visitors should dress and behave as in any place of worship.

Girne Castle overlooks the harbour. Wikipedia says the present structure is Venetian, 16th century, built over earlier fortifications, and that it houses a museum with a 4th-century BC merchant ship found off Girne in 1965.

The mountain castles and monastery

St Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara stand in the Girne (Kyrenia) range and once guarded passes to the coast. Wikipedia describes St Hilarion as the best preserved of the three. Buffavento, at about 960 m, is reached by about 600 steps, and its date of construction is unknown. Kantara, at the eastern end of the range, was dismantled in 1560 and restored in 1914. Wear sturdy shoes and carry water; mountain weather differs from the coast.

Sourp Magar, an Armenian monastery in the range at about 530 m, was founded in the early 11th century according to Wikipedia. It is ruined and in need of restoration, so check access before you drive up.

Lefkoşa walled city

Selimiye Mosque was built as the Gothic Cathedral of St Sophia, consecrated in 1326 and converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1570 (Wikipedia). Büyük Han is an Ottoman caravanserai built in 1572 and now an arts centre (Visit North Cyprus). Kumarcılar Hanı is a smaller caravanserai thought to date from about the end of the 17th century; its exact date and builder are unknown (Wikipedia).

Bandabuliya, the covered municipal market built in 1930–1932, was closed in 2010 and reopened in June 2012 with stalls, cafés, bookshops and a small theatre (Visit North Cyprus). Treat present-day uses as indicative and confirm them locally.

Gazimağusa and Salamis

Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque was begun in 1298 as the Cathedral of St Nicholas and consecrated in 1328 (Visit North Cyprus). It was converted to a mosque after 1571 and carries its present name since 1954. Othello Castle was a Lusignan fortification altered by the Venetians; a 1492 inscription is recorded, and it reopened after restoration on 3 July 2015 (Wikipedia). Namık Kemal Dungeon, where the Ottoman writer was held in 1873, is a museum.

Salamis lies about 6 km north of Gazimağusa; Wikipedia gives its earliest finds as 11th century BC and its abandonment as the 7th century AD.

Karpaz and the Beşparmak flag

Apostolos Andreas Monastery is near Dipkarpaz in the Karpaz peninsula. Wikipedia says its main church dates to the 18th century and that both communities regard it as holy. Golden Beach is described as a protected sea-turtle nesting area, where camping is prohibited.

The giant flag on the south face of the Beşparmak range, near Taşkent, is lit at night and was repainted in 2021, according to a Timeturk report. Sources disagree on its size, so none is given here.

Four lesser-known sites

Alev Kayası is an area of the Beşparmak (Kyrenia) mountains near Girne known for walks and nature trips. A 2008 news report on a Mountaineering Sports Association walk lists Alev Kayası, the Armenian Monastery and Girne Kayası as parts of a route. Current trail safety, transport and facilities were not verified; check before you go.

Sina Monastery lies within Karşıyaka village, Girne. A 23 March 2021 decision (21/25) of the TRNC Immovable Antiquities and Monuments High Council describes a property of the Cyprus Vakıflar İdaresi as 'known as Sina Monastery'. An 1832/33 Ottoman property survey also records a Sinai Monastery in the Girne district; whether it is the same parcel is not confirmed. Its present condition and whether visitors may enter were not verified.

Panagia ton Katharon is a historic Christian monastery around Kozanköy, in the Girne area. It is the subject of a 2024 Eastern Mediterranean University master's thesis on its conservation and is recorded in the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names. Local accounts credit the icon of the Virgin Mary and the water nearby with healing. These are local beliefs, not medical claims. The name 'Şifa Kilisesi' is a local nickname and search variant.

Asmaaltı Sokak is a street in the historic Asmaaltı–Arasta quarter of the Lefkoşa walled city. A 5 September 2013 notice of Nicosia Turkish Municipality names Asmaaltı Sokak and Arasta Sokak in a pedestrianisation plan running from Atatürk Square (Sarayönü) towards the Bedesten. Do not read that notice's traffic arrangements as current. The quarter is a walking area near Büyük Han and Kumarcılar Hanı.

Hours and fees: the Department of Antiquities and Museums publishes visiting hours and fees, but its pages were not readable to us. Check them before you go.