Famagusta

Eastern Cyprus is known for its fine sandy beaches and clear water, but also for a turbulent history. A trip to Famagusta takes you to the beach resorts of Ayia Napa and Protaras, to Cape Greco National Forest Park, into the Gothic old town of Famagusta, and out to the remote Karpas Peninsula.

A divided district

Famagusta District covers the island's east coast. Since 1974 it has been divided: the smaller southern part, with Ayia Napa and Paralimni, is administered by the Republic of Cyprus, while the larger northern part, with the city of Famagusta (Greek: Ammochostos, Turkish: Gazimağusa) and the Karpas Peninsula, is under Turkish Cypriot administration, which is recognized internationally only by Turkey. The Republic's district administration is temporarily based in Paralimni. Crossing points, such as the one near Deryneia, allow you to travel between the two parts.

Ayia Napa, Paralimni, and Cape Greco

Ayia Napa is one of the best-known beach resorts in the Mediterranean, with Nissi Beach, clubs, and bars, but also a 16th-century Venetian monastery in the middle of town. The Thalassa Museum of the Sea displays a replica of an ancient ship. Between Ayia Napa and Protaras lies Cape Greco National Forest Park, with rock arches, sea caves, and hiking trails. Protaras, a district of Paralimni, is more family-friendly and home to Fig Tree Bay. Inland lie the Kokkinochoria, the red villages, where potatoes for export grow in red soil.

Sights in the north of the district

The city of Famagusta has an almost completely preserved Venetian city wall and Othello's Tower, named after Shakespeare's play. The Gothic Cathedral of St. Nicholas, now the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, was the coronation site of the Lusignan kings of Jerusalem. To the south lies Varosha, the former beach resort that was abandoned and fenced off in 1974; since 2020, parts of it have been open to visitors, which remains internationally controversial. To the north are the ancient city of Salamis, with its theater, gymnasium, and royal tombs, as well as the Monastery of Apostle Barnabas. Trikomo, or İskele in Turkish, is the main town of a fast-growing vacation-home area around Yeniboğaziçi. On the Karpas Peninsula around Dipkarpaz (Greek: Rizokarpaso), wild donkeys roam, and sea turtles lay their eggs at Golden Beach. At the very tip stands the Apostolos Andreas Monastery.

Nature and active vacations

Around Cape Greco, hiking and cycling trails run along the cliffs, and divers explore underwater caves. In summer, boat tours along the coast depart from Ayia Napa and Protaras. On the Karpas Peninsula you'll find remote beaches with hardly any facilities and old churches, such as the Basilica of Ayia Trias near Sipahi with its early Christian floor mosaics. If you visit both parts of the district, you'll experience the division of the island up close.

Food, getting there, and best time to visit

Fish and seafood, calamari, kleftiko (lamb slow-cooked in a clay oven), and halloumi belong on the menu of every taverna. The potatoes from the red villages are in demand across the island. Larnaca Airport is about 45 minutes from Ayia Napa. The best time to visit is from May to October, and the sea stays warm into November. In high summer, Ayia Napa is very lively, while in spring the fields around Cape Greco are in bloom.