Kyrenia

Between the rugged Pentadaktylos Mountains and the sea lies Cyprus's north coast, with its horseshoe-shaped harbor and castles perched on rocky peaks. A trip to Kyrenia takes you to the harbor castle with an ancient shipwreck, the Gothic Bellapais Abbey, and the fairy-tale castle of St. Hilarion.

Location and Status

The Kyrenia district lies entirely in the north of the island, which has been controlled by the Turkish Cypriot administration since 1974; internationally, only Turkey recognizes it. The town is called Keryneia in Greek and Girne in Turkish. A narrow coastal plain with olive groves and carob trees is bounded by the limestone ridge of the Pentadaktylos, the Five Finger Mountains. Places such as Alsancak, Lapta (Lapithos in Greek), Karaoğlanoğlu, Çatalköy, and Ozanköy stretch along the coast and up the slopes, and today they are heavily marked by vacation apartments and hotels.

Sights in Kyrenia

The harbor of Kyrenia, with its restaurants and boats, is among the loveliest in Cyprus. The castle at the harbor was expanded by the Byzantines, the Lusignans, and the Venetians, and it houses the wreck of a Greek merchant ship from the 4th century B.C., one of the oldest recovered ships in the world. Above the town stands the Gothic Bellapais Abbey, where the writer Lawrence Durrell lived and which he wrote about in Bitter Lemons. St. Hilarion Castle clings to a rocky summit and is said to have inspired Walt Disney's Snow White. Farther east stand the castles of Buffavento and Kantara. Kyrenia is also the starting point for hikes along the Pentadaktylos ridge trail and for boat trips along the coast; at Alagadi Beach east of town, sea turtles lay their eggs. Many churches and villages from the Greek Cypriot past have fallen into ruin or been repurposed, which makes the division of the island visible.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

The tavernas along the harbor serve fish, meze, and kebab, along with ayran or local wine. Ercan Airport can only be reached by flights via Turkey; many visitors fly into Larnaca and cross the dividing line near Nicosia. The best time to visit is spring and fall; in spring, orchids bloom in the mountains.