Girne(Kyrenia)

Is a fascinating town on the Northern coast of Cyprus, founded by the Myceans ca. 1600 BC. Kyrenia is famous for its delightful horse-shoe-shaped harbor and nearby Castle.
The old horse shoe shaped harbor is bordered by what used to be Carob warehouses but are now cafes, restaurants and bars. Fishing boats, colorful yachts and excursion boats are moored in this pretty spot and to the East of the harbor, is the Kyrenia Castle, a truly magnificent edifice built by the Byzantine in the 9th century to ward off Arabs invaders. This fortress was further enhanced by the Lusignans in 1208 and then by the Venetians at the beginning of the 16th century and is one of the most imposing sites in the Mediterranean.

Worth seeing is the Shipwreck museum within the castle which houses a small merchant vessel, raised from the sea in 1868/9 and thought to have sunk around 306 BC. The wreck is preserved and housed in a special air-conditioned display, here you can see the wine and oil amphorae and famous Cyprus almonds which the ship was carrying.

The harbor is particularly picturesque at night where you can stroll in the cool of the evening or sip a popular local "brandy sour" as the sunsets.
A must is a visit to Bellapais and the great Gothic Abbey, considered to be the finest of all monuments of the Lusignan dynasty built most probably in 1191.

Also see St. Hillarion Castle, said to have been built late in the eleventh century as a fortification and a link in the chain of four castles with Kyrenia, Buffavento and Kantara.

Places to Visit

Girne Castle

Nobody has yet been able to establish the exact date of the construction of the castle. As a result of excavations at the site, it is thought that the original castle was built in the 9th Century AD by the Byzantine to defend Girne against Arab raids. Latter additions were made by the Lusignags and the castle was further strengthened by the Venetians. An interesting fact about the castle is that in all its history the castle was never taken by assault.

Shipwreck museum(situated in Girne Castle)

Exceptionally interesting remains of a 4th Century BC ship salvaged off Kyrenia.
Items of its cargo are also housed in the shipwreck museum which was opened in 1976. They include numerous amphora which contained almonds and some very interesting grain mills.

ST. Hilarion

Named after a holy man who lived there, according to a local legend, the last years of his life and was buried there in the 8th AD.
A church was founded on his grave and later a monastery built around it. In the l0th Century a castle was built around this area and since then belonged to the early warning system the Byzantine ruler founded on the Five Finger Mountain area.
The Lusignan rulers used it during the middle age as a summer residence. When the Venetians took over after 300 years of Lusignans ruler over Cyprus, they had no need for these mountain castles anymore and the castle was torn apart.

Bellapais

The Abbey was founded as an Augustinian Monastery in the reign of Hugh (1324-1358). A charming site was chosen for its location, on one of the spurs of the Kyrenia mountains.
It has also been called the Abbey de la Paix (the Abbey of Peace), and the Abbey Blanche, because of white habits worn by monks.
Surrounded by foliage on all sides, it has most spectacular views over land and sea.

Buffavento

Above the village of Catalkoy, a few km from the east of Kyrenia with 954 m above sea level, the highest of the three former Byzantine castle of the Five Finger Mountains. The most destroyed, the most difficult to reach and the one almost not explored. Built in the l0th Century during the Byzantine period, used in the middle age by the Lusignans and destroyed later in the l5th by the Venetians. During this time it was a prison, escape castle and hideaway. It was originally built in the l0th Century, and it belonged to a warning system because of the Arab invasion of Cyprus.

Antiphonitis

This monastery lays in a small valley in the Besparmak (Five Fingers Mountains). The church is an example of a Byzantine eight-coluznns church. Beautiful wall and ceiling frescos dating to the l5th century can be admired.

Karaman

Karaman village which has lovingly been restored and transformed mostly by Europeans into a village of character and relaxed charm, is situated a couple of miles west of Girne. Karaman village, with its charming cottages with views over the wooded hills to the shimmering Mediterranean, is a favorite place by tourists.

Vounos

Necropole of the early Bronze Age. In these graves, all built towards the north, excavations brought to light numerous archaeological treasures of the religious and daily life of that time.