Kyrenia/Girne: the No.1 Tourist Attraction of Northern Cyprus

Kyrenia (Girne in Turkish) is the most picturesque town in Northern Cyprus, as well as its most popular tourist attraction. The view of Kyrenia's scenic harbour appears on virtually all the tourism publications about Northern Cyprus, and for years European holidaymakers (especially the English) have been flocking to the hotels and resorts gracing the fine sandy beaches near Kyrenia in spite of the international economic embargo imposed upon the Northern Cyprus administration by the UN since the early 1980s. Previouly a predominantly Greek-Cypriot town, the majority of inhabitants in today's Kyrenia are Turkish-Cypriots and settlers from Turkey.

The harbour is Kyrenia's must-see place. Set against the scenic backdrop of Kyrenia's Venetian Castle and lined with a dozen seafood restaurants and live-music bars, it is also the place to be seen. During the summer months, locals and tourists alike sip ice-cold beers at one of the bars on the harbour front, listening to music and chat away well into the night.

The history of Kyrenia, like so many other towns and cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, dates back all the way to the time of Antiquity. Its position on the northern coast of the island of Cyprus helped to make Kyrenia one of the most important trading towns on the invaluable trade route between the Eastern Aegean, Asia Minor, and the Levant. Evidence of shipwrecks outside the harbour of Kyrenia showed that there had been regular maritime trade since the early days of human settlement in Kyrenia, linking the harbour town with the Greek islands of Samos, Kos, Rhodes and the Asia Minor coast close to these Aegean islands. Thousands of years later, this route is still being used by modern shipping networks and passenger ferries. 

Built first by the Byzantines in the 7th century, the current form of the Kyrenia Castle is a product of  the 15th century Venetian fortification architecture, similar in style to the Venetian fortress-castle seen on the Greek island of Corfu.

 
Following the cessation of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire to the British in 1878, Kyrenia gradually became a popular holiday destination for wealthy Nicosia residents and British visitors who spend their vacations on the northern coast of the island. Subsequent hotels and tourist accommodations were built one after the other along the harbour front and the shoreline to the west of Kyrenia. Nowadays Kyrenia is a busy tourist town with a good selection of resorts, casino-hotels, and family-run mid-range accommodations - unlike Turkish-Cypriot controlled part of Lefkosa, which has only 3 decent hotels for foreign tourists. For those who are interested in visiting Northern Cyprus, it is advisable to stay in Kyrenia, as there are more hotels, shops and restaurants available that cater to tourist needs. In addition, shops and restaurants in Kyrenia stay open  longer in the evening, whereas in Lefkosa, virtually everything (with the exception of legal betting places and casinos) is closed after 5 or 6 o'clock in the afternoon and the whole city centre of Lefkosa falls into silence.   

Getting to Kyrenia:
1. From Ercan Airport: there are direct KIBHAS airport shuttle buses that serve Ercan - Kyrenia route.
2. From Lefkosa bus station, public buses connect Lefkosa with Kyrenia every 30 minutes.
3. There are also direct buses that connect Famagusta with Kyrenia via the more scenic coastal route.

Copyrights 2010. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.