A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa crosses the Green Line to the fenced-off resort of Varosha and the walled old town of Famagusta on the east coast of Cyprus. Browse other Greek tours for more day trips from Ayia Napa.
This page covers the crossing, Varosha past and present, the old town and its landmarks, other stops, timing, documents, viewpoints, children, photo rules and what to bring on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa.
What does a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa include?
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa heads to Famagusta, a port city on the east coast. Haqqi Tours lists hotel pickup and drop-off, a driver and an English-speaking tour leader for the trip.
Haqqi Tours runs a small-group Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa for up to 8 people. Its listing covers a walk through Varosha and free time in the old walled city. The tour leader explains the history during the drive and on foot. A Booking.com listing also collects from hotels in Protaras and Ayia Napa.
A second operator, Mr John, sells a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa as a 3 in 1 trip. It covers the dividing line, Varosha and Famagusta old city. The page lists return transport from Ayia Napa and Protaras and a visit inside Varosha with the tour leader.
Its page says Mr John was born and raised in Famagusta. A Turkish Cypriot tour leader from that era also joins the tour and shares his own experiences. The page also lists personal storytelling and historical insights from both communities.
What a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa includes differs by seller:
- TUI Musement lists full insurance cover for travelling in the northern part of Cyprus.
- A Booking.com listing includes water and leaves out meals.
- Haqqi Tours lists food, drinks and entry to archaeological sites as not included.
- Mr John’s page leaves out food, drinks and personal expenses unless your booking states otherwise.
How do you cross the Green Line into the north?
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa crosses the Green Line at a checkpoint. Haqqi Tours names the Deryneia checkpoint, the crossing that leads to the Famagusta area. TUI Musement names the Strovillia checkpoint.
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa meets the Green Line on its route. The UN calls it a UN-controlled buffer zone that divides the island’s Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. It extends about 180 km across the island. Wikipedia says it runs from Paralimni in the east to Kato Pyrgos in the west.
One Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa lists the Dherynia checkpoint as its first stop. There you cross the Green Line into northern Cyprus. The listing calls the process straightforward and says the drive back includes another crossing. Haqqi Tours says the crossing takes time, so patience is part of the day.
Wikipedia says the Turkish Cypriot administration eased travel across the line after a nearly 30-year ban. The UN says crossing points have opened since then between the north and the south. Wikipedia adds that General Young drew the agreed cease-fire line on a map with a green pencil. It became known as the Green Line.
On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, the tour leader manages the formalities, says Haqqi Tours. Mr John’s page says the tour follows all official regulations and crossing procedures. Visitors cross through the designated checkpoint, it adds. Haqqi Tours asks travellers to follow all instructions at the checkpoint and carry no prohibited items.
What is Varosha, and why was it fenced off?
Varosha, the southern quarter of Famagusta, was a resort district until it was fenced off in nineteen seventy-four. Its Greek Cypriot residents fled that year. A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa visits this quarter, which Wikipedia places under the control of Northern Cyprus.
Wikipedia says the name comes from the Turkish word varoş, which means suburb. Turkish speakers also call the quarter Maraş. Wikipedia gives its area as 6.19 square kilometres. Britannica says Varosha was developed as a modern suburb south of Famagusta during British administration. It served as a commercial centre and tourist resort.
Wikipedia says Famagusta ranked as the top tourist destination in Cyprus in the early nineteen-seventies. New high-rise buildings and hotels went up for the visitors. Wikipedia says celebrities including Brigitte Bardot, Raquel Welch, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor favoured it. A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa visits what one tour page calls a fashionable resort quarter.
In August of nineteen seventy-four, Wikipedia says, the Turkish Army reached the Green Line and fenced Varosha. Britannica says the quarter was sealed off to civilians and tourism ceased. On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, you see a resort quarter left empty since nineteen seventy-four.
Wikipedia quotes UN Security Council Resolution 550 of nineteen eighty-four. It says attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants are “inadmissible”. It also calls for the area to pass to United Nations administration. A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa also tells the story of the people who once lived there.
What can you see in Varosha today?
You see empty hotels, shopfronts and apartment blocks, say the tour pages. A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa covers the part of Varosha open to visitors since twenty twenty.
Wikipedia says parts of Varosha opened in October of twenty twenty. The opened stretch begins at the Officers’ Club and ends at the Golden Sands Hotel. Plants grow through the apartment blocks you pass on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Wikipedia also describes metal corroding, windows broken and plant roots working into walls and pavement.
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa stays in the designated zone, say the tour pages. Wikipedia notes that buildings in the visitor area have no furniture. Power sockets, switches and ceiling lamps are missing, and all the doors appear to have been broken in.
On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, time has stood still for decades, says one tour page. Wikipedia lists the hotels that stood along John F. Kennedy Avenue: King George, Asterias, Grecian, Florida and Argo. It calls the Argo the favourite hotel of Elizabeth Taylor. Leonidas Street, off the avenue, held shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
In twenty twenty-two, Wikipedia says, Northern Cyprus opened part of Golden Sands beach for commercial use. The strip lies between the King George Hotel and the Oceania Building. The Bilal Aga Mosque, built in eighteen twenty-one, reopened in July of twenty twenty-one. A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa also walks silent streets, say the tour pages.
Can you walk or cycle through the open streets of Varosha?
Yes, the open streets suit walkers and cyclists. On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa you walk. The Haqqi Tours page puts that walk at about an hour with a tour leader.
Wheels are an option beside the walk. A travel report on the Dark Tourism site saw bicycles and electric golf buggies for hire behind the entrance barrier. The route follows a newly paved street with a strip kept as a cycle path. Ropes on poles mark the line beyond which visitors are not supposed to walk.
Learn the posted rules before a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. The same report lists them on a panel at the entrance. Stay on the set road, enter no building and stay off the bicycle paths. Take nothing out. Signs warn that the buildings are too dangerous to approach.
Only part of the town is open. For its Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, Haqqi Tours says visits are possible only in a designated zone. Its page asks you to follow the tour leader’s instructions at all times, because the area is monitored. The Nomadic Backpacker blog says two of the main streets are open for touring.
Distances are long. One reporter measured about 7 km on foot and chose to walk, because riders miss details. A Red Bus listing from Protaras offers over two hours of walking at your own pace. It lists bikes and golf buggies to rent. Ask whether your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa leaves time for a rental.
What is the walled old town of Famagusta?
The walled old town is the historic centre of Famagusta, ringed by fortifications of roughly rectangular shape. Wikipedia says the Venetians built them mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries. Each Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa that we read pairs this town with Varosha.
Haqqi Tours runs a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. It puts the walls at about 3 km long, with bastions and a moat. Wikipedia counts 14 bastions and adds a rock-hewn ditch on the landward side. The two original gates were the Land Gate and the Sea Gate. The Arsenal Gate and the North Gate came later.
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa reaches these walls. Wikipedia says they show the shift from medieval fortification to bastion forts. It adds that Giovanni Girolamo Sammichele designed the Martinengo Bastion, a prototype for forts in Europe and America. The fortifications are in relatively good condition, although the old city holds buildings in disrepair.
Wikipedia says wealthy merchants had churches built in varying styles. The city became known as the district of churches. Love Ayia Napa says Famagusta once claimed to have 365 churches. Mr John’s Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa lists a visit to the old town and key landmarks.
The two sights sit close together. Dark Tourism puts the Varosha entrance about 1.6 km south-east of the old town centre. Haqqi Tours’ half-day Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa includes free time in the old town. You explore the walls and streets at your own pace.
What is the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, once a Gothic cathedral?
On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque is an old town sight. Wikipedia calls it the largest medieval building in Famagusta, and it began as the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas.
The cathedral is far older than the ghost town behind a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Wikipedia says builders worked on it from the late 13th century into the early 14th century. It was consecrated in thirteen twenty-eight. An inscription on a buttress by the south door records the progress of the work in thirteen eleven.
Wikipedia says the style is Rayonnant Gothic, quite rare outside France. Its parallels to Reims Cathedral earned it the nickname “The Reims of Cyprus”. It has three doors, twin towers over the aisles and a flat roof.
The Ottomans captured Famagusta in fifteen seventy-one, and the cathedral became the Saint Sophia Mosque of Mağusa. Wikipedia says nearly all statuary, stained glass, frescos and paintings were removed or plastered over. The Gothic structure was preserved. That is why a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa meets a Gothic building with a minaret.
In nineteen fifty-four it took the name of Lala Mustafa Pasha, who led Ottoman forces against the Venetians in Cyprus. It remains active as a mosque. Haqqi Tours lists free time in the old town, with its Gothic cathedral. That is part of its Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa.
What is Othello’s Tower?
On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, Othello’s Tower is the medieval fortress by the old port. Wikipedia also calls it Othello Castle and says the Lusignans built it in the 14th century to protect the port.
The Lusignans used it as the main entrance to the city a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa visits. Very deep ditches around it earned it the name “impenetrable fortress”. Wikipedia says the ditch was later drained of water to reduce the risk of malaria. Love Ayia Napa lists Othello Tower among the highlights of its Famagusta tours.
If your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa stops there, look above the main entrance. A relief of the Lion of Saint Mark sits there. Wikipedia says the Venetians replaced the square towers with circular ones to suit more modern artillery. Captain Nicolo Foscari directed the changes, and his name is inscribed near the relief.
Wikipedia lists four circular towers, a refectory and a dormitory from the Lusignan period. The yard holds cannonballs left behind by the Spaniards and the Ottomans. Wikipedia calls them relics of the castle’s turbulent history. It adds that Leonardo da Vinci apparently advised on the refurbishment in fourteen eighty-one.
Its name comes from a stage note in Shakespeare’s play Othello, set in a harbour town in Cyprus. A restoration ended with a reopening to the public on 3 July. Before you book a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, check whether the stop goes inside the castle.
Do the tours also visit Salamis or other sites?
Yes, the longer options do. A full-day Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa adds the ancient city of Salamis and Saint Barnabas Monastery. The half-day version stays with Varosha and the old town.
One operator’s half-day Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa covers Varosha and the old town. Its page says entry to archaeological sites is not included. For Salamis and Saint Barnabas Monastery, it points to a separate full-day tour. Another operator’s full-day listing starts in Salamis and later reaches Varosha and Famagusta.
That full-day listing runs about eight hours. It spends about 30 minutes at Saint Barnabas Monastery and about 40 at Salamis. The old town gets about 1.5 hours of free time, and the Varosha walk takes about 45 minutes. Entry to Salamis and the monastery is included in its standard option.
On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa that includes Salamis, you see an ancient Greek city-state. Wikipedia places it 6 km north of modern Famagusta. The listing names a Roman gymnasium, a theatre and baths. Wikipedia says the people of Salamis moved to Arsinoë (Famagusta) after Salamis was abandoned in the 7th century.
Wikipedia says Saint Barnabas Monastery now works as an icon museum. Other listings add the sea. One pairs the Blue Lagoon and Turtle Cove with Famagusta and a barbecue for 5 hours. Another Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa is titled a 3-in-1 ghost town and swim and runs 7 hours.
How long does a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa last?
A half-day Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa lasts about 4.5 hours. The full-day versions that add Salamis run from 8 to 10 hours. Each listing states its own length, so read it before you book.
One small-group half-day Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa picks up at around 07:45. Pickup is from hotels in Ayia Napa or Protaras. The tour returns after about 4.5 hours in total. The itinerary gives Varosha a walk of about an hour, then free time in the old town.
Operators sell other lengths too. One local operator lists 4 hours for a Varosha tour. It lists 6 hours for a three-part day with the dividing line, Varosha and the old city. Another operator lists its Famagusta and Salamis day at more than 8 hours. Two of the full-day listings set aside free time for lunch in Famagusta.
Part of a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa is spent on the road and at the border. Love Ayia Napa puts Famagusta about 27 km from Ayia Napa, around 35 minutes by road. The half-day operator adds that the crossing takes time, so patience is part of the day.
The same operator’s full-day trip collects travellers at around 09:00. It returns after about 8 hours in total. Before you choose a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, note that pickup depends on your hotel. The operator confirms the exact time after booking. Its half-day page says the early start lets you plan a full day around the trip.
What documents do you need at the checkpoint?
A Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa asks for an original passport. EU citizens can show an original national ID card instead. Haqqi Tours says photocopies, scans and driving licences are not accepted at the crossing.
Haqqi Tours asks guests to wait in the hotel lobby with the original document in hand. On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, you show it at the Deryneia crossing. The tour leader helps with the formalities, but the operator says valid papers are your own responsibility. It adds that the crossing takes time.
Your nationality can change the answer for a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Mr John’s tour site asks for a valid passport or EU ID card. It says certain nationalities face restrictions and asks you to contact the team before booking. Cyprus Mail tells EU citizens to check whether their ID card is accepted at their chosen crossing.
A TUI Musement listing for a full-day tour names a rule at the Strovillia checkpoint. Only passport holders from EU member states, the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland can travel to and from the north. Rules change, so confirm the current list for your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa.
TUI Musement lists one more rule for families on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. A child under 18 who travels without both parents needs a letter of authorisation from the missing parent. Supporting papers include the child’s birth certificate and a copy of that parent’s passport or a court order.
Which viewpoints show Varosha from the south side?
Wikipedia says the ghost town of Varosha can be clearly viewed from the roof of the Cultural Centre in Deryneia. Deryneia lies 12 kilometres from Ayia Napa. Ask whether your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa stops there.
A geocaching listing places the Famagusta Viewpoint in Deryneia directly at the border on the Greek side. It lists an 8-minute film, a small museum and a roof terrace. From the terrace, binoculars show the ghost town and the no man’s land. The listing says a wheelchair cannot reach the terrace.
Tripadvisor lists a minibus Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa with a 20-minute stop at a Famagusta viewpoint. Admission is included. The listing does not say where that viewpoint stands, so ask the operator.
Two more sources describe the south-side view for a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Airbnb’s local tips call the Deryneia viewpoint the closest one to the ghost city and mention a small cafe. Airial describes a viewing platform over the UN buffer zone. Wikipedia also shows Varosha in a photo taken from Paralimni.
Access changes over time. One travel blog describes an apartment block close to the border crossing, with a rooftop binocular cafe. The blog says border control has taken it over. The geocaching listing also says to bring your own binoculars if the viewpoint is closed. Confirm which viewpoint your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa uses.
Is a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa fine for children?
Yes, a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa takes children. Haqqi Tours names families with children among the travellers its small-group tour suits. Every traveller, children included, needs a valid travel document. The day brings plenty of walking and waiting at the border.
Haqqi Tours answers yes for older children on the page for its Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. It adds that the day has plenty of walking and border formalities to wait through. The same page lists people with limited mobility as not suited to the tour, because of the walking.
Papers matter for the youngest travellers. The checkpoint section above lists what a child under 18 needs on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa when one parent stays at home.
A traveller’s report on dark-tourism.com describes the open route as a paved road. Ropes on poles mark the line beyond which visitors are not supposed to walk. Signs call the empty buildings dangerous, because they can collapse. Hurriyet Daily News reported warnings about falling debris, water wells and poisonous animals such as snakes at the first opening.
Keep children beside you on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. The same writer found precious little shade on the route and calls summer there very hot. A reviewer of TUI Musement’s full-day tour mentions plenty of toilet opportunities.
What rules apply to photos in Varosha?
Cyprus Mail says photography is allowed in the visitor areas of Varosha. Restrictions apply at military locations and wherever signs or personnel prohibit it. Check the signs on your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa before you raise a camera.
Cyprus Mail adds that an open street does not make every adjoining property or installation available to photograph. It asks visitors to follow the instructions on the day and not to cross barriers for a picture.
The dark-tourism.com writer describes a panel at the entrance that lists the rules in Turkish and English. He reports that photography is allowed, except at military and United Nations installations, where signs state the ban. He saw a United Nations soldier angrily barking at a tourist pointing a camera or phone in the soldier’s direction.
Drones are a separate matter. Cyprus Mail notes that drones were prohibited when access began. It warns against assuming that permission for photographs covers a flight. Hurriyet Daily News reported the same split at the first opening, citing Turkish Cypriot media. Leave the drone at home on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa.
Haqqi Tours says the area is monitored. On its Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, travellers follow the leader on where to walk and take photos. The dark-tourism.com writer adds that CCTV cameras cover the route, with plain-clothes and uniformed guards about.
North Cyprus Education notes that the reopened perimeter, hours and access rules can change. It asks visitors to confirm current conditions on arrival. Treat these notes as a snapshot. On the day of your Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, trust the signs and your tour leader.
What do you bring for the day?
Pack comfortable shoes, sun protection, water and a little cash for a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Haqqi Tours also lists a hat and sunglasses, because the day is spent walking in the open air.
Carry a card and a little cash on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Haqqi Tours suggests cash for drinks or souvenirs in the old town. A red bus listing says the vendors near the beach take card payments only.
The same red bus listing asks for a hat, suitable footwear, bathing gear, sunblock and a towel. It also asks for money for extras or gratuities. Look at your own booking to see whether a beach stop is part of your day.
Wikipedia’s climate table for Famagusta gives a July average daily high of 34.4 degrees Celsius. It lists 0.0 millimetres of rain for July, so water and sun cream matter. One ghost town listing includes water, while Haqqi Tours tells you to bring your own. January averages 17.4 degrees and 82.9 millimetres of rain, so pack a rain layer in winter.
Haqqi Tours says modest clothing is appreciated in religious buildings, and its old town stop holds churches and mosques. Pack a light layer for those stops on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa. Put your checkpoint papers in the day bag first.
What else do travellers ask about a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa?
Can you cancel a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa?
Yes, if you act in time. TUI Musement lists a full refund up to 24 hours before its Famagusta and Salamis day. A second ghost town listing also offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. It warns that last-minute bookings can lack it.
Which money works in the north?
Wikipedia says Northern Cyprus uses the Turkish lira as legal tender rather than the euro. It adds that the euro is also in wide circulation. On a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa, ask your group leader which one the old town cafes take.
What happens if the weather turns bad on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa?
One minibus tour listing states that the experience requires good weather. A red bus listing says all times are approximate and subject to change. Read your confirmation message the evening before you travel.
How early do you book a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa?
Mr John’s site says spaces are limited, especially in peak season, and recommends early booking. The site also lets guests pay cash at the end of the trip. Haqqi Tours says its groups are small and fill quickly. It points travellers to the live dates in its booking panel.
Does the clock change on a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa?
No. Wikipedia lists the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus in the same zone, UTC+2, called EET. Both move to UTC+3, called EEST, in summer. Your watch needs no change when you pass the checkpoint.