North Cypros
With Over 300 days of sunshine with long hot summer days. North Cyprus is a wonderful place to just relax and chill out, take in the sun and take each day as it comes.
The Girne Harbour
The horseshoe shaped historical Girne Harbour, which was built at the center of the city, is most definitely one of the first places to visit in Girne. The colourful fishing boats and yachts anchored at the harbour make the Girne Harbour a favourite attraction for locals as well tourists to visit. Up until recently the harbour was used as a centre of commerce.
The Kantara Castle
The Kantara Castle is the easternmost of the castles situated on the Girne Mountains, at a height of 700 meters from sea level; the castle has a strategic advantage, as it overlooks the northern shoreline, the Mesarya Plains and the Karpaz Peninsula. The castle was believed to have been built by the Byzantines, however, it was first mentioned in written records, when Richard the Lionheart captured Cyprus in 1191.
The Girne Gate
The Girne Gate is one of the three gates built into the fortifications built around Lefkoşa in order to protect the city in the Venetian Era, and it is located to the north of the City Walls. It was named ‘The Del Proveditore Gate’ after the famous Venetian architect Proveditore Francesco Barbaro. The Gate was renovated by the Ottomans in 1821 and a domed room was added on top. The gate currently serves the public as a Tourist Information Office.
The Shipwreck Museum
The Girne Castle which is one of Cyprus’ most astonishing historical buildings stands proudly as Girne’s symbol. The almost square planned structure has undergone many changes through the years up until it reached its present view. The ship believed to have been made in 3rd century BC, which is being exhibited at the Castle’s Museum is thought to be the oldest commercial ship ever to be recovered from the bottom of the sea.
Golden Beach
The wonderful Golden Beach is one of the Mediterranean Sea’s virgin beaches; it stretches 2 km along the Karpaz Peninsula with its clear blue water and golden sandy shoreline. All along Golden Beach you will have the captivating opportunity of walking bare footed for kilometres and refreshing yourself by taking a dive into the cool blue waters.
The island of Cyprus has been visited for hundreds of millions of years by Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and Green Turtles. These astonishing creatures visit Cyprus’ shores every year in order to nest along the golden sands of ‘Alagadi (Turtle) Beach’ on the northern coastline and ‘Golden Beach’ and ‘Ronnas Beach’ in the Karpaz Peninsula of Northern Cyprus.
