Things to do in Famagusta

Best time to visit Famagusta

• a note or something on   ✦ an occasion worth the trip

• April to June and September to November

  Best window: warm, dry, good for walking the walls

• July and August

  Hot, often over 35C; sightsee morning and evening, beach midday

• December to March

  Quiet and mild; old town stays lively with students

Best things to do in Famagusta

• Varosha

  Free

  Abandoned resort district, partially reopened; bring ID.

• Famagusta Walled City

  Free

  Old town inside the Venetian walls, dense with history.

• Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

  Free

  Gothic cathedral turned mosque, the old town centerpiece.

• Othello Castle

  Lusignan fortress guarding the harbor, tower views.

• Venetian Walls

  Free

  3 km circuit of 15th-century ramparts around the old town.

• Namık Kemal Dungeon

  Small museum in the writer's Ottoman prison cell.

• Palm Beach

  Free

  City beach south of the Varosha fence, calm and sandy.

• Famagusta Harbor

  Free

  Working port and evening promenade below the castle.

Where to stay in Famagusta

• Palm Beach area

  beach holidays

• Old Town (inside the walls)

  history lovers

• Salamis Road

  budget and student-town energy

Think twice about

• Right by the Varosha fence

  military zone, not a neighborhood; nothing to do after dark

• The port industrial area

  working docks and warehouses; noisy with no reason to sleep there

• Deep residential sprawl south

  far from both beach and old town; you will live in taxis

Best restaurants in Famagusta

• Aspava

  $$

  Old-town meze institution, order a la carte.

• Ravelin Gate Restaurant & Bar

  $$

  Mediterranean and Turkish cooking by the Ravelin.

• Monk's Inn Bistro & Bar

  $$

  Local favorite for light lunches and drinks.

• Ginko

  $$

  Varied menu in the restored Ottoman Medrese.

• Hamam Inn

  $$

  Turkish-Cypriot classics on a cathedral-view terrace.

• Historia Restaurant Cafe Bar

  $$

  Kebabs and pides by the walls, generous portions.

• Venedik Evi

  $$

  Atmospheric dinner in a historic house.

Best coffee in Famagusta

• Petek Pastanesi

  $

  Famous patisserie for baklava and Turkish coffee.

• Es Café

  $

  Square-side cafe for Cypriot lemonade and long sits.

Outdoor things to do in Famagusta

• Salamis

  Ancient city with theatre, baths and mosaics by the sea.

• St Barnabas Monastery

  Monastery with icons and the saint's tomb.

• Karpaz Peninsula

  Free

  Wild peninsula with Golden Beach and the tip monastery.

• Boğaz

  Fishing harbor for long seafood lunches.

• Kantara Castle

  Free

  Mountain castle with views over both coasts.

• Nicosia

  Free

  Divided capital, cross at Deryneia with a passport.

Best hotels in Famagusta

• Arkin Palm Beach Hotel

  $$$$

  Landmark beach hotel, pools and casino.

• Limak Cyprus Deluxe Hotel

  $$$$

  Large resort with extensive facilities.

• Concorde Luxury Resort

  $$$$

  Big beach resort on the Palm Beach strip.

• Altun Tabya Hotel

  $$

  Old-town hotel by the walls, simple and central.

Is Famagusta expensive? What a day costs

A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room

What to book ahead

• Arkin Palm Beach Hotel: months ahead

• Varosha: no booking, but bring passport or ID
• Summer beach hotels: book ahead for July and August
• Boğaz fish restaurants: book for Sunday lunch

Is Famagusta safe?

• Safe for visitors; do not photograph military installations
• Stay out of the UN buffer zone; carry ID for checkpoints
• Emergency: police 155, ambulance 112

Famagusta travel tips: tourist traps to skip

• Land Gate touted restaurants: average food, inflated prices
• Casino hotels sell the resort, not the town
• Paid ghost-town tours: Varosha entry is free with ID

Getting around Famagusta: public transport and more

• Walk the walled city; it is compact
• Taxi to Palm Beach and Salamis; agree the price first
• Drive on the LEFT; rental cars from the north usually cannot cross south

Who Famagusta suits

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