We’ll drive thru Kyrenia Mountains. The mountain range is 177 km long and starts from Kormacits’ and goes all the way to Karpaz peninsula. Our first stop will be at St. Hilarion Castle which is right up on the cliff of the mountains.Which once said that the Walt Disney production of 'Snow White and 7 Dwarfs' was inspired. Our second stop of the day will be at ‘Bellapais Monastery’.This building is a masterpiece of Gothic art, and the most beautiful one in the Near East. A lot to tell about it while you get to see it. We’ll have a short walk in the beautiful narrow village roads, pass thru the house of ‘Lawrence Durell’ and have time to take photos. We’ ll hop in the car and drive to the city center to visit 'Kyrenia Castle'. There are many rooms that we’ll visit while you get to learn about its history but the most important is the 'Ship Wreck ' museum.This castle was built during the Byzantine Period in the 8th century due to Arab attacks. The 'Shipwreck Museum' exhibits date back to 2321 years and include the ships final cargo with the items that the sailors were using in the old days. When Cyprus Republic was established in 1960 the currency of the island was Cyprus pounds. The biggest banknote of 20CYP had the photo of this shipwreck . We'll have a short walk at the horseshoe shaped Kyrenia harbor which was originally built during the Venetian period. You will have some free time to enjoy the harbor just before we finish the tour. If your time is limited in Cyprus and you only want to visit one place which is full of history and also the city life this tour will be ideal for you. So don’t miss this oportunity and book the tour with a knowledgable local guide.
St. Hilarion Castle: Its one of the nicest castles that was built to prevent the Arab attacks. Its above 732 metres the sea level. It was developed during the Lusignan period and it was left to its destiny after the Venetians took over the island.
Bellapais Abbey: The building is a masterpiece of the most beautiful gothic type which was built by Augustinians who ran away from Jerusalem after the fell to Salahaddin Eyyubi in 1187. It was in use until 16th century when ottomans came to island.
Lawrence Durell: He is the writer of ‘Bitter Lemons of Cyprus’ book who lived in the village in 1950’s. A lot more to tell.
Kyrenia Castle: It’s on the harbor of Kyrenia Castle. Which was built by Byzantines and many additions were made thru the centuries by Lusignans, Venetians, Ottomans and English.
Ship Wreck Museum: A shipwreck which dates from 300BC was discovered by the Cypriot sponge diver called Andreas in 1965. In the museum you can see the shipwreck, amphoras, and the almonds, olive seeds which are been exhibited from that time.
Kyrenia Gate: As Nicosia is surrounded with walls in the old days there were only 3 gates to enter Nicosia. This is one of the gates. All the gates had guards and when the sun set the guards would lock the gate for the protection of the city.
