Northern Cyprus

Day 1: UK/Nicosia
Depart on your flight to Ercan Airport, near Nicosia, and transfer to the 4-star Salamis Bay Conti Resort, your base for the next seven nights. The hotel is based on the shores of Famagusta Bay with easy access to the beach’s golden sands and clear waters. Other facilities include two swimming pools, tennis courts and a spa.

Day 2: Kyrenia
After breakfast join your Local Guide on an included tour of Kyrenia town and Bellapais. First stop is the fascinating Shipwreck Museum of Kyrenia, which is housed in Kyrenia Castle. Here you can view one of the oldest trade ships in the world whose remains were only discovered in the 1960s after the vessel had lain on the seabed for more than 2,000 years.

Your tour continues with visits to the Lusignan Dungeon, the Joanna L’Alema’s Prison and the Neolithic Age Museum. Enjoy some free time to take lunch and explore the horse-shoe shaped Venetian harbour, considered by many to be one of the most picturesque in the Mediterranean. You will then visit Bellapais Monastery and the house of the expatriate novelist, poet, dramatist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell.

Day 3: Famagusta
Enjoy today at leisure, or join our three quarter-day optional excursion of Famagusta and Salamis . The tour begins with a visit to St Barnabas Monastery, which is home to one of the best archeological museums in Cyprus, as well as the Church of St Barnabas. From here, you will visit the ancient city of Salamis, before taking lunch in a local restaurant.

This afternoon you’ll visit to the old town of Famagusta where you will see the walls that surround the city. You will also visit St Nicholas Cathedral, the Venetian Palace and the Dungeon of Namik Kemal, before returning to your hotel, where you can enjoy a drink in one of the bars before dinner.

Day 4: Kyrenia
Spend time at leisure today. You might choose to enjoy the facilities at your hotel and simply relax by the pool or on the beach – Cyprus boasts a hot, dry climate with year-round sunshine. If you decide to explore the area further your Local Guide will be on hand to offer tips and advice.

Day 5: Nicosia – Divided Capital
You can visit Cyprus’s capital today on our full-day optional excursion to Nicosia, a city which is split in two by the ‘Green Line’ dividing the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot communities. The old town is a picturesque combination of 16th century walls, pavement cafés and charming squares, where you will have plenty of free time to explore and shop for souvenirs if you wish. You will cross the border to South Cyprus (your passports will be needed here) for a visit to the Archeological Museum of Nicosia – the oldest exhibit here is believed to be 8,500 years old.

Your tour ends with a visit to the House of the Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios – the dragoman acted as an interpreter between the Christian population and the Ottoman governor, and this mansion is one of the most important examples of this region’s urban architecture in the 18th century.

Day 6: Panhandle and Local Life
If you choose to join today’s optional excursion you will get a fascinating insight into how the local people lived in the past. You will watch a cheese-making demonstration and learn how bread was produced and baked in the traditional way using an outdoor oven. The smell of fresh bread is sure to give you an appetite for lunch, which will be served in a local restaurant.

Your tour continues after lunch with a visit to the Basilica of Ayias Trias, which is home to mosaics from the 5th century. You will also visit the Apostolos Andreas Monastery – an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church and an excellent example of its kind.

Day 7: Famagusta
Enjoy the final day of your holiday at leisure, enjoying more of the region’s cuisine, sunshine and hospitality.

Day 8: Nicosia/UK
After breakfast this morning you will transfer to the airport for your flight back home to the UK.

Please note
To maximise your enjoyment of this holiday a certain amount of walking is essential.

Accommodation is of comfortable standard, typical of the hotel you will stay in is:

4-star Salamis Bay Conti Resort
This hotel overlooking Famagusta Bay boasts indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, a sauna and has regular evening entertainment. Guest rooms offer en suite facilities, balcony, mini-bar, TV, safe and hairdryer.

Hotels will be confirmed in your final documentation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Kyrenia & Bellapais tour (three-quarter day)

Optional excursions

Famagusta tour (full day)
Nicosia tour (full day)
Panhandle and Cypriot Local Life (full day)

Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights
Overseas transfers and other transportation
7 nights’ accommodation
Half-board basis – including local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from 1900hrs – 2400hrs (days 2 to 7)
The services of a Local Guide
Hotel porterage (one bag per person)
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
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