7-Day North Cyprus Itinerary: The Perfect Road Trip
Seven days is the sweet spot for North Cyprus: enough time for castles, ancient cities, the wild Karpaz Peninsula and proper beach days — without ever rushing. This is the route we recommend to our own customers, refined over years of local driving. Distances are short (nothing is more than two hours from Kyrenia), roads are quiet, and every day ends back at your Kyrenia base — no hotel-hopping needed.
Self-drive with a rental car from £25/day (automatic, insurance included), or let a local driver take over on our private day tours in a 7-seat Mercedes Vito.
Land at Ercan Airport, pick up your car (or have it delivered to your hotel) and drive 30 minutes over the mountains to Kyrenia (Girne).
Ease into island life with a first stroll around the horseshoe-shaped old harbour. Dinner at a waterfront meze restaurant — order the fresh fish.
Remember: in North Cyprus you drive on the left. The airport road is an easy first drive to get used to it.
Drive up to St. Hilarion Castle — the fairy-tale fortress said to have inspired Disney. Go early to beat the heat; the view from the top is the best on the island.
Lunch in the garden of Bellapais Abbey, then wander the lanes of Karmi village with its restored stone houses.
Back in Kyrenia, visit Kyrenia Castle and the Shipwreck Museum before dinner.
Drive to Nicosia (Lefkoşa) and park near the Kyrenia Gate. Explore the walled old town: Selimiye Mosque, the Ottoman Büyük Han and the bazaar streets.
Bring your passport and walk across the Ledra Street crossing into South Nicosia — the world’s last divided capital is an experience you won’t forget.
Coffee in Büyük Han’s courtyard, then an easy drive back to Kyrenia.
Head east to Salamis — walk the Roman theatre and gymnasium columns right by the sea.
Lunch inside Famagusta’s walled city, then see Othello Castle and the cathedral-mosque. End at the Varosha ghost town — frozen since 1974.
This is the longest day — prefer someone else drives? Do it as our private Famagusta day tour.
Set off early for the wild Karpaz Peninsula. Feed the famous wild donkeys on the way to Apostolos Andreas Monastery at the island’s tip.
Swim at Golden Beach — miles of untouched sand, arguably the best beach in the Mediterranean. Late lunch of village food in Dipkarpaz.
Sunset dinner on the İskele seafront on the way home.
Slow start, then pick your beach: Escape Beach for facilities and calm water, or Alagadi “Turtle Beach” where loggerheads nest in summer.
If you have energy left, the short hike at Buffavento Castle rewards you with a sunset view over both coasts.
Try a village restaurant in Ozanköy or Çatalköy for slow-cooked kleftiko — book ahead.
Late flight? Squeeze in the west: Soli’s mosaics and the hilltop Vouni Palace, with lunch among Güzelyurt’s citrus orchards.
Early flight? A final harbour breakfast in Kyrenia, last-minute duty-free shopping, then the easy 30-minute drive to Ercan.
Fill the tank before returning the car — see current fuel prices.
Before You Go
- Visa & entry requirements — most visitors need only a passport.
- How to get to North Cyprus — Ercan flights and southern airports.
- Currency — Turkish Lira, but pounds and euros widely accepted.
- Weather month by month — plan your season.