Northern Cyprus

You will stay at the 4-star Vuni Palace Hotel. Situated just outside Kyrenia town, right on the coast, the Vuni Palace boasts outdoor and heated indoor swimming pool and access to the hotel’s man-made sandy beach. There is also a choice of restaurants serving open buffet Turkish and international cuisine and a selection of bars. Guest rooms offer balcony, mini-bar, TV, safe and hairdryer.

Day 1: UK/Nicosia

Depart on your flight to Nicosia and transfer to your hotel, the 4-star Vuni Palace Hotel, for a seven-night stay.

Meals: Dinner

Days 2 - 7: Kyrenia

The Vuni Palace Hotel is located close to the harbour town of Kyrenia and positioned right on the coast. Spend your days relaxing and taking advantage of the facilities at your hotel or perhaps join your Travelsphere Local Guide on our superb programme of optional excursions.

Meals: Breakfast / dinner

Kyrenia & Bellapais tour (day 2, optional)

Today’s tour gives you the opportunity to view one of the oldest trade ships in the world at the fascinating Shipwreck Museum of Kyrenia. The remains of the famous Kyrenia shipwreck were only discovered in the 1960s - it had been resting, for over 2,000 years, on the seabed. The museum is housed in the Gothic halls of the Kyrenia Castle; a lovely venue for a the collections to be exhibited in. Your tour continues with visits to the Lusignan Dungeon, the Joanna L’Alema’s Prison and the Neolithic Age Museum. After lunch you will be free to enjoy some leisure time at the horse-shoe shaped Venetian harbour, considered by many to be one of the most picturesque harbours in the Mediterranean. You will then visit Bellapais Monastery and the house of the expatriate novelist, poet, dramatist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell. Durrell began living in the Mediterranean in the 1930s, eventually settling for a number of years in Northern Cyprus. Later today you will be returned to the hotel.

Famagusta (day 3, optional)

Today you will visit St Barnabas Monastery, including one of the best archeological museums in Cyprus, as well as the Church of St Barnabas. The church has a rich collection of icons mostly dating from the 18th century and the museum is housed in the former rooms of the priests who lived there. From here, you will visit the ancient city of Salamis, one of Cyprus’s earliest city kingdoms, which flourished under Greek and Roman rule. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant before your visit to the old town of Famagusta. Here you will see the walls that surround the city and visit the most famous part which is known as Othello’s Castle named due to its significance in Shakespeare’s Othello. You will also visit St Nicholas Cathedral, the Venetian Palace and the Dungeon of Namik Kemal.

Nicosia – divided capital (day 5, optional)

Today’s excursion is a full-day tour of Cyprus’s capital city, 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. You will have plenty of free time to explore and indulge in some shopping 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 – and the House of the Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios, a beautifully restored 18th-century building.

Panhandle with Cypriot local life (day 6, optional)

Today you will be given an insight into how local people lived in the past. You will get the chance to see a cheese-making demonstration and local bread being produced and baked in the traditional way using an outdoor oven. Lunch today will be served in a local restaurant, after which you will visit the Basilica of Ayias Trias which is home to 5th century mosaics. You will also visit the Apostolos Andreas Monastery – an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church and an excellent example of its kind.

Day 8: Nicosia/UK

After breakfast this morning you will transfer to the airport for your flight back home to the UK.

Meals: Breakfast