Christmas in Northern Cyprus

Day 2 Kyrenia & Bellapais

We'll enjoy a day of exploration, starting with a tour of Kyrenia's Old Town, which is steeped in history and is home to a picturesque harbour overlooked by Kyrenia Castle. Our first stop is the fascinating Shipwreck Museum of Kyrenia, which is housed inside the castle. Here we'll 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.
Next we'll visit the Lusignan Dungeon, the Joanna L'Alema's Prison and the Neolithic Age Museum. We'll then have some free time, so you can take lunch if you wish, or simply stroll around the town's horse-shoe shaped Venetian harbour, one of the prettiest in the Mediterranean.
Before we return to the hotel, we'll see the Gothic arches and towering stone walls of the Bellapais Monastery, located high up in the Five Finger Mountains. We'll also see the house of the expatriate poet, novelist, dramatist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell, which is close by.

Day 3 Karpas Peninsula

Our included excursion today takes us on a scenic drive through the countryside and traditional villages of the Karpas Peninsula. Running parallel to Cyprus' north coast, we'll view the Five Finger Mountain before we stop for lunch in a restaurant. The beaches around here are lovely, so maybe enjoy a stroll after you've eaten.

Day 4 Kyrenia - at Leisure

If you choose to join our optional excursion today we're heading out for a full day of exploration, starting with visits to St Barnabas Monastery, which is home to one of the best archaeological museums in Cyprus, and the Church of St Barnabas. We'll then continue to the ancient city of Salamis, the capital of the island as far back as 1100 BC, for a tour of the ruins.
We'll stop for lunch in a typical Cypriot restaurant, and this afternoon we'll set our sights on Famagusta, which is surrounded by ancient walls. On a tour here we'll see St Nicholas Cathedral, the Venetian Palace and the Dungeon of Namik Kemal, a Turkish writer who was imprisoned here by the Ottoman government for more than three years in 1873.

Day 5 Christmas Eve - at Leisure

You can spend today as you wish, perhaps take advantage of your hotel's facilities or take a walk into Kyrenia. You'll want to return to the hotel in plenty of time to get ready for this evening's festivities when we gather together for dinner and live entertainment.

Day 6 Christmas Day - at Leisure

It's Christmas Day, which you can spend relaxing at your hotel, or maybe you'll choose to join an optional excursion. We'll head off the tourist trail and take a walking tour of the traditional market town of Guzelyurt, which is famed for its fertile land and its abundance of citrus groves. It's also home to the Church of St Mamas, the patron saint of tax avoiders!

Day 7 Boxing Day - at Leisure

Day 8