Famagusta (Gazimağusa)
★★★ Famagusta — Between Gothic and Ghost Town
Famagusta (Turkish: Gazimağusa) on the east coast is one of the most fascinating cities in the Mediterranean — and one of the most tragic. The mighty Venetian city walls (up to 15 m high, 8 m thick) enclose an old town full of Gothic churches that have become mosques or ruins.
★★★ Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St. Nicholas Cathedral)
Perhaps the most impressive repurposed church in the Near East. The Gothic St. Nicholas Cathedral (1298–1312) once rivaled Notre-Dame de Paris. After the Ottoman conquest in 1571, a minaret was added, and the Lusignan kings' tombs were removed. Today: prayer rugs under Gothic ribbed vaults. On the outer facade stands a supposedly 700-year-old fig tree.
Namık Kemal Meydanı, Old Town. Free. Outside prayer times. Appropriate clothing.
★★★ Varosha (Kapalı Maraş)
The ghost town — once the most glamorous beach resort in Cyprus. In the 1960s and 1970s, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Brigitte Bardot celebrated here. Hotels, boutiques, restaurants — everything flourished.
On August 15, 1974, as the Turkish army advanced, the 40,000 residents fled headlong. The city was sealed off and has remained uninhabited and fenced off ever since — a surreal time capsule. High-rise buildings without windows, overgrown streets, decaying hotels.
Since October 2020, parts of the beach area of Varosha have been reopened. You can visit the beach and walk through some streets — next to the fenced-off decaying hotels. A disturbing, unforgettable experience that makes the tragedy of Cyprus's division palpable.
Varosha Beach, south of Famagusta Old Town. Free. Entry through controlled access. Photography allowed (on the beach), restricted in some areas. Do not attempt to go behind the barriers!
★★ Othello's Tower
The citadel at the harbor is traditionally associated with Shakespeare's Othello — the governor Christoforo Moro, who resided here in the 16th century, is said to have been Shakespeare's inspiration. The fortress offers a panoramic view of the harbor, city walls, and the sea.
Harbor, Old Town. 10 TL (approx. 2€). 9:00–17:00.
★ Salamis
4 km north of Famagusta lie the ruins of the ancient city of Salamis — the most important city of Cyprus in antiquity. Extensive ruins: a gymnasium with marble columns, a Roman theater (15,000 seats), baths with mosaic floors, a basilica. Right next to it: the sandy beach of Salamis (Silver Beach) — perfect for a cool-down after the visit.
4 km north of Famagusta. 15 TL (approx. 3€). Daily 9:00–17:00. Large site — 1.5–2 hours. Little shade!
