A Famagusta ghost town tour leaves the resorts of Ayia Napa and Protaras and crosses the Green Line at the Dherynia checkpoint into Northern Cyprus, where the sealed resort of Varosha has stood empty for decades. If you are comparing day trips, the full list of tours in Greece is a good place to start.
This page covers what the day is and how it runs, the drive and timing, the border rules and documents, the story of Varosha, the old walled city of Famagusta, the swim stop, food and free time, group tours against crossing alone, who the day suits, the road from Ayia Napa and Protaras, and the questions travellers ask.
What is a Famagusta ghost town tour from Ayia Napa and Protaras, and how does it work?
Guests on a Famagusta ghost town tour leave the resorts and spend the day in Famagusta with a tour guide. The vehicle collects them at their hotels and crosses the checkpoint into Northern Cyprus. The group visits Varosha and the old walled city, then rides back.
To see how a Famagusta ghost town tour fits together, start with the map. Ayia Napa lies in Famagusta District, in the part that the Republic of Cyprus controls. Protaras sits in the same district. The city of Famagusta is on the east coast and is under Northern Cyprus control. Varosha, its southern quarter, is the ghost town.
On operator pages the day has a simple shape. A tour guide leads the group, and a vehicle carries it across the checkpoint. One trip is sold as a three-in-one that joins the Green Line, Varosha and the old streets. A swim stop rounds out the day on the trips that include one.
The vehicle on a Famagusta ghost town tour depends on the operator. One page describes a mini bus tour with a maximum of 16 travellers. Another describes an open-top bus with an English-speaking tour guide. A review on a third page mentions a coach that was three quarters full. All of them run from the resort areas.
The order of stops changes too. One Famagusta ghost town tour walks through Varosha first and then visits the old town. A longer day starts at the ancient city of Salamis. It adds a monastery and a short guided walk in Varosha, then gives free time for lunch before Famagusta.
How long does a Famagusta ghost town tour take, and how far is the drive?
A Famagusta ghost town tour takes from four hours to more than eight, depending on the trip. The drive itself is short: Famagusta lies around 27 km from Ayia Napa, and the road takes about 35 minutes.
Trip pages show that a Famagusta ghost town tour has no single length. The three-part trip that links the Green Line, Varosha and Famagusta’s old city lists six hours. A review on the same page recalls six to seven hours. A Varosha-only trip on that page lists four hours.
Open-top bus pages give the same range, four to eight hours, for a Varosha trip and for a Famagusta trip. Day trips that add Salamis and a monastery run more than eight hours. So does a day that adds a four-hour boat trip. One page notes that its times are only approximate and can change.
A tour agency page for the area puts Famagusta around 27 km from Ayia Napa. The drive takes around 35 minutes.
The road takes a small share of a day of four to eight hours on a Famagusta ghost town tour. Protaras lies about 10 km from Ayia Napa.
The longer trips list more places. The six-hour trip adds the old city to Varosha, and the longest days add Salamis or a boat trip. Reviews of one mini bus trip note that the day ran longer than expected because of the guiding.
Check the listed length first, since a Famagusta ghost town tour can mean four hours or more than eight. Allow for the longer end of that range when you plan other things for the same day.
How does a Famagusta ghost town tour cross the border at the Dherynia checkpoint?
The Dherynia checkpoint is where a Famagusta ghost town tour passes the Green Line. The checkpoint sits on the east coast, close to Famagusta. Each traveller shows a passport or EU ID card, and the group then drives on into Northern Cyprus.
Dherynia is a village in the east of Cyprus, 2 km south of Famagusta. A border page names its crossing as the fastest way to reach Famagusta and Varosha from Ayia Napa or Protaras. A travel blogger calls it the easiest way to reach Famagusta from the south. A Famagusta ghost town tour from those resorts uses it.
The United Nations force on the island says the Dherynia and Lefka crossings opened on the same day, 12 November. They were the first new crossing points in eight years. A news report counts nine crossing points along the buffer zone, which is also called the Green Line.
A Famagusta ghost town tour crosses only at an official checkpoint. One travel page gives the same advice to every visitor: the buffer zone is not a sightseeing route. One operator page says its tour follows the official crossing procedures through the designated checkpoint.
A Famagusta ghost town tour packs the crossing into the day. One travel blogger writes that tours include the crossing, a tour guide and the transport. The blogger adds that booking a tour takes the stress out of the border crossing.
The crossing itself is quick. One crossing page puts a normal day at about 15 minutes, and 5 to 20 minutes outside peak hours. Border staff scan each document. Queues grow at weekends, on public holidays and in peak summer traffic. According to one travel page, the wait depends on traffic more than on paperwork.
Which documents does a Famagusta ghost town tour ask for at the crossing?
Every guest on a Famagusta ghost town tour needs a valid passport. EU citizens can show a national ID card in its place. Tour pages list this document as essential for the crossing, next to swimwear and a towel.
The ID card route is for EU citizens only. Everyone else needs a passport, two crossing pages say. One tour page states that all guests must bring a valid passport or an EU ID card. Another calls the passport mandatory.
Check the document ahead of the Famagusta ghost town tour. Two travel pages say to carry the original passport, not a photocopy, and one adds that photocopies are strictly rejected. At the checkpoint the traveller receives a separate slip for the north. Both pages advise keeping it until the return.
Nationality can decide whether a guest joins a Famagusta ghost town tour. One operator page says certain nationalities face restrictions. It asks travellers to contact the operator before booking, so that the operator can confirm. A crossing page names Turkish passport holders and other nationalities that need a visa. They must hold a valid visa from the Republic of Cyprus.
Another page says that without a passport there is no crossing. It asks travellers to keep the passport in good condition. A third page adds that random checks can happen, so it advises carrying ID at all times.
Rules change over time. One travel page says checkpoint procedures can change. It advises checking the arrangements shortly before a Famagusta ghost town tour. It points readers to the Republic of Cyprus entry rules and to their own government for the latest official advice.
What is Varosha, and why do people call it a ghost town?
The southern quarter of Famagusta is called Varosha, a seaside district built up as a holiday resort. People call it a ghost town because its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled more than four decades ago. Wikipedia says it has remained abandoned since. A Famagusta ghost town tour visits it.
Its name comes from varoş, the Turkish word for suburb. Wikipedia adds that the land was once fields where animals grazed. It lists Cyprus as the country in law and Northern Cyprus as the country in practice. Operator pages list Varosha next to the old walled city as sights of a Famagusta ghost town tour.
Famagusta led Cyprus as a tourist destination before the fighting. Wikipedia says it held 31.5 percent of the island’s hotels and 45 percent of its total bed capacity. Varosha was the main tourist and business quarter. One operator page calls Varosha once one of the top holiday destinations in the Mediterranean. That past stands behind a Famagusta ghost town tour.
The label points to the abandoned streets. Wikivoyage calls Varosha the ghost-town southern district. It describes streets of hollow or burnt-out buildings. Wikipedia says that without people and upkeep the buildings keep decaying. Metal parts corrode, glass breaks and plants push through walls and pavement. The same label appears on operator pages for a Famagusta ghost town tour.
One quarter, not the whole city, carries the label. Wikipedia puts Famagusta on the island’s eastern coast. Wikivoyage calls it a seaport and tourist resort with a population of 55,648. A Famagusta ghost town tour shows the ghost town alongside the walled old city. Wikipedia gives Varosha an area of 6.19 square kilometres.
What happened to Varosha when its people left, and why was it fenced off?
The events behind the Famagusta ghost town tour start in August. Turkish forces advanced on Famagusta, the Greek Cypriot population fled, and the Turkish Army fenced Varosha off. Wikivoyage says the district’s place close to the ceasefire line made it a closed military zone.
Wikipedia says the Turkish Army needed two days to occupy Famagusta. It adds that the whole Greek Cypriot population of the city had fled by then. The Varosha page names Paralimni, Dherynia and Larnaca as the places they reached. They left hours before the armies met in combat. That flight gave a Famagusta ghost town tour its subject.
Wikipedia says the Turkish Army advanced to the Green Line and fenced Varosha. The Green Line is the UN-patrolled zone between the two communities. Its Famagusta page says Varosha was fenced off at once, unlike other Turkish-controlled areas. The fence stayed for more than four decades. A district closed that long is what a Famagusta ghost town tour enters.
A decade later, UN Security Council Resolution 550 called attempts to settle Varosha by anyone but its inhabitants inadmissible. It asked for UN administration of the area. The Annan Plan provided for its return to the original residents. Greek Cypriot voters rejected that reunification plan in a referendum. These texts give the Famagusta ghost town tour its official background.
Wikipedia says Northern Cyprus then reopened part of the district to visitors. The first stretch ran between the Officers’ Club and the Golden Sands Hotel. UN and EU officials raised concerns, while Turkey and Northern Cyprus rejected the criticism. Wikivoyage lists an organised tour among the ways in, and a Famagusta ghost town tour is one.
What do you see in Varosha on a Famagusta ghost town tour?
Empty hotels and shop fronts with faded signs fill the fenced-off southern quarter that a Famagusta ghost town tour shows. Ruined buildings line Democracy Road, and a reopened stretch of beach lies beside the sea.
The open area covers only part of the town, and a Famagusta ghost town tour stays inside it. Walkers follow a freshly tarred street with a lane set aside for bicycles. Rope strung between poles marks the edge of the path, and people are not supposed to step past it. Warning signs stand near unstable ruined buildings.
On the main shopping street, signs from the old resort remain. One advertises quick photo film processing, one invites orders for hand-made suits, and others promise nightly dancing. The doors are blocked and it is silent inside. Where a visitor can peek in, the place has been largely picked clean.
A 2.5-kilometre line of beach, where barbed wire was removed, was opened to daily visits. Sun beds and umbrellas line a beach stretch that starts at the King George Hotel. The stretch ends at the Oceania Building. A Famagusta ghost town tour leaves free time for the nearby beaches after the guided walk.
The tour guide of a Famagusta ghost town tour hands out a map on arrival. The tour guide describes the resort as it was, with its hotels, shops and nightclubs. A park with benches and stalls is the only other place with visitor facilities besides the beaches.
A small building at the end of the western route is a reactivated mosque that visitors can enter. A Greek Orthodox church one block away stays off limits. In the central part of the town, high fences hide building work.
What are the rules for walking, photos and stops inside the Varosha area?
The rules for a Famagusta ghost town tour are short. Keep to the marked route, never enter a building, and take photos anywhere except at military and UN installations. Drones are banned.
A large panel at the entrance sets out the rules in Turkish and English. Walkers keep to the prescribed road, stay off the bicycle paths and take nothing out. Staff ask to look in a bag. CCTV cameras and guards watch the route, and one travel writer advises visitors to assume that they are being watched.
Entering a building is not allowed on a Famagusta ghost town tour, for safety reasons: the structures can collapse. Authorities have also warned of debris falling from dilapidated buildings, of water wells and of snakes. Wikivoyage tells visitors not to cross cordons or fences into prohibited areas.
Visitors on a Famagusta ghost town tour can use a camera in the open area. UN observation posts stand on high-rises and at street level, where photography is not allowed. Signs make the rule clear, and one travel writer reports that it is enforced. Signs also mark a military zone, where a guard turns walkers around.
The stops of a Famagusta ghost town tour by coach follow a set format. A guided walk comes first. Free time follows, to wander the streets, take photos or visit a beach. One coach trip page says visitors wander only within designated zones that local authorities control. Staff with walkie-talkies help, and smoking is not permitted during the tour.
Pages differ on the opening hours of the area, which a Famagusta ghost town tour must fit. One travel page gives winter hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with longer hours in summer. Wikivoyage says to be out before the 20:00 curfew. A closed street gives vehicle access to security staff.
What is in the old walled city of Famagusta, from the Venetian walls to Othello Castle?
A Famagusta ghost town tour includes the old walled city, with the Venetian walls and Othello Castle. The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque stands inside the old town. Fortress walls ring the core, and the castle guards the old port.
A Famagusta ghost town tour walks inside a ring of fortress walls with fourteen bastions. The two gates are the Sea Gate by the port and the Land Gate at the south-western corner. A rock-cut ditch runs on the landward side, while the seaward side faces the harbour. Cannonballs from the sixteenth-century siege dot the stone.
The Venetians redesigned the defences, and each bastion is named for a Venetian family. The walls mark the move from medieval castles to bastion forts, as at Rhodes. The Ottomans later repaired damaged parts without major changes. Tour pages call the walled centre easy to explore on foot. A Famagusta ghost town tour can follow the walls.
Operator pages list Othello Castle among the sights of a Famagusta ghost town tour. The Lusignans raised it in the fourteenth century to defend the harbour. It doubled as the city’s main gateway. Under Venice, round towers replaced the square ones to suit newer artillery. Four round towers stand there today.
The castle’s modern name comes from Shakespeare’s Othello. A note in its stage directions mentions a seaport in Cyprus. Cannonballs from Spanish and Ottoman times lie in the yard. One operator page for a Famagusta ghost town tour says visitors can climb the towers for sea views. After restoration, the castle reopened to the public.
On a Famagusta ghost town tour, churches fill the lanes around the mosque. The Twin Churches stand about one hundred metres northwest of it. The larger was built for the Knights Hospitaller and the smaller for the Knights Templar. The Namik Kemal Dungeon lies west of the mosque, and one tour page lists a stop there.
Why does the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque look like a Gothic cathedral?
The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque was built as the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. A Famagusta ghost town tour therefore shows a cathedral front with a minaret. No other medieval building in Famagusta is larger.
Builders began the cathedral at the end of the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century it became a consecrated Catholic cathedral. The French Lusignan dynasty ruled Cyprus then and brought the latest French taste in building. That French influence shows in the Gothic style that a Famagusta ghost town tour visits.
The style is Rayonnant Gothic, which is rare outside France. People have called the building the Reims of Cyprus, after French models such as Reims Cathedral. Its plan has a trio of doors, two towers above the aisles and a flat roof. A Famagusta ghost town tour visits the church where Lusignan kings were crowned kings of Jerusalem.
The Ottomans captured Famagusta in the sixteenth century. The cathedral that a Famagusta ghost town tour visits became a mosque. Statues, crosses, stained glass, frescoes and paintings came out or were covered with plaster, along with the altar. The Gothic structure stayed. The tops of both towers, hit by earthquakes and bombardment, were never repaired.
In the nineteen-fifties, the mosque was renamed in honour of Lala Mustafa Pasha. He led the Ottoman side against the Venetians in Cyprus. The Loggia Bembo, a meeting chamber, stands at the south-west corner. Marble fragments, probably from Salamis, serve as seats at its entrance. A Famagusta ghost town tour visits a building still in use as a mosque.
Where does a Famagusta ghost town tour stop for a swim, and how long is the beach time?
A Famagusta ghost town tour stops for a swim at the Golden Beach of Famagusta, as operator pages call it. Beach time is a quick dip on a half-day trip and about two hours on a longer trip.
On the shorter Famagusta ghost town tour, the swim comes early. The small group crosses the Green Line and drives along the Varosha fence. It then reaches the beach, where abandoned hotels line the shore. The operator page says there is time for a quick dip before the group moves on to the old town.
A longer Famagusta ghost town tour gives the swim more room. The old town comes first and Varosha second. Afterwards you choose how to spend the free time. You can return to the ghost town for more exploring or relax on the Golden Beach. The operator page puts that block at around two hours for swimming, food and drinks.
Beach names differ between sources. Operator pages for a Famagusta ghost town tour use Golden Beach. Wikivoyage lists Palm Beach, inside Varosha, as the closest beach to the city. It also lists Glapsides, or Silver Beach, five kilometres to the north.
Two operator pages ask you to bring swimwear and a towel if you want to swim. One of them lists toilets at the border checkpoint, in the old town centre and at the beach. It adds that an optional speedboat trip along the Varosha coast can be arranged, weather permitting. The half-day page says all times are approximate.
A third kind of Famagusta ghost town tour adds a boat trip to the visit. After Varosha and the old town, the group sails to the Blue Lagoon. The page lists a four-hour boat trip with swimming and snorkelling. Lunch is on board, with plenty of time to swim, snorkel or sunbathe.
What do you eat and drink on a Famagusta ghost town tour, and what about free time?
On a bus or minibus Famagusta ghost town tour, you buy your own lunch and drinks. Operator pages list lunch and refreshments as not included. Meals happen in the free time, inside the walls or down on the sand.
The half-day Famagusta ghost town tour leaves the group free inside the old town after a short guided walk. The page suggests wandering the back streets or stopping for a coffee in a quiet cafe. Lunch and refreshments are not included on that trip.
The longer trip builds in two free-time blocks. The old town stop lasts around ninety minutes. The page mentions the stone streets and neighbourhood stores. The beach stop adds around two hours for swimming, food and drinks. On that Famagusta ghost town tour, lunch and a drink can be bought to eat on the beach.
Wikivoyage places the old town eating spots along Namık Kemal Street, near the mosque. Drinking places are along the same strip. It lists one restaurant opposite the mosque that serves a set mezze. One operator page adds that the closed area of the ghost town and the beach take card payments only.
Other trips change the meal plan. On the boat combination, lunch is served on board at the Blue Lagoon. Food and drinks beyond that lunch are not included.
A Varosha-only bus trip lists meals and drinks as not included. The page tells travellers to bring snacks or buy locally. That Famagusta ghost town tour gives about two hours of free exploration in Varosha, then time to swim.
How does a group Famagusta ghost town tour compare with crossing on your own?
A group Famagusta ghost town tour includes return transport and a tour guide in one booking. Crossing on your own leaves the vehicle, the route and the planning to you. That covers everything from the car hire to the walk through the streets.
Operator pages list return transport for a Famagusta ghost town tour that starts in Ayia Napa and Protaras. One page adds hotel pick-up. A tour guide leads the walk through the abandoned streets. The same day takes in the old town of Famagusta. One operator notes that spaces are limited in peak season, so early booking is recommended.
Travellers who cross on their own by car drive through Dhekelia, the British military zone. They reach the Strovilia border post, five kilometres west of Famagusta. Car insurance from the Republic is not valid in Northern Cyprus, so cover is arranged at the border. A hire car also needs a rental agreement that allows the trip.
Once across, the walk is also yours to plan. Wikivoyage says visitors can enter Varosha on foot, by bike, by dolmus (a shared minibus) or on an organised tour. It also lists a bus line, Line 5, from the Deryneia Checkpoint to the Old City. A Famagusta ghost town tour settles those choices before you leave the hotel.
Travellers can use any crossing point to go between the two parts of the island, according to British government advice. Only pedestrians can use the crossings at Ledra Palace and Ledra Street in Nicosia. A driver heading for Famagusta therefore picks a vehicle crossing. A Famagusta ghost town tour picks it for you.
The same advice also covers shopping. It sets controls on how much and which kinds of goods a visitor can buy in the north. The authorities can confiscate goods at the checkpoint. Check those limits before you shop on the other side.
Who suits a Famagusta ghost town tour, and how much walking is there?
A Famagusta ghost town tour suits travellers who enjoy walking, in Varosha and in the old walled city. Operator pages warn that the trip is challenging for guests with reduced mobility, and one calls it unsuitable for them.
On a Famagusta ghost town tour you cover Varosha on foot with a tour guide. Wikivoyage says the beachfront has reopened piece by piece. Wikipedia adds that plants now work their roots into the walls and pavement. A tour page says the streets are overgrown, with rusted shutters and broken windows.
The old walled city adds a second walk. Wikivoyage describes the old city as compact and suited to exploring on foot. Operator pages list the old town visit as part of the day. A Famagusta ghost town tour therefore holds two walks, one in each place.
Two operator pages ask guests on a Famagusta ghost town tour to bring suitable footwear. A page for a trip from Paphos describes a fair amount of walking on uneven terrain. One page for a trip from Ayia Napa notes that there is no wheelchair access. It calls the trip challenging for travellers with limited mobility.
A Famagusta ghost town tour also suits travellers who want the history explained. Operator pages promise a local tour guide who shares stories and history and points out the sights. Travellers who prefer a view from afar have another spot. Wikipedia says the Cultural Centre in Dherynia has a rooftop with a clear view of Varosha.
How did Famagusta pass from the Lusignans to the Venetians and the Ottomans?
Famagusta passed from the Lusignans to Genoa, then to Venice, and last to the Ottomans. A Famagusta ghost town tour visits the walled old city that these rulers left behind. Lusignan rule began in the late twelfth century, and the Ottoman takeover came in the sixteenth.
A Famagusta ghost town tour covers a city that grew under the Lusignans. Wikipedia calls the start of their rule the turning point. Its natural harbour and the inner walls raised its standing. In the thirteenth century it became a centre of trade for both East and West. Refugees fleeing the fall of Acre in Palestine then joined it.
Genoa seized the port in the late fourteenth century, and Venice gained it in the late fifteenth. Under both, merchants and ship owners lived in luxury. The merchants built churches in varying styles, so Famagusta was called the district of churches. Those churches still exist, and a Famagusta ghost town tour visits the old city where they stand.
A Famagusta ghost town tour reaches the city that held out longest against the Ottomans. Famagusta was the last stronghold in Venetian Cyprus. The siege lasted nearly a year and ended in August. The surrender terms allowed Westerners to leave for Crete. They allowed Greeks to leave at once or wait two years to decide whether to stay.
After the conquest, Latins lost their privileged status and were expelled. Turkish families from Anatolia were resettled inside the walls. Greek Cypriots were later banished to the land outside the walls. That land developed into Varosha, which a Famagusta ghost town tour also visits. Merchants moved to Larnaca, and Famagusta lost its place as a trade centre.
What do you pass on the road from Ayia Napa and Protaras to the border?
The road from Ayia Napa and Protaras to the border runs north through Paralimni to the village of Dherynia. A Famagusta ghost town tour reaches the checkpoint there. Dherynia lies 12 kilometres from Ayia Napa, across farming country on a plain.
German Wikivoyage gives the road numbers. From the end of the A3 motorway north of Ayia Napa, the well-built E327 becomes the E305 after a roundabout. The E305 leads to Paralimni and on to Deryneia, the border town. That road ends at the crossing a Famagusta ghost town tour uses. Buses from Ayia Napa to Paralimni run regularly through Protaras.
Wikipedia calls Paralimni the main commuter town of Ayia Napa and Protaras. Both resorts are where a Famagusta ghost town tour starts. Wikivoyage puts the town about six kilometres north of Ayia Napa. Its name means “by the lake”, though the shallow lake dries up outside winter. A Visit Cyprus cycling route from Protaras runs through Paralimni to Deryneia.
The Mesaoria plain stretches north of Paralimni, with coastal hills rising to the south. A Famagusta ghost town tour crosses this plain between the resorts and the border. The soil is red, and farmers grow potatoes. Windmills once lifted water from aquifers below ground to feed the farms. Pumps driven by electricity or diesel have taken their place.
A Famagusta ghost town tour reaches Dherynia, a large village in eastern Cyprus. Wikipedia places it two kilometres south of the city of Famagusta. Farmland surrounds the village, which grows potatoes and strawberries and holds a strawberry festival every two years. German Wikivoyage lists a viewpoint nearby, with an exhibition and a view of the hotels of Varosha.
What else do travellers ask about a Famagusta ghost town tour?
Which months suit a Famagusta ghost town tour?
April to June suits a Famagusta ghost town tour. Wikivoyage calls it a good season to visit for exploring on land. It names September and October as the better months for water sports. Winter brings a cold, rough sea with a raw wind, the same page adds.
Summers run hot and dry from late spring to mid-September, says the Climate of Cyprus article on Wikipedia. Winters from November to mid-March are rainy and changeable. The sea stays above 20 °C on average from late spring to November.
A travel page on Varosha calls summer extremely hot and warns of long distances with limited shade. It advises a rest in the shade when needed.
What clothes and gear does a Famagusta ghost town tour call for?
Operator pages list a hat, bathing gear, a towel and sunblock. A Famagusta ghost town tour covers open streets and a swim stop, so one light bag carries everything. Add plenty of water, which the same travel page urges in summer.
Two listings say the trip runs in all weather conditions, so dress to suit the day. The old city adds one clothing point. At the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, a visitor page says shoes come off at the entrance. Shawls go to anyone who needs to cover the shoulders. Visitors enter outside prayer times.
What about children on a Famagusta ghost town tour?
One review site lists no age limit for a Famagusta ghost town tour. Infants ride on a lap, and infant seats are available on the small bus. Operator pages add that children stay with an adult aged over eighteen at all times.
No page speaks of strollers. Operator listings call the tour not wheelchair accessible, and one listing rules it out for travellers with reduced mobility. Check with the operator before you bring a stroller.
Families with one parent only need extra papers for each child under eighteen. Pages list an authorisation letter from the other parent, a birth certificate, a passport copy or a court order.
How early is the hotel pick-up for a Famagusta ghost town tour?
Operator pages list hotel pick-up and drop-off at selected hotels in Kapparis, Pernera, Protaras and Ayia Napa. Pick-up falls between 7:45 and 8:30, early in the day. The coach collects other guests along the way, and the same bus brings the group back to its selected hotel.
A traveller review tells of a pick-up at about quarter to eight, then more stops for other guests. Pages call every time approximate and add that it can change. One page asks guests to check their email 24 hours before the Famagusta ghost town tour. The email gives the confirmed pick-up time and place.
What if you cannot cross on a Famagusta ghost town tour?
Check your passport before you book. Operator pages say local rules at the checkpoint let only passport holders from a set list of places cross. The list names Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, the UK and the EU countries.
None of the operator listings read for this article sets a rule for a closed crossing.
The listings do say that cancelling is free until the day before the trip begins. A trip that misses its minimum group size is offered a new date. One operator adds that spaces are limited in peak season, so early booking is advised. Ask the operator about your Famagusta ghost town tour before you book.