Kyrenia (Girne)Girne

Kyrenia has been a port for at least two and a half thousand years. Its position, on the north coast facing the Turkish shore about 70 km away, made it a landing place for traders and a stop for ships that crossed to Anatolia and Syria. The Kyrenia ship in the castle museum is the best evidence: a Greek merchant vessel of about 300 BC that sank near the town, still carrying wine jars and almonds when it was found in the 1960s.

Byzantine engineers fortified the harbour in the 7th century against Arab raids, and the castle grew from that early work. In 1191 Richard the Lionheart took Cyprus on his way to the Crusade; the island passed to the French Lusignan dynasty, who ruled until 1489. Under them Kyrenia had a strong garrison, and the castle held out through long sieges in the dynastic wars of the 1200s and 1300s.

Venice took the island in 1489 and rebuilt the fortifications for firearms in the 1540s: the thick rounded bastions and the gun platforms you see today are Venetian. The Ottomans took Cyprus in 1570 and 1571 and held it until 1878, when Britain took over the administration, and then the island became a British colony. In this long period the town stayed small, a fishing and carob-shipping port, and its old harbour changed little.

The 20th century changed the town. Britain ruled until independence in 1960, and the years after brought new hotels, holiday villas and a growing community of expatriates. The 1974 division cut the island in two, and Kyrenia became the chief coastal town in the north. Today it is a tourist and student centre, and the old core around the harbour is small enough to see in an afternoon. If you have time for one more layer, add the Icon Museum, a small church near the quay that holds icons from the local churches, and look at how many of the buildings on the harbour front reuse older stone.

The castle is the centre of the town. It stands on the east side of the horseshoe harbour, so that its walls guard the entrance. The plan is a rectangle with towers at the corners, and the landward defences were rebuilt by Venice with thick sloping walls that could take cannon fire and turn it aside. Inside there is a small Byzantine chapel of the 12th century, a great hall, a well, and a dungeon.

The Shipwreck Museum occupies part of the castle. Its centre is the hull of the Kyrenia ship, which is one of the best-preserved ancient merchant hulls ever found. The timber was preserved under the sand; specialists spent years treating it, and a replica named Kyrenia II sailed to Greece and across the Atlantic in the mid-1980s to show how the ship moved. Cases hold the amphorae, almonds and personal items of the crew.

The harbour is smaller than it looks. Fishing boats and excursion boats fill the inner basin, and the quay cafés and restaurants line three sides. The horseshoe shape shelters the water from most winds, which is why it was chosen. Look for the harbour mouth and the narrow gap that boats pass through, and notice how the old stone buildings on the west side have become shops and offices.

The best way to see both is to keep to a simple order. Walk the quay early, climb the castle before the stone heats, take the short sea path below the walls, and eat lunch in the shade. In the evening the castle is lit, and the harbour is the place to sit with a coffee or a glass of raki and watch the boats come in. Allow about two hours for the castle and the museum together, and remember that stone steps and ramparts are slippery when wet, so wear shoes with grip and keep behind the barriers on the walls.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974. In July of that year a coup in Nicosia backed by the military government of Greece was followed by a Turkish military intervention, and the ceasefire line ran across the island. The line is patrolled by the United Nations and is called the Green Line or the buffer zone; it cuts through the middle of Nicosia. Kyrenia lies north of it. In 1983 the north declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Turkey recognises.

This is not background but a practical matter for a visitor. The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, regards entry to the island through the north as illegal, and hire cars and insurance from the south do not cover the north. Phones use Turkish or northern networks, and EU roaming rules do not apply. Medical and consular help can be harder to find. Check the rules for your passport and your insurer before you plan an itinerary that includes both sides.

Crossing has been possible since 2003, when the first checkpoints opened, and now there are several. Ledra Street in Nicosia is a pedestrian crossing that opened in 2008; the road crossings at Ayios Dometios and Metehan are used by cars. You show your passport on each side. A day trip from Kyrenia to old Nicosia on the northern side, with a walk across, is a straightforward way to see both halves of the capital.

Use plain, neutral language when you talk about the division. People on both sides have family stories of loss and displacement, and many are willing to talk if you ask gently and listen. Avoid arguments about who was right, do not photograph military zones or soldiers, and treat the buffer zone with respect: some parts remain fenced off. If you cross, take your passport, keep bags and phones out of the security queues until you are asked, and follow the marked route through the buffer zone; photographs are not allowed in the checkpoint areas.

Behind Kyrenia the Kyrenia Range, called Besparmak or Five Fingers in Turkish, rises steeply to about 1,000 m and runs along the coast for 160 km. Three castles perch on its ridge: St Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara. They were built by the Byzantines as beacon posts and extended by the Lusignans. St Hilarion, at about 700 m, has the best preserved halls and the steepest climb; a popular story says it inspired a fairy-tale castle, but the claim is a tale, not a fact.

Bellapais Abbey stands on a hillside village about 8 km from the harbour. It was founded in the early 1200s by canons from Jerusalem and was extended in the 1300s under King Hugh IV, whose coat of arms is on the cloister. The refectory is one of the best Gothic halls in the Mediterranean, with a stone pulpit and long windows that look to the sea. The abbey now hosts a music festival in spring and early summer.

The village around the abbey was made known by the writer Lawrence Durrell, who bought a house there in 1953 and described the years in Bitter Lemons (1957). The book is a portrait of village life at the start of the conflict, and a café under a large mulberry tree, called the Tree of Idleness, is named for it. Visit in the morning, when the courtyard is quiet and the light is good.

To see the hills, take a taxi for half a day and agree the price and the waiting time in advance. Start at St Hilarion early, before the heat, then drop to Bellapais for a coffee and lunch. Wear shoes with grip; the steps are worn and there are few rails. In spring the slopes are green with wildflowers, and in summer they turn brown and dry.

Cypriot food is Mediterranean with a strong Turkish and Levantine core. The island's signature cheese is hellim, made from sheep and goat milk with mint, and it is grilled, fried, baked into pastries or eaten in a sandwich. A traditional breakfast is a plate of hellim, olives, tomato, cucumber, egg and jam with bread; a pastry with hellim and mint is a common snack.

Grilled meat is the centre of lunch and dinner. Şeftali kebabı is a minced-meat kebab with parsley and onion; the name refers to a caul-fat wrapping, not to peaches. With it come bulgur or rice, salad and yoghurt. On the coast, fresh fish is grilled whole and sold by weight: sea bream and sea bass are common, and prices vary by season. Meze, small plates of dips, salads, grilled cheese and seafood, are eaten in rounds and are the best way to share a meal.

Drinks are simple. Tea is served in small glasses, Cypriot coffee is boiled in a small pot and served with the grounds, and rakı or a glass of local wine goes with fish. Bars and restaurants serve alcohol freely. Ask the size and price of a drink before you order, because harbour bars price by the glass.

The coast itself is what most visitors come for. The sea is warm from June to October, with beaches to the east and west of town, and the ridge behind makes the evenings cooler than in the interior. Ferries and flights link the north with Turkey, so many visitors are Turkish families and students. In summer the harbour is crowded; in spring and autumn it is easy. A good rule for any meal is to ask the price of fish by weight, check that bread and salad are included, and pay attention to the currency on the bill. Many small places prefer cash, and a busy room at 13:30 is a good sign.

Kyrenia is a mixed town. The local Turkish Cypriot community lives beside Turkish mainland families, British and European retirees, and thousands of students at the town's universities. English is widely understood in shops and restaurants, and Turkish is the main language. The pace is slow: shops open late in the morning, many close in the afternoon in summer, and the busiest hours are the evenings on the harbour.

Money needs care. The Turkish lira is the official currency and has been volatile, so many hotels and restaurants quote in pounds or euros too. Compare the rate and check which currency is on the bill. Cards work in larger places, and cash is needed in the market, in taxis and at small cafés. ATMs give lira, so withdraw only what you need. Keep a few small notes for taxis and tea, and avoid changing money at booths on the harbour without comparing the rate with a bank first.

Drive on the left, as in Britain. Taxis are common and cars are the main way to see the hills and beaches; buses are infrequent, and few run after early evening. If you hire a car, check that the insurance covers the north, and do not take it across the crossing without cover for the south.

Manners are relaxed on the coast but respectful in villages and mosques. Cover shoulders and knees for mosques and remove your shoes. Ask before you photograph people, and do not photograph military zones. Tipping about 10% in restaurants is normal when a service charge is not on the bill. Ramadan changes daytime hours, but harbour restaurants stay open for visitors. Small shops often close on Sunday and in the afternoon in summer, so buy what you need in the morning. If you are unsure about a custom, ask your hotel: staff are used to visitors and answer questions kindly.