Full-day Famagusta: Lost Cities & Coastal Secrets from Paphos
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Paphos, Cyprus
- 11 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Cross into Northern Cyprus and discover the historic treasures of Famagusta on this full-day tour from Paphos. The ruins of the ancient kingdom of Salamis and the Monastery of Saint Barnabas, enjoy free time for sightseeing and lunch in Famagusta.
- Full-day Famagusta and Salamis Tour from Paphos
- Discover the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Salamis, dating back to the 12th-century BC
- Admire Famagusta landmarks including Saint Nikolaos Cathedral and the Venetian walls
- Great-value tour includes hotel pickup, entrance fees, and round-trip transport
What's Included
- Professional driver
- Air-conditioned coach
- Licensed guide
- Pick up and drop off from Paphos city centre hotels
- Meals and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Message will be send through Viator to advise for your exact pick up point and time . In case you won’t receive the message please call us at least a day before departure.Hotel name is needed. If you cannot find your hotel please call us to give you the nearest pick up point . Failure of the client to be on time at the right pick up point will result to a No show and will be fully charged.
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 04/01/2026 - 03/31/2027
Friday : 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Itinerary
1
Choirokoitia
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Strovilia
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Salamis
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Famagusta Walled City
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
Famagusta Walled City
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
6
Famagusta
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Passports or European ID are required (Passport holders of Turkmenistan, Syria, Armenia and Nigeria cannot cross. Also handwritten Greek identity cards are not accepted).
- Hotel pick ups commence 30-60 minutes earlier than the tour start time displayed on the voucher. Exact time will be advised after reservation is made.
- If you won't receive a message through Viator for your exact pick up point and time please call us at least one day prior.
- Not recommended for persons with mobility issues
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
IFIGENEIA_S
The archeological site of Salamis was fantastic! Furthermore, it was worth visiting Famagusta and seeing the ghost town, a true history lesson and a step back in time...Bus driver and tour guide were awesome.
Reviews
4.6
based on 277 reviews
Josephine_t, Feb 2026
It was a very good informative tour. Guide and the driver both good.
it was emitional as i went throigh the British sovereign base ss i was here in 1998 as a soldier a lot has changed since then . I travelled with my partner we both enjored i
Puja_S, Jan 2026
The sites were cool to see, but I wished we had more time in the abandoned city. Lunch was decent. The rating I’m giving is solely for the sites we saw. My lower rating stems from the conduct of the guide, Hermione. Our group wasn’t big. When I first got on the bus, she asked if I was American and if I brought my passport. I didn’t think much of it and confirmed. A Portuguese person got on a couple stops later. The guide came down the bus and once again asked where I was from. I thought it was weird because I had literally just gotten on the bus and confirmed I was from the US when she asked, but I figured she just forgot, and said California. When the last person got on the bus a stop or two later, she recited where everyone was from, skipping me (the only non-European). When the time came to collect passports, she asked me for the third time where I was from despite holding my passport in her hands, and then proceeded to turn it over, open it and examine it as if to verify I’m actually American. She didn’t do this to any other passengers, and had no problems remembering where they came from. Thereafter, she pretty much did not deign to speak with me, not even when she passed me entering a shop. The one other time she spoke to me, she asked where in the US I was from (again, odd to me considering she remembered where everyone else in our small group came from and I had already told her I’m from California). On the way home, I overheard parts of her conversation with two dudes on the tour mentioning “refugees,” “dark skinned people,” “not sending them back,” and “look at England.” I don’t know that I’d recommend this tour to others based on my experience.
Alan_S, Nov 2025
A long day but very interesting. Could have been longer at the ghost town didn't manage to see all of it
david_g, Nov 2025
The guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable
The tour showed the history of Cyprus from ancient times to recent conflicts with free time also in walled Famagusta
Aileen_S, Oct 2025
It was interesting and informative. The guide Emma was excellent and the bus was well driven and a high standard.
Michael_E, Oct 2025
Really enjoyed this excursion. A long day but a lot packed into it. George was a great guide , really upbeat with a great sense of humour.
Fascinating but emotional visit to Varosha to see what had happened there.
Alexandru_A, Oct 2025
We loved the tour and our guide Emma was very nice and knowledgeable! Especially liked the ruins of Salamis
Jamie_H, Sep 2025
Lovely day trip, a very long day, tour guide was lovely and very knowledgeable, the coach driver was a right good laugh. Salamis was a quick stop but the downside was that we only had 45 minutes in the deserted part of varousha out of the 12 hour day. A solid 4.5 out of 5
Linda_P, Jun 2025
Long day and weather was really hot so was tiring but such a worthwhile excursion. So hard to believe its now 51 years since the Greek cypriots had to flee their homes & their livlihoods when the Turk cypriots invaded with nothing more than the clothes they stood up in. Very moving and eerie walking round the streets showing the abandoned buildings that once, long ago, was full of families living their lives! The beach is divine with beautiful crystal clear water yet the backdrop is devastating - rows of apartment blocks and Hotels all derelict and abandoned! Just outside of the Ghost town the Turk Cypriots live in apparant normality when just a few metres away, is the result of their invasion - where time has stood still and certainly is very haunting!
Thomas_M, Jun 2025
A really excellent tour! A chance to see the unusual sights over the green line, in comfortable transport and with a knowledgable guide. It is a long day, and the heat and humidity was heavy going, but the way the day was broken up with the air conditioned coach journey worked really well!
Melanie_S, May 2025
A long day, but well worth it. Famagusta very humbling. Guide was great and very informative. Take plenty of water.
Joan_H, May 2025
Well organised trip to famagusta & varosa. Guide gave plenty of information about history of places visited. Well worth the long day.
Gary_H, May 2025
I think most people on this trip wanted mostly to visit Vargosha. The trip to the ruins could have been removed and visit to walled city then longer visit to ghost town would have been better. Delay on return to checkpoint took 40 minutes. Guide repeated herself many times and we were like the poor relatives at recommended lunch stop. We only got moved from tatty garden area after insisting we should be seated inside where there was plenty of tables. Highlight was Vargosha though too short a time here. This trip needs to be rethought 11+ hours way too long.
Anita_R, Apr 2025
This was by far one of the best tours in Cyprus very informative and really interesting. Honestly book this tour if you are interested in history and want to get a real insight about past happenings in Cyprus. I loved it!
Helen_M, Apr 2025
Fabulous day out! We learned immense amounts about Cyprus's past and present. Our guide, Emma, knows so much and is able to share information in a clear way. If a question was asked she didn't know the answer to she would find out and come back to us. Visiting Varosha, the "ghost town" in Famagusta, impressed and saddened us. Seeing the dereliction and gentle crumbling of the buildings made it quite a visit.
JILL_G, Mar 2025
It is a very interesting trip if you want to know more about when the Turks invaded Cyprus in 1974. It is very sad to see the ghost town with all the empty derelict buildings and hotels.
The old walled City is beautiful to walk around also the Archiological sites.
Be prepared it is a very long day. 11 hours.
As we were a large group it was difficult to hear what the guide was saying. It would help if he had a microphone and speaker like a guide had on a different tour.
Our guide can't remember his name was very knowledgeable.
John_M, Mar 2025
The trip gives an interesting insight into the events of 1974 and the ongoing effects of the Turkish invasion. Modern Famagusta remains uninhabited with homes, hotels, shops and businesses lying empty, decaying and overgrown. It is truly shocking to see the emptiness that remains unchanged since 1974. It must have been devastating for the community to lose so much at that time. The UN has a presence there but hopefully a solution can be found soon to rebuild but memories and history will always remain.
The old town still thrives as a tourist attraction with many landmarks, restaurants, bars, etc.
Susan_W, Mar 2025
It’s a good mixture of sites.The Church, the archeological site, the ghost town. Free time was a little short if you wanted to eat lunch. Warning about prices should’ve been given. I paid €20 for kebab which in Paphos would cost €11. Don’t go in the restaurants near the sites.
One thing I would like to mention. For all of your trips from Paphos. The pick up if you are staying in the old town is Eatonwood. This is a long way down the hill to walk back at the end of an exhausting day if you can pick up people from Coral Bay, which is a long way out then surely you can arrange a route to pick up people from the old town at the top at Kennedy Square.
Liam_C, Mar 2025
Fantastic day out. As others have said, it’s long at 11 hours but really worth it. You get to see a mixture of ancient history as well as more modern history and the guide Vassos is clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about Cypriot history and the driver also was very friendly and accommodating. Very glad we were able to do this.
Trevor_B, Mar 2025
It was a very long day, 11 hours, but the trip was very interesting and a rare opportunity to visit the ghost city of Famagusta.
Stephen_B, Mar 2025
It an 11 hour trip or more depending on traffic and border control. Main improvement suggestion would be allocate coach seat numbers at booking. People traveling together may be split up during long drives on a full first come seating arrangement. The coffee breaks in travels well planned. Adequate time for sites and excellent guide information. Adequate time allocated for lunch. Driver very safe and large coach reasonably comfortable. Sights a little run down due to minimal local preservation investment. Ghost city was well worth the effort. It was overall an educational day rather than fun. A full country drive, border crossing and political implications for important sights in occupied north Turkey. Recommended.
fiona_H, Feb 2025
Excellent day, our guide was kind and informative. Loved Salamis ruins amazing and guide gave us great information. Varosha very sad, also to see beautiful cathedral in famagusta bare, in poor condition and turned into a mosque
Bring change for toilet once you get to Turkish side as they charge to use them. Maybe a suggestion for Tour to include lunch option at extra price as I and some others on tour felt overcharged by restaurants in Famagusta (I want to stress this had nothing to do with the tour, absolutely no fault on their part)
David_S, Feb 2025
It was a real privilege to have the chance to travel across the Green Line to Famagusta with our excellent guide Vassos. The journey, which was long but you should know what you are signing up for, gave an excellent opportunity to see much of Cyprus from the sea into the mountains as you head towards Nicosia.
From the moment that you begin to follow the Green Line along the road to the checkpoint, seeing relocated villages like Achna and Turkish soldiers on patrol, the lived reality of life on the partitioned island is brought sharply into focus. The tour delivered on the promise to explore the three ages of Famagusta; the ancient, medieval and modern. The monastery and tomb of St Barnabas, and Salamis were really impressive to see. It was striking, however, that little effort has been made to provide facilties that one would expect for visitors in the 21st C, such as information centres, toilets you don't have to pay for and facilities to promote accessibility and inclusion.
We spent a fair amount of time in the walled city of Famagusta, including time for shopping and lunch. While some were drawn to the liquor and cigarettes, I was delighted to pick up a €10 football kit for my son and some turkish delight for my wife (this was not a trip suitable for young children given the distance and subject matter). I was struck at how quiet the streets were, especially in comparison to Pafos. There was so much to see, but save for our group and a couple of other coaches, the city was errily quiet.
Our last stop was Varosha, the ghost city abandoned by Greek Cypriots who believed this was a temporary measure only to be denied the chance to return for 51 years to date. As a History and Politics teacher who had led school groups on trips to sites of conflict, genocide and loss around the world, I was most interested in this part of our visit. Unlike other historical sites of a comparable nature, here the recently tarmacked roads, the beach bar and the opportunity for visitors to hire electric scooters to whizz around groups of visitors seemed grossly insensitive, given the fact the all of the buildings around us remained as they were when abandoned in 1974, having fallen into different states of disrepair, and the signage gave clear warnings of the grave consequences visitors could expect if they strayed beyond the main roads. As we left Varosha and headed back to the south, it was striking to see on one side of the road the houses of the Turkish settlers and on the other barbed wire, abandoned churches, shops, schools and homes.
Our guide, Vassos, and our driver were both excellent, knowledgeable and friendly. To travel so far and see so much, it is not unreasonable to expect people to keep to timings! Vassos sensitively but with clear conviction shared openly the lived reality of the impact of this partition on the Greek Cypriot people. Ahead of and in 1974, there were clearly two very different perspectives on what sort of future the two communities on Cyprus wanted to have, with both sides having experienced loss, upheaval and division. This experience, which I felt was really good value and is not readily advertised outside of Viator, allowed me to learn a lot more about the challenges, present and future, for the people of Cyprus.
Agne_S, Feb 2025
Well worth the money! The guide was very knowledgeable and constantly gave info on everything that the bus was passing. The trip is long but in a comfortable bus and the journey to the north was very scenic. All the sites were interesting and rich in history.
William_V, Feb 2025
It's a long day but packed with information and visits to key sites in Cyprus' history. Our guide, Vasos, gave detailed information on the places we passed and visited as well as general life and culture ii Cyprus. The time spent at each site was just right and they were all very interesting. The coach was comfortable and although a long day, I would highly recommend this.
James_L, Feb 2025
Absolutely fascinating day. Combined a really fascinating archaeological site visit with an illustration of the recent tragic history of division in Cyprus, as represented in the striking Famagusta dereliction and decay. Long day but excellent guide and really well worth it. Highly recommend.
GARETH_K, Feb 2025
Enjoyable trip into the Northern region of Famagusta including visit to Monastry and the Roman City of Salamis , which was very interesting.
The tour guide has excellent knowledge of the region and his guide tours are informative.
Tim_D, Feb 2025
Great tour, varied content, full day.
There were a lot of activities in this tour, our guide was well informed and ran the tour well.
The ghost city was an eye opener.
Duke_S, Jan 2025
The excursion was an awesome experience into North Cyprus! The ruins and ghost was fabulous to explore the history of the island. The guide was knowledgeable and food was great during our free time. This is extremely recommended for anyone to explore.
kathryn_g, Jan 2025
Well run, really interesting day. Very good knowledgeable guide who knew all about the historyof the island and locations we visited. We travelled from paphos so it was a long day, but absolutely worth it.
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