Kyrenia, St. Hilarion Castle & Bellapais Abbey Tour from Paphos

Very enjoyable trip to Kyrenia, well spend day, everything went smoothly. It was a pleasant experience overall and I would definitely recommend it. A big credit goes to Vlad, who went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great time. His effort and attention really made the trip even better, very lovely person.

Perfect d add y tour, guide picked us up right on time, he was very informative about the sites. It was a long drive each way but worth it.

A long but very scenic day. We had a competent driver who navigated the sharp bends skilfully but we did have a few concerns. The driver used a handheld microphone which meant that they were driving and steering one handed. It was often difficult to hear the commentary above the road noise. Also on the way back, the driver exceeded the speed limit (100) by 20-40kph for most of the way which we found unnerving and uncomfortable. We didn’t get much information about the history of Northern Cyprus, especially events from 1960 onwards, which we had expected to hear. We did get a brief explanation of Kyrenia castle, St Hilarion and Bellapais. Although entrance fees aren’t included, they are very cheap. St Hilarion is definitely unsuitable for anyone with poor mobility: even the toilet is up uneven steps and part without a handrail! It was hard to understand why the entrance fee to St Hilarion was only payable in Turkish Lira yet the toilets charged 1 Euro per person! The views at each site are amazing and we felt we had adequate time in each place given that the journey time to and from Paphos accounted for 5.5 hours. It’s true that there isn’t long in Kyrenia but we managed to walk around the harbour, have lunch, walk the outside of the castle in the available time. Having just 6 in the group meant that we had enough room in the minibus. Overall, this tour gives a snapshot of Northern Cyprus.

A packed schedule with a very competent driver, who expertly navigated the numerous hairpin bends to St Hilarion - wonderful views from the castle. As we travelled, we were given an extensive history of Cyprus but not so much about what we were seeing (or the day's plan) and felt that the time we were allowed in Kyrenia (1 hour and 40 minutes) was too brief to allow for lunch and exploration. We wondered why our fellow travellers (3) were all collected from their hotels, whereas we were allocated a pick-up point at least 10 minutes walk away.

Transfer to Van, 6 guests. The driver is also a driver and uses a headset and the vehicle's radio system to make sure you understand him despite driving noise. Very punctual, easy border crossing, good organization. Entrance fees are not included in the price. Driver was trying and explained a lot on the way out. No tours on site, just a few tips. The time on site was always quite short, but still sufficient. On the way out breakfast break in good bakery, back through. In each case problem-free border crossing.

Great Visiting two castles and a monestary along with the harbour at Kyrenia (from a distance as road closures). Good transport in an air conditioned car. Disappointed booking three was the minimum as only two going. Also disappointed we had no guide at the three sites. Would have made all the difference having a hands on guide. Considering how much we paid further disappointed we had the pay three entrance fees totalling nine euros to the sites.