Join us for a very merry, very Christmas in Cyprus for a week of included highlights and optional tours, in addition to sparkling celebrations.
Christmas in Cyprus Available Departures
- Fly direct from Edinburgh – departing on 21 December – from £1199pp
- Dates and prices on this page are based on departures flying from Edinburgh only
- Flights also available from airports in England – Bristol, Liverpool John Lennon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted and Manchester – click here for more information on dates and prices.
Tour Highlights:
- Soak up Kyrenia’s seasonal cheer on a half-day tour
- See St Hilarion’s fairy-tale fortress
- Explore ruined Famagusta
- Enjoy a Christmas Eve celebration
- Visit idyllic Bellapais, and its Gothic abbey, once home to writer Lawrence Durrell
- Visit ancient Salamis and see ghost city Varosha
Price Includes
- Seven nights’ half-board accommodation at the three-star Altinkaya Hotel (four-star hotel upgrade available)
- A special Christmas Eve dinner and a festive Christmas Day lunch
- Return flights to Larnaca or Paphos
- Coach travel and transfers throughout
- One piece of hold luggage per person
- The services of a friendly, experienced Tour Manager
Single supplements apply. Subject to availability.
Itinerary
This morning’s tour will introduce exquisite Kyrenia. Its horseshoe-shaped harbour and imposing medieval castle are a picture-book scene enhanced by the festive decorations of the cafes and shops that fringe the harbour.
This afternoon, return to enjoy the surroundings of your hotel, explore the town under your own steam, perhaps taking in a museum or gallery, or pass the hours away just watching the world go by.
Day Three: Included Famagusta and Salamis day trip
Today’s included excursion takes you to fascinating Famagusta. The city was once one of the world’s richest and today is somewhat of a living museum. Explore its ruined churches, former-cathedral-turned- mosque, and Venetian Palace lying amongst modern cafes and shops. You’ll also take in the extraordinary Roman ruins of the ancient coastal city of Salamis, with its colonnades, a magnificent theatre and a bathhouse, which was once part of a much larger settlement, a lot of which is now submerged under the sea.
Day Four: Optional Nicosia city tour
Rest and relax at the hotel, take the opportunity for some last-minute Christmas shopping, or join this morning’s optional excursion to historic Nicosia, island capital for more than 12 centuries – a colourful place bursting festive vitality.
This afternoon, return to Kyrenia to begin your celebrations with a lively Christmas Eve party at the Pia Bella Hotel.
Day Five: Christmas Day
A quieter day begins this morning with a visit to the nearby mountain-top castle of St Hilarion and beautiful village of Bellapais – home to the preserved ruins of a gothic abbey. This idyllic spot was home for three years to celebrated writer Lawrence Durrell, who chronicled his stay here in his novel Bitter Lemons. Wander the ruins of the abbey, stepping back in time, before returning to Kyrenia to enjoy a special festive buffet with turkey at lunchtime, served at the Pia Bella Hotel, followed by time to celebrate and relax.
Day Six: Optional Guzelyurt day trip
Today you are free to enjoy the hotel and its surroundings or to head into Kyrenia once again. Alternatively, you may want to join ouroptional excursion to the green, citrus-grove surrounded town of Guzelyurt, literally “beautiful place” in Turkish, with its archaeology museum and church of Agios Mamas.
Day Seven: Optional Karpaz Peninsula tour
Your final optional excursion give you the chance to explore the unspoiled Karpaz peninsula, a rugged spit of land fringed by some of the island’s bluest waters, dotted with old villages and home to herds of wild donkeys, and a remote monastery, famous for its holy well.
Day Eight: Fly back to the UK
Bid farewell to your Cypriot hosts and transfer back to the airport for your return flight.
Christmas in Northern Cyprus
FROM £1119.00
Departing From
- Edinburgh
Departure dates
- 21st December 2019
