Kyrenia (Girne)

Kyrenia lies on the north coast at the foot of the Kyrenia (Beşparmak) Mountains. Its castle was founded in Roman times and given its present form by the Venetians in the 16th century; the town surrendered to the Ottomans in 1571.

Inside the castle are a 12th-century chapel and the Shipwreck Museum, home to one of the oldest ship remains in the world, while cafés and restaurants ring the horseshoe-shaped old harbour.

The tourism centre of Northern Cyprus, it is surrounded by hotels, beaches, Bellapais Abbey and St Hilarion Castle, and has a municipal population of more than 33,000.