Varosha is a largely abandoned quarter of Famagusta on Cyprus’s east coast. Once the island’s leading seaside resort, it was sealed off by the Turkish military after its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of 1974. Parts have been open to visitors since October 2020, but access has not resolved the displacement of its residents or the dispute over its future.
For the people who lived here, Varosha remains a place of homes, livelihoods and memories, with property claims that have outlasted generations of negotiations.
Its story is part of the wider history covered in Cyprus Mail’s Divided Island section. For practical information, go directly to Can you visit Varosha? below.
Where is Varosha?
Varosha lies south of Famagusta’s medieval walled city, along the island’s eastern shoreline.
It is in the occupied north, outside the Republic of Cyprus government’s effective control. Visitors staying in the government-controlled areas must use an authorised crossing point to reach it. Deryneia, near Paralimni, is particularly convenient from the southeast coast.
Varosha before 1974: the Riviera of the Mediterranean
The beachfront towers belonged to a resort at the centre of Cyprus’s expanding tourism industry. During the 1960s and early 1970s, hotels, apartments and shops grew alongside the long sandy shore, attracting international visitors and investment.
Famagusta accounted for almost half the island’s hotel capacity before the invasion, according to Cyprus Mail’s reporting on the Aspelia Hotel. Built in 1972, the four-star property had 160 rooms: one example of the scale of development interrupted in 1974.
Behind the resort frontage was an ordinary town. People went to school, ran businesses and raised children. Tourism supported families whose workplaces and homes sometimes occupied the same building.
In reporting published after the 2020 reopening, Cyprus Mail relayed former resident Pavlos Iacovou’s account of growing up in his family’s Florida Hotel. Anna Marangou recalled playing near the King George Hotel, which hosted the Greek poets George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.
Marangou disputed the claim that Sophia Loren owned a house here, identifying the building commonly described that way as her uncle’s home.
The paper’s Divided Island collection includes photographs of Varosha before and after 1974. The contrast records the loss of a functioning community as well as a holiday destination.
What happened in 1974
On July 15, 1974, a coup backed by Greece’s military junta overthrew President Archbishop Makarios. Turkey invaded on July 20. A second Turkish offensive began on August 14, following the breakdown of negotiations in Geneva, and brought Famagusta under Turkish control.
Greek Cypriot residents fled as the fighting approached, many expecting their departure to be temporary. Families left at different times during those days. They could not return to resume their lives in Varosha, which was fenced off and placed under Turkish military control.
Elsewhere in the north, properties were occupied and towns developed. Much of fenced Varosha instead remained without its civilian population, deteriorating behind military barriers. For the wider sequence of events, see Cyprus Mail’s chronology.
Why has Varosha stayed empty for more than fifty years?
The continuing closure is rooted in military control, unresolved property rights and the failure to agree a political settlement. The buildings have not simply been left empty because their owners lost interest.
UN Security Council resolution 550, adopted in 1984, rejects settlement of any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants and calls for its transfer to UN administration. Resolution 789, adopted in 1992, urges extending the area under UNFICYP control to include Varosha as a confidence-building measure.
That transfer has not happened. UNFICYP explains that Varosha is under Turkish military control, rather than part of the buffer zone administered by the peacekeeping mission.
Returning the town has repeatedly been discussed in negotiations. Because the fenced area remained largely uninhabited, return appeared to involve fewer difficulties with subsequent occupants than elsewhere. Yet its future became linked to wider arguments about territory, security, governance and the terms of reunification. Cyprus Mail’s peace-process explainer sets out the major settlement efforts.
Individual property claims also continue. Turkey established the Immovable Property Commission in the north to address claims through compensation, exchange or restitution. In its 2010 Demopoulos decision, the European Court of Human Rights accepted the commission as an effective domestic remedy for the applications before it. That ruling did not constitute international recognition of the north’s breakaway administration or settle Varosha’s political status.
For displaced owners, legal remedies and collective return are different questions. Some have considered applying to the commission; others oppose a process they believe could undermine return through a settlement. Cyprus Mail has reported their disagreements and anxieties. There is no single position shared by every former resident.
The partial reopening
Position reviewed on October 12, 2026.
On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened access to part of the fenced area and beachfront. The initiative was announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ersin Tatar, then the north’s ‘prime minister’. Visitors could enter designated streets and reach the sea; the town was not restored to its displaced population.
In July 2021, the Turkish side announced that military status would be lifted from 3.5 per cent of the fenced area, proposing that Greek Cypriot owners seek return through the property commission. Turkey and Tatar maintained that their initiative respected property rights and international law.
The Security Council’s July 23, 2021 statement condemned the further reopening announcement and demanded reversal of the steps taken since October 2020. It reaffirmed the position that Varosha should be transferred to UN administration. The Republic of Cyprus also opposed the moves.
The UN secretary-general’s January 2026 report recorded no reversal, continuing visitor access and renovations to some facilities. This did not amount to the return of the town as a functioning community.
Varosha remains politically contested. In October 2026 reporting, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman challenged accounts of his response to a reported proposal for return under UN administration. Those disputed reports should not be mistaken for an agreed reopening or resettlement plan.
What Varosha looks like today
From accessible routes, visitors can see empty hotel blocks, apartment buildings and former commercial premises. Windows and balconies have deteriorated, while vegetation has spread through neglected spaces. Fences and barriers separate the permitted routes from streets and properties that remain closed.
Cyprus Mail’s reporting and photographs from the initial reopening documented the King George Hotel, former shops, a vehicle showroom and vegetation overtaking buildings. These are observations from 2020, rather than a new account of every street’s condition today.
Nor is the district completely untouched. The UN’s January 2026 report described work on some facilities, including windows, air-conditioning and utility connections. Open routes and visitor services exist alongside deteriorating buildings and restricted areas. Entering an accessible street gives no permission to enter the properties lining it.
Can you visit Varosha?
Yes. Visitors can enter designated parts of Varosha during daytime opening hours. Much remains restricted, and visitor access is separate from the right of former residents to recover or inhabit their properties.
How to get there
From Ayia Napa or Protaras, the Deryneia crossing is a practical approach. From Larnaca, routes may use Deryneia or Strovilia. From Nicosia, drivers commonly cross at Agios Dometios and continue towards Famagusta.
For planning, allow roughly 45–60 minutes from Ayia Napa, 75–90 minutes from Larnaca and 75–90 minutes from Nicosia, before substantial checkpoint delays.
Carry your original passport. EU citizens should check whether their national identity card is accepted for their intended crossing. Travellers of other nationalities should confirm visa and crossing eligibility for their own circumstances, including return to the government-controlled areas. A driving licence is not a substitute for a travel document. The Republic’s crossing-point information explains the Green Line arrangements.
Check your hire-car contract before setting out. Official travel advice notes this risk. A rental company may prohibit taking its vehicle north. If it permits the journey, establish exactly what insurance applies. Cover issued in the government-controlled areas often does not extend north, and additional insurance bought at a crossing does not override a contractual prohibition. Ask specifically about damage, theft and recovery of the hired vehicle, not just third-party liability. Obtain written confirmation or arrange alternative transport.
What you can and cannot do
Follow the designated routes and all instructions at the entrance. Bicycle hire has been offered, but availability and prices should be checked on arrival. Do not pass barriers, enter abandoned buildings or attempt to reach closed streets. Structural deterioration makes buildings dangerous even where an entrance looks accessible.
Photography has been permitted in visitor areas, but restrictions apply around military locations and wherever signs or personnel prohibit it. Do not assume everything visible from an open route may be photographed. Drones were prohibited when access began; obtain explicit authorisation before considering any flight.
Opening hours and cost
Entry is reported as free in visitor information reviewed for this article in October 2026; bicycle hire and other services cost extra.
Published guides give conflicting opening information. Some list seasonal hours of 8am–7.30pm in April–August, 8am–6pm in September–October and 8am–5pm in November–March; another lists 8am–5pm throughout the year. These are published guide listings, not a confirmed current gate notice. Check the posted timetable before your visit and leave time to return to the entrance.
What to bring
Take drinking water, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable, sturdy shoes. Long exposed stretches offer limited shade. Carry essentials rather than relying on visitor services, and allow for heat even outside midsummer. Anyone with limited mobility should check current route conditions and transport arrangements before travelling.
Is it appropriate to visit?
Former residents have described the pain of seeing visitors stroll through streets from which they themselves were displaced. In Cyprus Mail’s coverage of their 2020 return visits, Anna Marangou and Pavlos Iacovou spoke of that hurt. The objection concerns the conversion of a place of unresolved displacement into a visitor attraction while its community remains absent.
Others have sought ways for access to preserve memories and encourage understanding. Cyprus Mail’s 2024 report on the Famagusta New Museum described sound walks using residents’ recollections. Such projects offer an approach to visiting that keeps the people of the town present in its story and can sustain attention to their loss.
These perspectives do not yield a universal verdict. Readers can consider whether a visit, and how they conduct it, helps them understand what happened or merely consumes the appearance of abandonment. Respect restrictions, leave objects where they are and remember that the properties have owners. Those who choose not to enter can still explore the Divided Island reporting and residents’ testimonies.
What else to see in Famagusta
The walled city remains a living urban centre. Our Nicosia guide explores another city shaped by the division. Its medieval streets, fortifications and former St Nicholas Cathedral, now the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, provide context beyond Varosha.
Othello’s Tower is part of the harbour-side fortifications. Further north, Salamis offers archaeological remains including a theatre, baths and colonnaded spaces. Check each site’s separate admission arrangements. For an island-wide introduction, read Unearthing Cyprus: walking through 10,000 years of history.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Varosha abandoned?
Varosha’s Greek Cypriot residents fled during the Turkish invasion of 1974. The Turkish military subsequently sealed off the resort quarter, preventing their return. It remained largely without a civilian population while its future became entangled in unsuccessful settlement efforts and unresolved property claims. The partial opening to visitors since 2020 has allowed access to designated areas, but has not resolved those issues or restored the displaced community.
Can you visit Varosha?
Yes, designated parts of Varosha have been accessible to visitors since October 2020. Entry is controlled, daytime hours apply and much of the fenced district remains restricted. Visitors can use permitted routes and reach accessible sections of the beachfront. They cannot freely explore abandoned buildings or closed streets. Check current entrance instructions before travelling, because the extent of access and the services available can change.
Is Varosha safe to visit?
Visitor access is limited to designated routes, and permission to enter is not a guarantee that the surrounding buildings are safe. Do not enter abandoned structures, cross barriers or approach restricted military areas. Deteriorating materials, uneven surfaces and heat are practical hazards. Bring water and suitable shoes, follow entrance instructions and check current travel advice before setting out. Visitors with mobility difficulties should establish what access is possible beforehand.
How do you get to Varosha from the south?
Use an authorised crossing point and continue into Famagusta. Deryneia is convenient from Ayia Napa, Protaras and Paralimni; routes from Larnaca may also use Strovilia. Drivers from Nicosia commonly use Agios Dometios. Carry an original travel document and check eligibility for your nationality and immigration status. If crossing on foot, arrange onward transport rather than assuming the Varosha entrance is next to the checkpoint.
Can you take a hire car into northern Cyprus?
It depends on the rental company’s contract and the insurance arrangements. Some companies prohibit it. Where permission is given, cover bought at a crossing may not protect you against damage to or theft of the hired car, or pay for its recovery. Buying insurance does not cancel a rental prohibition. Obtain written permission and a clear explanation of the cover, or use another transport option.
Is there an entry fee for Varosha?
Entry is reported as free in visitor information reviewed in October 2026. Optional services such as bicycle hire are charged separately, and availability and prices can change. A paid tour may include transport, guiding or other stops; its price should not be confused with an admission charge for Varosha itself. Confirm the current arrangements at the entrance and carry money for any services you choose to use.
Can you take photos in Varosha?
Photography has been allowed in the accessible visitor areas, but restrictions apply at military locations and wherever signs or personnel prohibit it. An open street does not make every adjoining property or installation available to photograph. Follow the instructions on the day and do not cross barriers to get a picture. Drone use is a separate matter: do not assume permission to take ordinary photographs permits a flight.
What was Varosha like before 1974?
Varosha was the modern seaside quarter of Famagusta, with beachfront hotels, shops and residential neighbourhoods. Famagusta accounted for almost half Cyprus’s hotel capacity before the invasion, reflecting its importance to the island’s tourism economy. Beyond the resort frontage, residents attended school, worked and raised families. Their recollections, alongside photographs from before 1974, describe a functioning community whose loss cannot be measured only in empty hotel rooms.