Ghost-Town Famagusta Mini Bus Tour from Protaras and Ayia Napa

Short and rushed

The whole trip was even below 4 hours from when we were picked up untill we were dropped off. It felt very rushed for no reason. Would have been good if we were left to explore a bit more on our own the Ghoast Town and the castle. A couple of hours at least would have been much better. We only had 1 hour in the castle and maybe same in the ghoast town. We’ll have to go back on our own to explore a bit more.

Excellent tour, a must do!

Excellent tour guide, Atos. Very knowledgable, gave fantastic insight into the history of this tour. Would highly recommend

Well worth a visit

It has been a memorable experience. It's ashame it was no rebuilt It's a lovely resort. But it was eerie experience walking around.

5star

Such a fascinating journey and hearing how it all started very sad walking around knowing people lived, loved and lost there homes and some family members 🙏. Worth a visit to learn on history and the tour guides were fantastic.

disappointment :(

I paid 50 euro for the trip that was expected to last around 4.5-5hrs and was finished in around 4 hrs...Olga didn't guide us through Famagusta old town which was extremely disappointing and unfair considering not only the price of the trip but also the leaflet advertising the tour :( We were given only 1 hr free time which was ridiculous... She also possesses very superficial knowledge on historical part of Famagusta....I recommend to check less expensive agencies that hire more commitment and passionate native guides immersed into local history and customs...

Ghost town relived

Our guide was excellent, He was informative with the history of the area before the invasion, through his own eyes what life was like, and the stories of the individual shops, clubs, and hotels now destroyed in the town, He involved everyone in our group. Can't thank him enough,

Fascinating and scenic tour!

We had a funny and informative tour guide, how showed us round the town. A lot of great sights and interesting history, this is a must see if you are in Cyprus

Brilliant tour

Loved the tour, the guide was able to share her experience of the invasion and how it had affected her which added a nice touch.

Fascinating

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and it was fascinating to hear stories of real experiences. There are only some roads that have been opened for you to walk down but it gives you a very good idea what the "ghost town" feels like. The beach there is crystal clear and then we went to the old town which was just as fascinating. Well worth the money!

Ghost Town is worth the visit but be aware of the duration of the tour…

The Guid had good knowledge about Famagusta and the history from 1974. It started very pleasent and kind of funny even though this is a very sad story after all. The reason why we think this trip is nothing more than average is because it took 7 hours in total and not 4,5. We think it’s clever to be more clear about the duration of the tour from the beginning… It’s not only the 7 hours alone that made this tour soooo long but also the content when it comes to the last 3 hours… Keep it to the historcal facts and some personal stories, but skip the stories about every nightclub and imaginarie figures in broken windows…

THE GUIDE SAT IN A COFFEE SHOP

Our guide took us to Famagusta and she sat in a coffee house and let us see the sites on our own. We were expecting to be guided but we weren’t. Quite disappointing.

Authentic experience

Our tour guide Atos gave us an amazing and authentic experience speaking about both his experience and facts about the Ghost Town and the overall history of the Cyprus conflict.

Must do Trip to Famagusta

Perfect trip, my personal top experience from my one week vacation in Cyprus. Difference between good and perfect was a tour guide. His personal stories helped you relived Famagusta before disaster. Thumbs up for him. I can highly recommend.

Sad history but tour too long

I am going to say that the history that our guide offered was thought provoking, shocking and sad. I had no idea of the history. It saddens me that 50 years later there is no resolution. That being said, my insights are 1. The guide was somewhat rude and gruff at times but I wonder if this is cultural. 2. The tour itself I think ran a little too long. It was listed as 4.5 hour for which we planned and was longer. Possibly more research on my part as I thought we would walk more along the shore area which is not possible and we walked up the abandoned shopping street which loses one's interest after the first couple of shops.After the walk in the ghost town we enjoyed an hour in the old town to see the Cathedral. 3. At the end of the tour after being dropped off I thought everything was included. Being from England I was taken back when directly asked for a tip. Luckily I had cash but some did not.

Tour guides knowledge if second to none

This was the most interesting and harrowing experience, seeing and hearing what happened to the people of Famagusta and how they had to leave within just a few hours notice. Our tour guide actually lived and worked in this city as a Cypriot soldier at the time this happened in the 1970s so his knowledge is second to none. We walked round to the beach front and up what used to be the main shopping street of Famagusta, with our guide able to tell us 1st hand history about each shop, cafe or disco which are all now abandoned. If you book a ghost town tour it has to be this one

Fantastic tour guide

This tour is a must! Athos our tour guide was absolutely fabulous 👌 he was so knowledgeable & kind. He was there when it happened. He told the truth which was refreshing. He was absolutely fantastic. The tour is great. It is such a shame what happened back then. Trying to imagine a once vibrant town was upsetting but learning all about the history was brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyed our day. Thank you Athos ❤️

Magical but eerie Ghost Town tour

Famagusta ghost town history told by the most amazing tour guide Athos, if you are lucky enough to have him as your guide then you are with one of the true Cypriots that can tell you the history because he has lived it. We will be recommending him to all our friends Michael & Val

Famagusta Ghost town

Good storytelling of Ghost town from our tour guide. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 It was good. Good service from Viator

Perfect day tripping

Amazing guide Athos made the trip so interesting. So much knowledge about the history and also the locals on Cyprus ! Love it all the way through

Must do trip in Cyprus! 🤗

We had amazing half day trip to Famagusta and Varosha ghost town! Special thanks to our guide Olga. Her positive energy was catchy and we got a lot of information about Varosha and Cyprus in general. 10/10! 🌊☀️

Hand bag heaven lol

Surreal, overwhelming, eye opening, just a few words I’d use to describe the ghost town .. but .. do it by the book , they don’t muck about if you break the rules.. we had no issue, but a gentleman from our hotel had a nasty experience over changing his shorts in public view …

The perfect guide for a hot day in Famagusta

I am writing this review to acknowledge and thank our excellent guide/driver, Athos. From the moment he picked us at the hotel until we said goodbye, every step of the experience we had was enriching and amazing. His passion for the history of Famagusta was only equaled by the profound knowledge of the place that came to life through his stories. It might sound as an exaggeration, but we were a group of 10 adults, one child and one infant and we were happy to change our plan for the day just to spend as much time with him, as possible. Despite the midday sun, we continued the walk on the empty streets that still keep the traces of the past abundance. On our way back to the minibus, Athos engaged us in a very funny game so that we didn't feel the discomfort of the long walk in the heat. This only showed us what a wonderful, considerate person he is besides his being such an amazing guide. In case you read this review, Athos, a big THANK YOU from Mihai, Camelia, Diana, Simona, Marin, Nora, Alin, Andreea, Ioana, Cristian, Iulia and Ilinca. If you want to visit Famagusta from now on as a tourist, do get in touch with Trackers Excursions. If you are lucky as we were, you will meet Athos.

Ghost town trip

Interesting, informative and eye-opening. Olga the guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended excursion.

Excellent informative half day trip

An excellent tour and insight into a relatively unpublicised piece of modern history. Our guides Dimitri and George were charming and informative - also the curator at the Derniya information centre. All passionate to share such personal histories. The ghost town is fascinating and the old town beautiful with a real Turkish feel . Well worth the money. Shout out to the admin lady at Trackers who was very accommodating with our pick up point.

A trip in history

I am so glad that I did this tour. The tour guide was really knowledgeable about the conflict of the 70’s and also modern Cyprus. Picked up from hotel which was great as I travelled alone and helped navigate the checkpoint's in/out. The video at the start really set the scene and then you are walking the empty streets of Varosha, viewing buildings not touched for 50 years. A no go area with so much history! And then onto the walled city of Famagusta where life goes on. It was nice to have a walk round and get a sense of life in the North. I would really recommend this tour to anyone visiting Protaras.

Interesting Visit

Fascinating tour of Varosha, the ‘ghost town’ in Famagusta. Starting with a video that sets the scene of the history and present day before making our way through the checkpoints into Varosha. The place itself is fascinating, a place frozen in time with many of the buildings still largely in tact although understandably in need of a bit of TLC! Our guide was good, on hand to answer any questions. Only recommendation for the tour would be a little more time exploring Varosha and reduce the ‘free time’ at the end of the trip.

Great!

Very good tour with a fantastic guide that not only shares history but his personal perspective of having lived in the ghost town before the Turkish invasion.

Awasome tour

Wonderful tour. Our guide/driver Athos was very smart, very good at explaining, telling about the history of the city. He was also very good at guiding us through the hole trip. Very interesting tour and awasome experience.

Historic trip to Famagusta

The guide was courteous from pick up from the hotel. He gave the group a historic overview of what we should expect on the tour of Famagusta. There was a bit of walking but cool drinks were available before and after. Great trip would thoroughly recommend.

A walk back in time

Wow we just got back from this tour . Athos was a fantastic guide, he was very informative and passionate about his work . The sights are truly unbelievable, previously a no go area only been reopened 3 years ago . It's a walk back in time , the land that time forgot ,a must do tour . Many thanks for a great time Peter & Lisa

An Amazing insight into an historical event.

All the trip rather smoothly as it said. Picked up on time. Thoroughly recommend this trip. It gives a fascinating insight of what happened and its after effects almost to the day of 50 years ago. You can walk around parts of Vorosha and see the untouched buildings. For me, the beach was one of the best I had seen in Cyprus. Could picture the beach at its peak. Such a sad unfinished history of this area.

5* trip

Great day out our guide was brilliant telling us first hand what happened. He definitely went the extra mile. No rusting about me and my wife can't walk that fast but we had no trouble keeping up with the group. A must trip 👌

Would go again

The guide was a local person and we enjoyed the trip a lot. There is no microphone in the bus and sometimes it was hard to hear to the back seat the things the driver was explaining. Otherwise very nicely organized

Famagusta and Ghost Town

Our guide, Athos, was very friendly, knowledgeable and engaging making it a very interesting excursion

Educational and interesting tour

We were collected on time in a minibus from our hotel. Our tour guide was Athos who had experienced living over the border before the war so he had first hand knowledge and was keen to share his experience. He was a nice, fun guide who was welcoming to everyone. We were taken to watch a video about how the ghost town was before the 1974 war, which gives you a flavour of what to expect. You need your passports to cross to the northern side as you have to pass through passport control and customs. The walk around the ghost town was very interesting. It’s about a 5km walk so ensure you have plenty to drink and suncream applied as it was very hot when we went and not e regime felt they could complete the walk but provision was made for everyone. The last part of the tour was a visit to the old town where you had some free time to shop, wander about and eat.

Witness of tragedy

The guide and his explanation of the historical events keeping in mind that he was closely involved in those events

Great informative guides Famagusta

Easy to book. Transport picked me up & dropped me at hotel and was on time. I travelled alone there were a total of 8 passengers in air conditioned mini bus. We met up with another 8 in 2nd mini bus for tour. We were taken to watch a video of Famagusta pre Turkish invasion 1974. Showed the area as a beautiful thriving city. We then entered the city had to show passports at Turkish police checkpoint & UN checkpoint. We were taken on ( by foot) a very informative tour of Famagusta by our brilliant guides George & Demetris. They spoke great English & were able to answer many questions. They were good fun also. I found the scene of what Famagusta is now quite shocking. I had no idea before the trip that this had even happened. Well worth a visit & price I felt was reasonable.

A memorable experience

It was an amazing and interesting experience brought to life by Athos (our guide) who had lived through the troubles himself. He spoke with absolute passion and we were able to see the streets of Varosha through his eyes as he painted pictures of his time there. He knew all the buildings and shared his memories of them with us. He is a very nice man and it was obvious that he puts his heart and soul into his job.

Ghost town

Absolutely amazing to be able to see the history of this place if on Cyprus I would highly recommend a hour day tour if you are interested in this kind of thing

Visit the Ghost Town of Gazi Magusa, Kantara Castle

We visited Gazi Magusa (Famagusta), you can use the beach so take your beach wear and towels. There are cafe's on the beach and in the 'ghost' town. Whilst here we also visited the old walled city of Magusa and further afield to Kanatara Castle. Fantastic.

Enjoyed a well-organized...

Enjoyed a well-organized day trip to an intriguing location. The itinerary flowed smoothly, and the site was fascinating. However, more detailed information would have enhanced the experience. Definitely worth a visit for those curious about unique destinations.

Tour guide was amazing...

Tour guide was amazing made a great day even better ! Very punctual at pick up point & really seemed to care about you enjoying the experience! Trip was definitely worth it !

Thought provoking trip

The tour guide was very informative as he walked us around key streets of Famagusts sharing his knowledge with us. What an eerie place it is and we felt very humbled hearing what atrocities happened to people there in 1974 and what they have lived since. Hopefully information sharing such as these trips will put pressure on those in power to reach an amicable resolution soon. From a practical perspective it was great to be picked up from and dropped back to our hotel. We felt the film showing could have been better, further explaining why the whole thing happened. But other than that it was a very good trip and well organised. Thanks to all involved.

Amazing trip and guide

George our guide was amazing he was so friendly and had a great sense of humour and was extremely knowledgeable. We had the most amazing trip and would highly recommend to others.

Great tour through one of the most beautiful (empty) beach paradises

Very much worth the money. Our guide was amazing, and they carefully explained all kinds of gotchas. For everyone visiting cyprus this is a must-see, you never know how long you're able to still visit this place.

Review

It was a good excursion. The guide told us about the history of the abandoned city. Before that we had watched a video about it. It was interesting to walk the streets of the city and see the abandoned shops, cafes , houses and hotels of the ghost town.

Enjoyable

Picked up at correct time, very good information by our driver, enjoyed location of ghost town, our driver/guide very knowledgeable, lovely trip but would have enjoyed longer at ghost town rather than spend an hour in old town

Historical Varosha

Ghost town or Varosha, is the city which is full of history and awesome view of ruins. Actually it is a part of the city Famagusta, full of tourists from all over the world. I liked this place tbh, and recommend everyone to visit.

Wonderfully eery

What an amazing, eery experience. Highly recommend making this trip. It was the main reason we came to visit Cyprus, and it did not disappoint. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. I could have used some additional free time to wonder, but overall amazing experience.

Amazing!

Amazing experience, very informative and nice host, you should for sure try it if you are in cyprus!