Cyprus has the most extraordinary concentration of abandoned hotel heritage in Europe — not because of economic collapse, but because of war. When Turkish forces advanced on Varosha in August 1974, the guest books of 100+ hotels were filled in up to August 14th and then simply stopped. The city started to become popular with the jet-set — Paul Newman filmed Exodus here in 1960, while Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at the Argolis on their summer holidays. Brigitte Bardot was photographed in her bathing suit on the beach. People would say it was the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean. Half a century later, those hotel facades rise above vegetation while the Mediterranean sea glitters behind them. Discover the 5 best abandoned hotels in Cyprus, selected from our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map — 200+ verified GPS locations.
1. Varosha Hotel Strip – Famagusta Seafront — King George, Grecian, Florida, Argolis — 100+ Hotels Abandoned 1974, Vegetation Through Facades, Partially Visible Since 2020 (Known Location)
They built the tallest buildings on the island: the King George, the Grecian, the Florida, the Argolis — the tallest buildings on the island, built for a jet-set clientele who thought anything was possible. The Turkish army has since been billeted in two hotels; the rest are slowly being reclaimed by the earth. The Varosha hotel strip is visible from the accessible streets of the partial reopening zone — facades rising above the Mediterranean scrub and vegetation that has consumed their ground floors over 50 years. From the Varosha entrance (near Dr Fazıl Küçük Stadium), bicycle the accessible zone to photograph the hotel facades. No entry inside. Drones forbidden.
🔗 Sources: The New European – Inside Varosha | Pacific Standard – Touring the Ghost Towns of Cyprus
2. Ledra Palace Hotel – Nicosia Buffer Zone — Luxury Hotel 1946, Trapped in No-Man's Land 1974, UN Peacekeeping HQ, Bullet-Marked Venetian Palazzo Facade (Known Location)
Built in 1946 as Nicosia's grandest hotel in Venetian Palazzo style, the Ledra Palace operated as the most prestigious address in Cyprus until 1974 trapped it in the no-man's land between north and south. Now the headquarters of the UN Peacekeeping Force — still with bullet marks clearly visible on its facade — it stands at one of Nicosia's main crossing checkpoints. The extraordinary contrast between the original luxury hotel architecture and its current military-peacekeeping function, the bullet damage and the buffer zone atmosphere on all sides creates one of the most charged hotel dereliction experiences in Europe. Accessible from the Ledra Palace checkpoint without crossing.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Cyprus →
3. Abandoned British Colonial Hotel – South Cyprus — Pre-Independence Colonial Infrastructure, 1950s Architecture, Post-Tourism Dereliction
Before the 1974 partition, Cyprus had a tourist infrastructure that predated the Varosha boom — British colonial-era hotels and rest houses built for Colonial Office personnel and early tourists in the 1930s–1950s. Several of these smaller colonial-era hospitality buildings, particularly in the hill stations above Limassol and in the Troodos mountains, stand in various states of abandonment: the specific interwar British colonial architectural character, palm-shaded terraces and the specific atmosphere of Empire-era hospitality abandoned when independence (1960) and the subsequent partition shifted the entire tourist economy. GPS in our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
4. Derelict 1970s Beach Hotel – North Cyprus Coast — Built During Tourism Boom, Abandoned Post-1974, Concrete Modernist Architecture, Mediterranean Setting (Exclusively on Our Map)
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a construction boom of concrete modernist beach hotels along the North Cyprus coastline — the same era that built Varosha's hotel strip. Several of these hotels, outside the Varosha zone, stand in progressive dereliction along the northern coast: the 1970s architectural character intact in their concrete forms, the Mediterranean scrub reclaiming the grounds and the sea views that once made them commercially viable still extraordinary behind collapsing balconies. GPS exclusively in our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
5. Abandoned Troodos Mountain Resort – South Cyprus — British Colonial Hill Station Infrastructure, 1930s–50s Architecture, Pine Forest Setting (Off the Radar — Our Map Only)
In the Troodos mountains of south Cyprus — where British colonial administrators retreated from the summer heat of the coast — a network of colonial-era rest houses and mountain hotels provided cool-season accommodation for the colonial government. Several of these Troodos mountain resort buildings stand in progressive abandonment: the British colonial architectural character of their construction, pine forest settings and the specific atmosphere of Empire-era leisure infrastructure stranded by independence and irrelevant to the mass coastal tourism that replaced it. Find them on our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
Safety Tips
- Varosha rules: no drones, no access inside cordoned buildings — enforced by police at the entrance
- Structural collapse: most Varosha buildings are dangerously unstable with signs warning of imminent collapse — never approach crumbling facades even from accessible street positions
- Heat: Cyprus reaches 40°C in summer — visit in early morning or in autumn/spring
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned hotel in Cyprus?
The Varosha hotel strip — 100+ hotels abandoned in August 1974, their guest books ending on August 14th. The King George, Grecian, Florida and Argolis are the most specifically documented, with The New European identifying each by name. Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Brigitte Bardot all stayed in Varosha hotels before the invasion. Partially visible since 2020, they remain the most extraordinary concentration of abandoned hotel heritage on earth.
Can you enter the abandoned hotels in Varosha?
No — all hotel buildings in Varosha are cordoned off due to structural instability, and entry is strictly prohibited. The partial reopening since 2020 allows walking and cycling on the accessible streets and photography of the hotel facades from outside the cordons. As of 2025, construction is visible in parts of the zone — the window for documenting Varosha in its current unrenovated state may be narrowing.
Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map
- ✓ 200+ verified GPS locations — Cyprus & Turkey
- ✓ Varosha hotels, Ledra Palace, coastal resort heritage
- ✓ Instant access after purchase
- ✓ Free updates forever
9,99€
Explore All 200+ Locations →
