Famagusta is Cyprus's most historically layered city — Venetian walls that failed to keep out the Ottomans in 1571, a medieval old town whose Gothic cathedral became a mosque, and Varosha: the beach resort quarter abandoned in 1974 when 40,000 residents fled in hours. By 1974 the city had over 100 hotels; in the lobby of each, the guest books are filled in up to August 14. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at the Argolis on their summer holidays. People would say it was the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean. Today, Famagusta is perhaps the only city in Europe where you can cycle past 100 abandoned hotels while overlooking medieval Gothic spires. Discover the 5 best abandoned places in Famagusta, selected from our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map — 200+ verified GPS locations.
1. Varosha Ghost Town – South Famagusta — 100+ Abandoned Hotels, 40,000 Residents Fled August 1974, Partially Reopened 2020, Mediterranean Seafront (Known Location)
Varosha is an abandoned quarter in the southern part of the Cypriot city of Famagusta. Previously well known as a tourist destination, it is closed and closely guarded, every year falling further into decline. In its 1970s heyday, Famagusta attracted celebrity tourists like Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot. After the 1974 invasion, the Turkish army fenced off Varosha; As the Turkish forces approached Varosha, the residents fled in a hurry and the area came under Turkish control — sealed off, abandoned, with the locals unable to return. Partially reopened in 2020 — free entry, bicycle hire available (card only, approximately 150 TL). No drones. Buildings cordoned off — external photography permitted from accessible streets.
🔗 Sources: Abandoned Spaces – Varosha Ghost Town | Nomadic Backpacker – Famagusta Ghost Town 2025
2. Famagusta Old Town – Venetian Walls & Abandoned Medieval Buildings — Venetian Gothic, 1571 Ottoman Conquest, Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Former Cathedral), Derelict Structures (Known Location)
Within Famagusta's extraordinary Venetian walled city — built by Venice between 1489 and 1571 and described by one traveller as "Venetian walls that are a sight to behold, massive fortifications built to keep the Ottomans out (spoiler: it didn't work)" — the medieval urban fabric contains abandoned and derelict buildings alongside the active mosque (former Lala Mustafa Pasha Cathedral, built 1298–1400). The combination of Gothic architecture whose original function was transformed by five centuries of Ottoman use, derelict medieval merchants' houses and the Venetian defensive infrastructure in progressive decay creates a specific Famagusta heritage experience layered with 700 years of abandonment.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Cyprus →
3. Varosha Abandoned Hotels – Beyond the Cordon — King George, Grecian, Florida, Argolis — 100 Hotels Frozen Since 1974, Visible from Accessible Streets
They built the tallest buildings on the island: the King George, the Grecian, the Florida, the Argolis. The city started to become popular with the jet-set. Paul Newman filmed Exodus here in the spring of 1960. These specific hotel buildings — the names still legible on their facades in photographs from the accessible perimeter — are visible from the streets open to visitors in the partial reopening zone. The guest books inside reportedly end on August 14, 1974; most buildings are dangerously unstable, with signs warning of imminent collapse. Photography from the accessible zone captures the hotel facades rising above the vegetation that has reclaimed the ground floors. GPS in our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
4. Varosha Residential Streets – Accessible Zone — Abandoned Shops, Residential Buildings, Cars Left on Streets, 1974 Time Capsule Atmosphere (Exclusively on Our Map)
It appears to be frozen in time — the clothes still on the racks in the shops, homes and holiday apartments untouched for nearly 50 years. Some of the lights were even left on in the buildings for years after the evacuation. The accessible streets of Varosha include the former residential and commercial zone behind the seafront hotels — shops with signage still intact, residential buildings with balconies progressively consumed by vegetation and the specific atmosphere of a commercial district abandoned mid-trading-day. The business signs documented by The New European — Cleopatra Bazaar, Carnaby Lace Shop, Pavlos Pierides Cyprus Handicrafts — are still legible from the street. GPS in our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
5. Derelict North Famagusta Buildings – Beyond the Walled City — Former Greek Cypriot Residential Fabric, Post-1974 Neglect, Sandstone Construction (Off the Radar — Our Map Only)
Beyond the walled medieval city and the Varosha zone, northern Famagusta contains former Greek Cypriot residential and commercial buildings emptied in 1974 and in various states of post-partition dereliction. The sandstone construction typical of Cypriot vernacular architecture, the Mediterranean urban morphology and 50 years of deferred maintenance create a neighbourhood-scale abandonment invisible to most visitors focused on the walled city and Varosha. Find them on our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map.
Safety Tips
- Varosha rules — strictly enforced: no drones (confiscated at entrance), no access inside buildings, no removing objects, no crossing cordons — Turkish Cypriot police enforce these actively
- Structural collapse: most Varosha buildings are dangerously unstable with signs warning of imminent collapse — never approach unstable structures even from the accessible street side
- Heat: Famagusta reaches 38-40°C in July–August; visit Varosha at dawn before the heat is prohibitive
- Passport: required at all Green Line crossings if approaching from south Cyprus
❓ FAQ
Can you enter buildings in Varosha?
No — all buildings in the accessible zone are cordoned off for safety, with signs warning of imminent collapse. The partial reopening since 2020 allows walking or cycling through the accessible streets and photography of the buildings from outside the cordons. No guided tours are available inside the buildings. This may change as the Turkish Cypriot authorities continue the gradual reopening process.
How do I get to Famagusta from south Cyprus?
From Nicosia: cross via the Ledra Street or Ledra Palace checkpoint and take a dolmuş (shared minibus) from the north Nicosia bus terminal to Famagusta (approximately 1 hour, 120 Turkish Lira). From Ayia Napa / Protaras area: cross via the Deryneia or Strovilia checkpoints and continue by road or taxi to Famagusta. Our Cyprus & Turkey Urbex Map includes the Varosha visitor entrance GPS coordinates and the most efficient route from each crossing point.
Is Varosha worth visiting?
Absolutely — there is nothing else like it in Europe. Varosha isn't your typical tourist hotspot. It's haunting, emotional, and thought-provoking. The combination of the extraordinary ghost town atmosphere, the Mediterranean beach setting, the specific 1974 time-capsule quality of the signage and building details and the ABBA connection (Björn, Agnetha, Benny and Frida all stayed at the Twiga Tower Hotel in April 1970) makes Famagusta one of the most historically specific urbex destinations on earth.
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