Park Rest Journal — September 2026 · Getting there
Northern Cyprus without a car means the Kyrenia (Girne), Nicosia (Lefkoşa) and Famagusta (Gazimağusa) triangle and on to Iskele: buses and eight-seat dolmuş (shared minibuses on fixed routes) run between the towns, and within them there are minibuses at 20 lira and taxis on an approved tariff. Below: where everything leaves from, what it costs and when the last departure is.
Between the towns
Kyrenia–Nicosia: VirgoBus coaches every 30 minutes from 06:30 to 19:30 and hourly until 23:55, 45–55 minutes on the road, 180 TL at the ticket office or 162 TL online (as of April 2026). Boarding in Kyrenia is at the Kıbhas office and the Pia Bella hotel, arriving at the terminal on Atatürk street in Nicosia. Nicosia–Famagusta: İtimat buses hourly from 07:00 to 18:00, about an hour and a half.
Kyrenia to Famagusta and Iskele
The direct Kyrenia–Famagusta dolmuş leaves from the Kombos building in central Kyrenia between 09:00 and 18:00 every 1–1.5 hours, 75 km in 1 hour 15 minutes, 350 TL (as of January 2026); eight seats, booked by phone the day before. From Famagusta to Iskele runs the Gece bus: five services on weekdays from 08:40 to 18:30, three morning and daytime services on Saturdays, 125 TL (as of November 2025), and nothing on Sundays.
In town, and taxis
Town buses and dolmuş in Kyrenia, Nicosia and Famagusta cost about 20 TL, paid to the driver in cash; the Girne–Alsancak–Lapta minibus leaves several times an hour. Almost all public transport winds down by 19:00–20:00. Taxis run without a meter but on an approved tariff: by day 112.81 TL flagfall and 43.16 TL per kilometre, at night from 22:00 136.30 and 51.50 TL (the tariff has applied since January 2025 and was confirmed in June 2026).
The last dolmuş leave around 19:00; in the evening only a taxi will do.
From Ercan airport the Kıbhas bus to Kyrenia costs 350 TL, with departures from 00:30 to 22:30 and the Kyrenia stop at the Colony hotel; a taxi is about 50 euros to Kyrenia, about 40 to Nicosia and about 60 to Famagusta (as of November 2025). The drive to Kyrenia takes 35–40 minutes.
- Book the Kyrenia–Famagusta dolmuş a day ahead and be at Kombos 15 minutes early.
- Keep small lira notes: town buses and dolmuş will not take a card.
- Agree the taxi fare before you get in, using the daytime rate of 43 TL per kilometre as your guide.
- Buy the Kyrenia–Nicosia ticket online from VirgoBus: it is 18 TL cheaper than the ticket office.