Bellapais

Tourists come from all over the world to experience the historic Bellapais, made more famous by Lawrence Durrell in his book “Bitter Lemons of Cyprus.” This charming and atmospheric hillside village is just 10 minutes from Kyrenia but a world away in time. Bellapais Abbey is the centre of attraction and was built by monks who fled the Saracen conquest of Jerusalem over 900 years ago. The spring that watered their vegetable garden still flows down the valley.
Throughout spring and summer, the Abbey is the venue for the Bellapais Music Festival, filling the warm air with music. Outside, you can still sip coffee and while away the hours at the café under Durrell’s ‘Tree of Idleness" a giant mulberry that has been there almost as long as the Abbey.
The most famous restaurants are the Bellapais Gardens Hotel Restaurant, perched on the steep hillside giving one of the best views in Northern Cyprus, and the charming Kybele Restaurant, a popular venue for wedding receptions, which is set almost in the grounds of the Abbey itself with stunning views down the hill to the Mediterranean.
Bellapais offers some of the most interesting traditional craft and jewellery shops and lovely local cafes. Further down the hill is the English School of Kyrenia, making this village a very attractive place for families wishing to buy property.
Distances from Bellapais:
Kyrenia - 10 mins.
Ercan Airport - 40 mins.
Larnaca – 1 hr 40 mins.
Karakum public beach - 3 mins.
Cratos Hotel beach - 3 mins.
English School of Kyrenia – 3 mins.