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Varosha experience tour by the Original Red Bus
Excursions & day trips
Protaras, Cyprus
4.42/5
Free Cancellation
Language:
English
Mobile voucher accepted
Duration: 4 Hours
Do this because
Visit the forgotten resort of Varosha
Open-top bus tour and free time
Recently reopened to the public
What to expect
Once a thriving holiday resort, Varosha has lain abandoned in the northern part of Cyprus for over 50 years. This open-top bus tour takes you to the heart of this forgotten town, where you'll have around two-hours of free time. Desolate hotels line the beach where you can grab a drink and relax on the sands – it's a real touristic time capsule.
What's included
Transport
Driver/ Guide
What to remember
Drinks are available to purchase from the vendors near the beach but only card payments are accepted
Just so you know, because of local restrictions at Strovillia checkpoint, only passport holders from EU member states, the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland can travel to and from the northern part of Cyprus
Children must be supervised by an adult (over 18 years) at all time
Bring a hat
Bring suitable footwear
Bring money for extras or gratuities
Bring your passport or official EU identification
Food and drinks not included
English-speaking guide for all nationalities
Please note that all times are approximate and subject to change
Bring bathing gear and sunblock
Bring a towel
This experience doesn't follow our general cancellation policy. If you need to cancel, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Provider
TUI CYPRUS LTD
Booking Fee
Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.
Cancellation Fee
Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 1 day before the experience begins
Reviews
great
4.4/5
Based on
77 reviews from verified customers
R
Richard
October 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 40 years old
Great
Very interesting trip and I would recommend, Paul and John were a great team. Took almost two hours to get to Varosha, personally I think a short stop en route would have been good. No spaces on the top deck on return journey so had to sit down stairs, which was a shame.
A
Anonymous
October 2025
From United Kingdom
Excellent
We were really pleased with the tour. Very interesting. Our guides Hayley and Clive were super nice and knowledgeable about the subject. The history of Varosha is sad but also very interesting and this tour is a must for anyone visiting Cyprus.
A
Annette
October 2025
From Denmark
Traveled as
With family
- 53 years old
Excellent
Jeg synes vi blev bondefanget af tui-guiden på hotellet, som sagde vi var tilbage ved 14-tiden, altså ca. 4 timer, det viste sig at være en tur på 6 1/2 time, som vi IKKE ville have booket, da vi havde børn med!!!
F
Finn
October 2025
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 43 years old
Average
Skue ned for højtalerne, lyden var vanvittig høj.
-
-
September 2025
From Denmark
Traveled as
With friends
- 26 years old
Great
Y
Ylva
September 2025
From Sweden
Traveled as
With friends
- 40 years old
Excellent
L
LoM
September 2025
From Sweden
Traveled as
As a couple
Great
S
sten
September 2025
From Sweden
Traveled as
Alone
- 58 years old
Great
A
Anonymous
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Excellent
Fab day out! Driver was excellent and guide was really good too. Picked up at 8am and back around 3pm so lingering than expected but really enjoyed the bus ride and the experience seeing Varosha. Don’t like full/on guided trips so this was perfect!
I
IB
September 2025
From Sweden
Traveled as
With friends
- 35 years old
Poor
Ingen guidning fick gå på egen tid i 2 1/2 timme alldeles för lång tid. Trodde nog att hon skulle guida oss lite åtminstone men ingenting. Dåligt. Det är den sämst utflykt någonsin samt dyraste, bussresa för 770 kr??? Flera klagade, vi kunde delat på en taxi för det priset. Hoppas att ni tar ett annat bolag nästa gång.
M
Martin
September 2025
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 41 years old
Excellent
B
Bazz
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 47 years old
Excellent
Would have liked slightly more information about what led up to this situation
K
Kirk’s trip to vatidh
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 40 years old
Excellent
M
Mark
September 2025
From Germany
Traveled as
With family
- 27 years old
Great
Sehr freundliches Team. Anreise nach Varosha dauerte fast 1.5h mit unzähligen Bus Stops um weitere Mitreisende mitzunehmen. Das alles unter der prallen Sonne. Am Ende der Reise waren wir durch.
P
Paul1cfc
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Excellent
Every thing on the trip to Varosha was excellent but very sad the staff were great all round a great little day
L
Liz
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 26 years old
Excellent
An amazing tour, thoroughly recommend, we loved it
K
Kristine
August 2025
From Norway
Traveled as
With family
- 32 years old
Great
S
Simon Wright
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 38 years old
Excellent
P
PHILIP.
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 54 years old
Average
41* heat....Front tyre blew out in paralimni , start of tour to the northside. the electrics were all out (off) in varosha - so no cold drinks, ices, etc.
M
Marie
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 28 years old
Average
The tour guide Hayley was excellent and very Knowledgeable. The bus broke down on the way there, was resolved in 30 to 40 minutes. Sitting on the open top bus needs a warning, it was so hot and all the waiting caused us to feel unwell, so don't sit up there! When we got to Varosha after 3 hours trip, the beach shop wouldn't allow us to purchase a drink as their system was down. We had to go back to the entrance and stayed there at Goodfellows where we could get a drink and cool down. Awful day!
S
Ste B
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 29 years old
Excellent
N/A
K
Kim Andersen
July 2025
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 39 years old
Great
Måske hvis man kunne have betale en mere pris for at for en cykel og så en guidetur med i prisen, men vi har været glad for turen ellers
T
Tracey
July 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 41 years old
Excellent
J
James
July 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 18 years old
Excellent
Loved the tour, would have liked a little longer free time in varosha
A
Alfred
June 2025
From Germany
Traveled as
As a couple
- 53 years old
Excellent
E
Erich
June 2025
From Germany
Traveled as
As a couple
- 49 years old
Excellent
N
Noel Cunningham
June 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 54 years old
Great
K
Kev
May 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Excellent
This is a must do trip Haley our tour guide was very informative and Clive the driver always a big help it sad to see all the ruined buildings and to here the history of what happened there such a waist of so many beautiful buildings. Shame the powers the powers that be can't make this right and make it beautiful once more.
B
Bach
September 2024
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 36 years old
Excellent
M
MarcinW
August 2024
From Poland
Traveled as
With family
- 28 years old
Great
Brak zadaszenia /ochrony przed sloncem na górnym pokladzie autobusu -chociaz materialowe przykrycie na stelazu byloby super.
M
Mark
August 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 32 years old
Excellent
Time keeping was excellent. The staff were very friendly, helpful and informative. Was an amazing experience.
K
Kelly
August 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 31 years old
Excellent
Paul and Clive the tour guide and bus driver were excellent.tour very interesting
S
Sue Gray
August 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 39 years old
Excellent
We only wanted a short trip and this was perfect for us. The guides were very informative. An extra half hour in Varosha would have been better.
J
Jess W
August 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 20 years old
Excellent
This was a very informative and enjoyable experience. You can hire golf buggy’s, bikes and scooters to help get around, which is great for those with limited mobility. Your guides were very knowledgeable
L
Liselotte
August 2024
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 41 years old
Great
Guiden Hayley og chaufføren Gary var super servicemindede. God 1/2 dags tur.
A
Amaury.w
August 2024
From France
Traveled as
As a couple
- 16 years old
Average
Le temps de trajet est beaucoup plus long que la visite elle-même, ce qui est vraiment dommage. Nous avons passé 2 heures à l'aller et 2 heures au retour pour une visite de seulement 2 heures. Il est impossible de tout faire à pied et de se baigner tout en visitant la ville. Nous avons choisi de louer des vélos malgré leur mauvais état (pas de freins, pneus dégonflés, paniers cassés). Ils nous ont néanmoins bien servi pour visiter un maximum de la ville et supporter plus facilement la chaleur.
A
Anonymous
August 2024
From United Kingdom
Excellent
Very well organised tour, would highly recommend. Great value for money.
G
Gerry Bradley
July 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 28 years old
Excellent
All good. Informative and good value for money.
L
Liz
July 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 41 years old
Excellent
Loved every minute (except going over speedboats,however slow!). Guide and driver excellent, having water available to purchase was invaluable, fans on the bus inside a blessing.
A
Andy
July 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 29 years old
Excellent
Clive, the driver and Paul, the tour guide were very welcoming and gave a lot of fantastic information about Varosha along with some handy maps for the two hours of our own time. The two were also very funny and you could tell they enjoyed working together. They were also very knowledgable. Just a couple of points of info that could be given beforehand; if you are on the 02 network, you leave their free roaming 'Europe Zone' when you visit as you are in 'Turkey'. Also only card payments in Lira
A
Alison S
July 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 33 years old
Excellent
S
Susanne
June 2024
From Germany
Traveled as
As a couple
- 34 years old
Average
Viel zu lange Busfahrt bis nach Varosha. Der Guide hat nur Englisch gesprochen während der Fahrt, dabei aber auch nicht so viel. Vor Ort war man auf sich alleine gestellt. Nach varisha würden wir nochmal allerdings dann mit einem privaten Transfer
H
Helene
June 2024
From Denmark
Traveled as
With family
- 19 years old
Great
We were told it was a 4 hour trip (2 hours in Varusha + 1 hour trip every way) - that was kind of true. Because it was one hour AFTER Pick up at all hotels. We spent in total 4 hours of transport and two hours in Varusha. We would have never gone, if we knew we were to spend 2x2 hours riding around in the heat in no aircondition. Varusha was great - so was the busdriver who was 10 out of 10!
L
Lauren
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 15 years old
Excellent
A tad on the expensive side, but a very good and interesting experience and day out. The guide and driver, Hayley and Clive were fantastic and knowledgeable! We rented scooters when we got there as it was so hot, which were about €12pp, but there was options for buggys with guides too.
A
Anne & Stewart
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 29 years old
Excellent
Overall we had an amazing experience. Paul the guide was fantastic very knowledgeable and entertaining. Just the right amount of time spent in varosha with plenty to see and learn of the history, also very sad seeing all the empty buildings. Plenty of cafes to cool down in as it gets extremely hot walking around the town. We would highly recommend this trip, thank you Paul and Clive.
C
Cabman
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 45 years old
Excellent
Great trip, excellent tour guide, fascinating visit to see the ghost town
R
Red bus tour
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 58 years old
Great
It was good overall, they outlined the important facts. Open top bus, was fun and saw much more from the top deck.
H
Helen
October 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 24 years old
Great
I really enjoyed the trip, the guides were informative and funny, and it was an experience in itself to see Varosha. It did get a bit too hot on the top deck as it was so warm, but bonus points to the driver my mum gets travel sick and she was fine the whole day. on that note i would add we booked the trip as the Tui rep advised that the journey would only take 15 minutes each way and was a 2 - 4 hour trip. The trip was around 6 hours and was 2 hours each way. We would have booked a taxi if we k
W
Will & Katie
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 10 years old
Excellent
Thoroughly enjoyable experience, well worth a day out you holiday. The tour takes you into the deserted city and really goes into detail regarding the history of the 1974 invasion and really puts things into perspective. The journey to Famagusta can take a while so i would recommend lots of suncream, towels for the seats and plenty of fluids - although they do have water available to buy on the bus.
A
Allan Pedersen
September 2023
From Denmark
Traveled as
As a couple
- 30 years old
Great
Kunne faktisk godt bruge lidt mere tid til at se sig omkring, måske også få tid til at få en dukkert ved den fantastiske strand. 2 timer er ikke meget.
T
Thomson ??
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 43 years old
Excellent
From the moment the bus picked us up the staff were SO friendly and helpful very informative and interested in what we had to say as well ??the whole experience was really great and I would highly recommend to see the history of Varosha
P
Paula
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 53 years old
Excellent
A
Annie
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 46 years old
Excellent
The guide was very friendly and informative, ,bus very comfortable, pick up on time , would definitely recommend it to friends and family
S
Steve byatt
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 42 years old
Excellent
Lovely people
L
Linda
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 42 years old
Excellent
The Varosha trip was excellent .Paul was our host and was a wealth of information and lots of fun also .We did the trip on foot once inside Varosha but would advise using the little golf carts or bikes as it was so hot
F
Familietur
September 2023
From Denmark
Traveled as
With family
- 47 years old
Excellent
Udflugter må gerne være med dansktalende guide.
W
Will an tina
September 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 46 years old
Great
For elderly people there was quite a lot of walking involved and with the heat was tiring but overall a nice experience just bring comfortable footwear
S
Sara
August 2023
From Sweden
Traveled as
With friends
- 7 years old
Excellent
Wow! Jakob är en fantastisk tui blue guide! Jag tycker att alla borde boka sina upplevelser med honom. Jakob frågade hur det hade varit och om allt gick bra. Däremot var guiden från red buss inte så roliga, de borde lära sig från Jakob! Red buss guiderna på farmagusta bussen var dock roliga, stor hälsning till Clive och Paul! Hälsningar
L
Lizzie
August 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 9 years old
Excellent
We got picked up by Clive and Paul due to our bus having miss communication about where to pick us up they was so lovely from start to finish they took us to our correct red bus and they made us laugh a lot we will be doing another trip but this time hopefully with them as they made our trip experience 100x better we fully reccomend them to everyone who does this experience thanks again Clive & Paul hope this gets passed to you!! From the very thankful Reps x
J
jnic
August 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 49 years old
Excellent
Absolutely a great tour
J
Jan
July 2023
From Norway
Traveled as
With family
Average
Lang busstur - mye venting.
N
Neil & Emma
July 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
Excellent
There was nothing we didn’t enjoy
E
Emma
July 2023
From Sweden
Traveled as
With family
- 24 years old
Great
Bra var utflyktsmålet. Helt unikt och fantastiskt. Mindre bra var bussen: ingen AC vilket var fruktansvärt och luktade så mycket avgaser att det kändes ohälsosamt inne i bussen . Mycket gammal och skruttig buss. Investera i en ny!
S
Sandra
July 2023
From Germany
Traveled as
As a couple
- 18 years old
Excellent
N
Nicky
July 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Great
We loved going into Varosha. However as it was only a half day tour we had just two hours there. We would have paid a little more for more time there.
M
Menopausal Mother
July 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 38 years old
Average
The visit itself to Varosha was great.Being in the heat from 8:30-3pm with very little respite was difficult.I don’t think being on the top of an open topped bus helped.I know it was sold as this,but we didn’t expect to be on it for so long.Also the bus is a bit of a bone shaker!And not great for tall members of my family.
D
Dianna
June 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 21 years old
Average
Nothing, as it was not the trip that we asked for. It was 6 hours wasted from our holiday. I would like to make a complaint about TUI rep , so please can TUI contact me further about this . The actual tour guide and Driver , were very sorry and considerate and looked after us well, it's not their fault at all.
M
Mrs F
June 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 36 years old
Great
Very interesting tour. Would like to hear more from the guide whilst on the bus as to the history of why the situation arose.
J
Juliet
June 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 46 years old
Excellent
The whole experience was amazing staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Would have liked some kind of guided tour we listened in on someone else's and it made it more interesting.Also I think we should have been told sooner about the one hour work to the famous hotel so we could have done that first.
N
Neil F
June 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 22 years old
Great
Was a really good trip and definately worth going on. The kids and us were interested in the history and sights. Only down alide was they did keep teying to upwelling some of gifts a little but weren't pushy with it though, and would have like slightly more time in Varosha to explore the ghost town further as didn't quite seem long enough esp. with kids in tow. Otherwise definately worth going on and would recommend to others.
K
Kate
June 2023
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 15 years old
Great
The staff were friendly and explained everything that was needed for the day. The bus was comfortable and water was available for us to buy. Overall the experience was very enlightening however I would suggest the times of the trip be updated what was suggested as 2 - 4 hours turned out to be more likely 7 to 8 hours.
M
Mrs Ben
October 2022
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 40 years old
Great
Great tour so interesting to see a resort frozen in time. Would have liked a bit more time there to explore. Friendly and informative tour guides.The bikes were a great idea, but were very shoddy and not maintained to even a basic safety standard, seat heights could not be adjusted which ruled me out as I have a recent knee injury. Suggestion would be to charge more to hire and get new stock that is lovingly maintained. Trikes/buggy’s would also be a good idea for the less physically able.
J
Jen/richard
September 2022
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 46 years old
Excellent
Weather was fantastic, sitting on top of the bus with wind blowing a bonus. The driver and guide very knowledgeable. Scenery fantastic. Very sad to see such what was a thriving village and area turn into a ghost town, beach area is beautiful. Experience was long enough to wander round and enjoy the beach, there is a cafe on beach, and at entrance to the town. Well worth the money. We highly recommend booking this trip.
R
Robin
August 2022
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 27 years old
Excellent
Tour guide was very good. I wish we had long time so I you could spend more time on the beach before walking around.
C
Claire
August 2022
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 29 years old
Great
An enjoyable experience to be able to go within Varosha walls. So much to see.
I
Iwona
July 2022
From Poland
Traveled as
With family
- 21 years old
Excellent
Wszystko OK - zgodnie z opisem.
K
KarenT
June 2022
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 35 years old
Great
A box tick trip. The area has only opened after 47 years in the last 6 months. Our guide was friendly but we had to Google why the area is uninhabited and actually got more info on a different trip the day after. Warning, it took 40 minutes to walk to the beach through the town. Issue, we were told to give our passports to the guide for the border. He had a contact who would get them checked and returned to us on the way back but this contact has gone home and was asleep with our passports?
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