The heart of the North Cyprus coast, the medieval harbour of Kyrenia is one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.

According to a tale, the most beautiful holiday paradise of the island, was established by Achaeans coming from Peloponnese in the 10th century BC. Its founders gave it the name of Kyrenia, the name of a mountain in their homeland.

Another tale says it was first inhabited by Phoenicians, who formed coastal commercial colonies in mid 9th century BC. The name of the city in Roman sources is Corenium. When traveller Oldenburg visited Cyprus in 1211, King Hugh I mentioned Schernae (Kyrenia) as a "small beach town having city walls and towers in it". All the names in the meaning of charming turned to Girne.

The mountain chain in the south of Girne starts by the village in the west and extends until Yedikonuk village in the east. This chain consists of the Kayalar, Lapta, Besparmak, and Kantara Mountains. There are just four mountain passes at Gecitkoy, Girne, Mersinlik Tatlisu and Kantara.

The Servili Hill is the highest point at 1023 meters. There are some plains among these mountains all the way to the Karpaz Peninsula. The north skirts of Girne Mountains are
full of Aleppo Pines. There are citrus fruit, olive and carob trees in these fertile lands. The seashores are extraordinary with Turquoise waters and swimming beaches.

The castle is thought to have been constructed to protect the town against the Arab raids in the 7th century. Like the Kantara Castle, it played an important role in the Lusignan period. In this period the castle underwent a lot of changes due to restoration work. The restoration work was interrupted briefly in 1373, because of the Genoese siege but went on afterwards.
When the castle was first built, the fortifications were constructed with the armoured knights and archers in mind. When the Genoese took control of the castle in 1489, they reconstructed the fortifications taking the Ottoman artillery into consideration. They added the north-western and the south-eastern towers as an extra precaution. In spite of all this, however, following the fall of Nicosia in 1570, they surrendered the castle to the Ottomans without putting up any resistance. The entrance to the castle is via a bridge built over a wide ditch. This ditch was full of water until the 1400s. The Lusignan insignia of three lions on the vault of the inner gate has been brought here from another building. Inside the castle there is a Byzantine church (St. George) thought to have been constructed in the 11 hundreds.The tomb of the Ottoman Admiral, Sadýk Pasha the Algerian, who was killed during the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottomans in 1570 is also in this castle. The other sections of the castle are: the Venetian Towers of the Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast; the guards' room, the big hall, various dungeons, and rooms use as depots belonging to the Lusignan period; a tower belonging to the Byzantine period; the Venetian platform; a cistern; an arsenal, and a cannon parapet belonging to the Venetian period; and the shipwreck museum.

Between the sea and Besparmak mountains on the northern coast of the island, Girne has a different way of living and culture that has developed over many centuries and is influenced by the sea. This culture is reflected in its cuisine, arts and traditions.

The most important of these is the local Hellim cheese made from sheep's milk. Delicious when grilled and served hot with homemade yoghurt and honey. Foods peculiar to Girne are molehiya, kolokas, pirahu, baked potatoes and macaroni, stuffed flower leaves and herse. Herse is a different taste with wheat and chicken offered to guests in traditional weddings in Cyprus. Also Hirsiz kebap, cooked peaches, cube kebap are among the specialities. Fish like Grouper, Laos, Red Mýllet, and Minery are fresh and plentiful.

The municipal open bazaar is held on Wednesday and sells various goods like vegetables, fruits, cheese and handicrafts, and gives a different activity to the city. Hand-made cane baskets made from wheat and barley stems with motifs that reflect the feelings, emotions, joys, and longings of the maker.

Embroideries and laceworks, often in hand carved trousseau chests made of olive wood reflect the traditions. The clay earth in Girne encourages bowl, pot and cup manufacturing with more than 70 ceramic art ateliers on the way to Lapta from Girne.