Around the Campus

Food   Shopping:

There is a Saturday morning Bazaar in Güzelyurt in the main square area near the museum. It is most convenient to  park near the Oyak Bank  at the first round-about as you enter the town coming   from the university. The fresh fish on sale in the parking lot on the right hand side of the bazaar are priced about the same as in Turkey and may otherwise be difficult to find. The bananas, both the small ones grown locally and the large ones imported from South America are much cheaper than in Turkey. It might be   good to buy them when they are a bit green as they ripen quickly. The grapefruit   and other citrus fruits are also good buys. The oranges are best for making   fresh squeezed juice. Non-food items are priced the same as the small shops in  Güzelyurt.

If you miss the Saturday morning   Bazar, the supermarkets at Kalkanlı Village Center offer a variety of fresh   vegetable choices, which are typically restocked on Tuesday, Thursday, and   Sunday nights.

Lemar is the most popular modern   retail store in TRNC. The one in Güzelyurt is located in the newer part of the   town near the road to Bostancı. It is one block past the road that splits off to   Bostancı on the left side. There is a slightly larger Lemar on the main road   just to the west of Girne. There is a large Lemar in Lefkoşa just past the   tourist information office in the main shopping area inside the city walls.

For the international food, Fresco and Tempo on Güzelyurt-Girne road have good selection. Both markets are located  past Alsancak on the left hand side (it is 30-40 min drive from the  campus).

Shopping for Clothing:

Güzelyurt downtown has few shops for  immediate needs. Lefkoşa has a larger number of shops that carry known brands. Lefkoşa Dereboyu Caddesi (Dereboyu Street) has many clothing stores, and is one  of the nice spots on the island for shopping and dining.

Restaurants Around:

In Güzelyurt area there are very few   restaurants. Pizza Vira is a good choice for  Pizza and Turkish Pides. Salih Usta offers Turkish Kebabs. Şah Restaurant and Lara Restaurant is a bit nicer to   for enjoying a nice dinner of Cyprus kebabs.

In Girne there are many more options, including very nice restaurants with ambiance. The Archways, Address, and Ambiance are good choices for Cyprus kebabs. For different variety of well   priced dinners in a friendly atmosphere Café Dükkan and Eziç are   good.

Swimming

METU-NCC swimming pool is open in   summer. It is twenty five meters long, twelve meters width.

There are several nice beaches   between Lapta and Girne but most are owned by hotels and may charge admission. Most of the larger hotels have swimming pools. The beaches just to the west of  Güzelyurt are tragically being used as unofficial trash dumps and are accessible only by four wheel drive vehicles. Also beware that there are sometimes deadly ocean currents especially on windy days so it is safest to swim in the sheltered   inlets which are run by hotels. It is said that many of the finest beaches and   least spoiled natural areas are on the northeastern peninsula.

Tourist Information   Offices

Free maps, a bilingual English/Turkish monthly magazine, and other useful information can be acquired at the tourist information offices. In Lefkoşa the office is in the gatehouse in   the middle of the road just as you enter the main old shopping district. In   Girne it is located near the old castle. METU-NCC P&R Department on campus   also has a variety of helpful brochures and is more than willing to help with   any inquiries.

Outstanding Historic   Sites:

Some of the must-see sites are   Salamis, an ancient Roman city just north of Mağusa, Bufaveto Castle, Girne  castle with one of the world’s most ancient ship wrecks, Guzelyurt museum, Soli   and Vuni ancient sites to the west of Lefke. There are a great number of castles   and old monasteries scattered about Cyprus.

Hiking:

The Kalkanlı Hiking trails  are right next to the campus. Bufavento is another nice spot for hiking. Take the main road that leads from Kyrenia over the  mountains via the Besparmak mountain pass. As the road reaches its highest point   and before descending the southern slopes there is a turning to the right. The  road is accessible by car but the first 800 yards (730m) is rough, driving with  care is recommended. It is a 4.2 mile (6.8km) drive along a road which is a  military access route. There are red signs that forbid entrance strategically  placed along the track. According to the signs you should not deviate from the  route, but follow strictly.


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