Famagusta and İskele Transfer Guide 2026: Times and Prices from Ercan and Larnaca, plus Long Beach, Bafra and Karpaz

Famagusta (Gazimağusa) is 52 km from Ercan Airport, about 50 minutes by road, and İskele is 45 km, about 45 minutes. From Larnaca Airport, Famagusta is 57 km and around an hour, plus the wait at a Green Line checkpoint. Private transfers are priced per vehicle, not per person, and the total is shown before you book.

The east of North Cyprus is a region of contrasts: walled, historic Famagusta, which is also a university town; the long sands of Long Beach at İskele; the resort hotels of Bafra; and beyond them the Karpaz peninsula with its wild donkeys. This guide covers how to get there from Ercan and Larnaca, what drives the price of a Famagusta transfer, whether to hire a car, and what to see when you arrive.

How long is the transfer from Ercan Airport to Famagusta and İskele?

Ercan (ECN) sits close to North Nicosia, and most of its flights come via Türkiye. Both the Ercan to Famagusta transfer and the run to İskele take under an hour. Real road distances and driving times, from OpenStreetMap routes:

• Ercan Airport → İskele: 45 km, about 45 minutes
• Ercan Airport → Famagusta: 52 km, about 50 minutes
• Ercan Airport → Tatlısu: 52 km, about 55 minutes
• Ercan Airport → Bafra: 73 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes
• Ercan Airport → Dipkarpaz: 118 km, about 2 hours
• Kyrenia → Famagusta: 79 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes

These are driving times without traffic. Allow for passport control and baggage reclaim on arrival. If you are splitting your holiday between Kyrenia and Famagusta, the transfer between them can be booked the same way, at a fixed price per vehicle.

Long Beach, Bafra and Karpaz transfers

Long Beach is İskele's seafront, so a Long Beach transfer takes about as long as the trip to İskele; the exact time depends on where your complex or hotel stands. See prices on the İskele transfer page. Bafra, known for its hotels, is a little further — allow about 1 hour 15 minutes for a Bafra transfer. Dipkarpaz, near the tip of the peninsula, is about two hours away, and on a Karpaz transfer that long, being dropped at the door with your luggage is worth a great deal.

How do you get from Larnaca to Famagusta?

If you land at Larnaca, the east coast of the North is surprisingly close. A Larnaca to Famagusta transfer covers 57 km in about an hour, and İskele is 71 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes — in both cases not counting the checkpoint.

• The Beyarmudu / Pergamos crossing on the Larnaca–Famagusta road is open to vehicles.
• Near Famagusta there are two more vehicle crossings: Akyar / Strovilia and Derinya / Deryneia.
• Passports or ID cards are checked at the crossing, and waits vary with traffic.
• On the way home, drivers collect you about 4 hours before a Larnaca flight.

For a sense of price: in September 2026 a private transfer from Larnaca Airport to Esentepe — at 84 km, further than Famagusta — cost £75 for 1–3 passengers and £80 for 4 or more. Check live fares for Famagusta and İskele on the Larnaca Airport transfers page, and read our Larnaca to North Cyprus transfer guide for more on the crossings.

Ercan or Larnaca?

Both airports are within easy reach of the east coast, so your flight usually decides it. Land at Ercan and there is no checkpoint — you will be in Famagusta in about 50 minutes — but flights mostly come via Türkiye. From the UK and Europe, direct flights into Larnaca are generally easier to find, at the cost of a border check on the way. Seen from Larnaca, Famagusta is the closest city in the North.

What does a Famagusta or İskele transfer cost?

• Distance — Famagusta, Long Beach, Bafra and Dipkarpaz are priced quite differently.
• Vehicle type — saloon, VIP minivan or minibus.
• Number of passengers and bags.
• One way or return.
• Night-time and peak-season demand.

As a benchmark, Carrington Transfers, a local company on RideGlobus, charges £55 one way for a Mercedes-Benz Vito VIP between Ercan Airport and Esentepe for 1–7 passengers (September 2026; prices change). A return is twice the one-way fare, and the price includes meet and greet in arrivals, 60 minutes' free waiting and free child seats. The price on the Famagusta airport transfers page is likewise the total, with no hidden fees.

VIP, economy or taxi?

A VIP transfer usually means a newer premium minivan such as a Mercedes Vito, more room and meet and greet; an economy transfer is a standard car or a shared shuttle, which is cheaper per seat but stops several times. A taxi from the rank has no agreed fare, so ask first. With a private transfer the price is fixed in advance and the driver tracks your flight — and on a two-hour run to Karpaz, the extra space of a minivan counts. Our Ercan Airport transfer guide explains arrival step by step.

Tips for students and families

Famagusta is a university town, so students and their visiting families are among the regular airport travellers. Because private transfers are priced per vehicle, everyone in the car shares the cost.

• Students: book one vehicle with friends on the same flight rather than haggling at the taxi rank, and mention heavy luggage so the right vehicle is sent.
• Address: for a dormitory, apartment block or campus building, give its name and full address.
• Families: child and booster seats are free with Carrington Transfers — just ask when you book.
• Delays: the driver tracks your flight and waits 60 minutes free of charge.
• Going home: for Ercan flights, pick-up is about 3 hours before departure.
• Cancelling: with Carrington, full refund up to 7 days before pick-up, 50% up to 48 hours before.

Should you hire a car in Famagusta?

If you are staying in town or on campus, transfers are usually enough. To explore Salamis, the Bafra beaches, Kantara Castle and the Karpaz at your own pace, Famagusta car hire gives you far more freedom — and with Dipkarpaz two hours from the airport, a car is the easiest way to see the peninsula.

Cyprent Rent a Car, a local company on RideGlobus, has branches in İskele and Karpaz as well as at Ercan Airport. September 2026 examples (the site shows live prices):

• 7 days from Ercan Airport: small cars from about £35 a day (£246 a week); 14 days about £32 a day.
• Minimum hire at Ercan Airport is 7 days, and the airport desk is open around the clock.
• Away from the airport, cars are handed over 10:00–21:00 and returned by 09:00.
• CDW insurance and unlimited mileage are included; drivers must be 25–71.

Minimum hire periods at other branches can differ, so read the offer's terms. Cyprus drives on the left, and most North Cyprus rental companies do not let their cars into the South, so if you fly into Larnaca, hiring in the North is the simplest option. Compare cars on the Famagusta car rental page and read our North Cyprus car hire guide.

What to see in Famagusta and İskele

• The walled city: Famagusta's historic centre, best explored on foot.
• Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque: the former St Nicholas Cathedral, the Gothic landmark of the old town.
• Salamis: the ancient city just outside Famagusta, known for the columns of its Roman gymnasium.
• Long Beach and Bafra: İskele's long stretch of sand and Bafra's beaches and hotels.
• Kantara Castle: a mountain castle worth the detour on the way to the Karpaz.
• The Karpaz peninsula: Golden Beach (Altın Kum) and the wild donkeys that roam the peninsula.

With one day in Famagusta, spend the morning in the walled city and the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, the afternoon at Salamis, and finish with a swim at Long Beach. The Karpaz deserves a full day of its own — set off early. Our North Cyprus road trip guide links these stops into a route.

Planning your trip to Famagusta and İskele

From Ercan, Famagusta and İskele are under an hour away, Bafra about 1 hour 15 minutes and the Karpaz about two hours. From Larnaca, Famagusta is the nearest city in the North at 57 km — just leave time for the checkpoint. Have your flight details ready and compare vehicles and total prices on the Ercan Airport transfers page; most bookings can be cancelled free, and you pay the company securely online.