Lapta is located about 10 kilometres west of Kyrenia; it’s a local tourist hotspot and has some excellent hotel and general accommodation options for visitors to North Cyprus.

The main town is located behind the tourist strip along the beach and is popular for its beautiful views, a selection of good restaurants and its cool leafy ambience.  It was saved from the forest fires that ravaged parts of the island back in the 1990s and so it remains not only physically intact, but its spirit and history have been untouched for generations.

Lapta manages to represent the best in coastal towns and mountain villages and it offers some of the best scenery on the island with stunning mountain views from the old town and beautiful and peaceful Mediterranean views from the coast.

Visiting the town of Lapta you’ll find it’s divided into two distinctive parts, each offering the visitor interesting alternatives for entertainment.  Firstly, ‘Lapta strip’ as the main road through the town is known is home to a number of bars, restaurants, pubs, cafes and hotels.  You have casinos, water sports, beach access, live music and a really good holiday feel along the strip.  Tourists of all ages are very well catered for and Lapta in this respect offers a lot of entertainment options.  During the main summer season the area triples its population such is the popularity of the resort.

The old town is a popular retreat for expatriates and has been for many years; initially they were attracted by among other things the town’s excellent and pure water supplies!  It also enjoys a protected micro-climate and it’s where Greek and Turkish Cypriots lived peacefully and happily side by side for generations. 

Lapta is historically one of the richest and most historically interesting areas of Cyprus. 

From the 8th century when Phoenicians settled in Cyprus, Lapta or Lapithos as the area was known then, became one of the city kingdoms in Cyprus, then later when Cyprus was under Roman rule Lapta was a regional capital. 

During the Byzantine period Lapta, or Lambousa as the area around the town as we know it today was known, was so prosperous that it became renowned as ‘the city of treasure’ which unfortunately led to its invasion and partial destruction by Arab pirates.

The residents of Lambousa were forced to hand over much of their treasure to the pirates before they were allowed to flee, but they still managed to hide a lot of their remaining wealth.  When the pirates finally finished ransacking and destroying Lambousa the surviving residents returned but found the city destroyed and were unable to unearth what they had hidden.  The treasure of Lambousa became a legend was almost dismissed as such until archaeologists and amateur treasure hunters began unearthing some incredible, stunning and priceless treasure from the area early in the 1900s.

Lapta is also famous for its abundance of richly flavoured fruit and vegetable crops which are nourished by the mountain springs I mentioned earlier.  It is a town as rich in resources as it is history, natural beauty, charm and appeal.  If you visit, take time out to enjoy both the relaxed rural and historical charm of the old town and the fun and lively scene along the strip.