Buffavento Castle, in the middle of the range

Buffavento Castle stands halfway along the mountain range of northern Cyprus, about 13 km as the crow flies from the capital. You have to cross the Green Line to get up there, and the paperwork, car insurance and shopping limits on the way back are covered in crossing to Northern Cyprus. Before you go, see what changes on the other side in Northern Cyprus.

The castle in the middle

Britannica puts Buffavento on its short list of Cypriot castles worth knowing, with St Hilarion, Kantara and Kyrenia. Of the three on the range, this is the central one. To the west, above Kyrenia, stands St Hilarion Castle, and far to the east, above Karpas, Kantara Castle.

The little that’s known

I haven’t found an official source on its history, so I’m leaning on English Wikipedia, credited throughout. According to it, nobody knows when the castle was built, though it’s most likely Byzantine, and that it mixes Byzantine and Frankish features. It watched over the mountain pass to the north coast and, because the other two castles are visible from here, was used to pass signals between them. It saw almost no fighting, served as a prison and fell out of use in the 14th century. The name, again according to that source, is Italian and means defier of the winds.

Wikipedia adds two episodes. In 1191 Richard the Lionheart took Buffavento as part of his Cypriot campaign, whose defenders surrendered after Kantara and St Hilarion had fallen. And in the war between the Ibelins and the supporters of Emperor Frederick II, the castle changed hands several times between 1229 and 1233. A Lusignan-era legend also calls it the Queen’s Castle, after a noblewoman said to have taken refuge here. None of that is in an official source I can check, but it gives the ruins a story to go with the view.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Nicosia before prices climb.

What you’ll find

No source I can cite describes the state of the walls today or the path up, so I won’t paint you a picture from hearsay. What its history does tell you is that it was built as a lookout between the other two castles, high on the range. I’d go early, with water and closed shoes, and take my time.

Driving up from Nicosia

Buffavento is around 13 km in a straight line from the Ledra Street checkpoint, and Bellapais Abbey about 5.5 km. You’ll want a car, and Agios Dometios is the crossing where gov.uk notes you can pick up cover for driving in the north. Official Spanish advice adds that the north has military areas that aren’t always signed and mustn’t be photographed, so I’d stick to the road. There’s nothing official on opening hours or entry.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Buffavento Castle and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Nicosia on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Nicosia before prices climb.