Beylerbeyi (Bellapais) Village Guide

Anyone typing Beylerbeyi into a search box meets the same two images. The first is Gothic arches, the second the abbey courtyard. The village's own photograph is left behind those arches. Yet the question that really tests a day's programme begins after the courtyard: how many hours will you spend on this hillside? Beylerbeyi village sits south-east of Kyrenia at the foot of the Kyrenia Mountains, 10-15 minutes by car from the centre. The official name is Beylerbeyi, the tourist name is Bellapais. In everyday speech the pronunciations Bellabayıs and Balabayıs also circulate; all three can point to the same hillside, and knowing this resolves the first confusion between the signpost and the map… Let's go through the details.

An Hour for the Abbey, Half a Day for the Village

Let's say first that the abbey is a single building, and that the "village" is the settlement spread out along the hillside around that building. The difference directly determines the length of the visit, because you can walk round the courtyard in an hour; you can't walk the streets in that time. The abbey's gate closes at a set hour (and this may vary at weekends, so ask), the village streets don't close. A stop aimed only at the abbey therefore fits into an hour, while a visitor who adds the village to the programme has given half a day to the place.

The village's own measurements, on the other hand, can be thin on paper. The only figure given for altitude belongs to the spot where the abbey stands, 220 metres above sea level; the lower streets fall outside that measure. For population too, the only village record we have comes from 1973, a figure close to seven hundred. The settlement neighbours Ozanköy. The origin of the tourist name is also known: the French phrase "Abbaye de la Paix" wore down over time into the form Bellapais.

The Species of the Tree on the Square Is Still Disputed

The village square is right next to the abbey, ringed by cafés and small restaurants. The square's real fame, however, comes from a tree. This shade, known as the "Tree of Idleness", is described as the place where the village elders sat chatting for hours; it is even said that Lawrence Durrell wrote his book in this shade. But which tree is it? The answer is disputed even today, and more than one candidate is put forward for the trunk that gave the square its name. On one side the old mulberry beside the abbey entrance, on the other an entirely different trunk on the square, and claims ranging from a Japanese pagoda tree to a plane tree can also be found circulating…

Today there is also a restaurant near the square bearing the same name, and the tree's fame has largely passed over to it. The restaurant's own publicity speaks of a two-hundred-year-old trunk; the only basis for that age is, again, the same publicity. Pinning down the species of the tree doesn't change the pleasure of the half hour you'll spend on the square anyway.

Durrell's Three Years and Bitter Lemons

The English writer Lawrence Durrell lived in this village from 1953 to 1956. He turned his years on the island into a book in 1957 under the title "Bitter Lemons", known in Turkish as "Acı Limonlar", and the book won the Duff Cooper Prize the same year. The village's present-day tourist identity still rests largely on that text, and some of those who come are here directly in pursuit of those pages.

The house the writer lived in is still standing. With its yellow-painted façade, brown door and shutters, it is easy to spot on the street, and the yellow plaque above the door records which years Durrell stayed here. The house is private property; you can't go inside. So this doesn't count as a museum stop; you make do with looking from outside.

Where to Eat in the Village?

Almost every street in the centre has a café or restaurant sign, and the area around the abbey is likewise ringed with tables. Because they are all gathered in the same area, the walking distance at dinner stays short. The best-known address, Tree of Idleness Restaurant & Bar, sits across from the abbey and takes its name directly from that famous shade on the square. Kybele, which operates inside the abbey, is better known for its wedding and events side. The narrow access road is a headache for the businesses too, which is why some restaurants pick their customers up at the village entrance and drop them back. It's worth asking about this when you book; for a large group heading out to dinner, it removes the parking problem entirely.

The Parking Bill for Narrow Streets

The hillside, of course, has a price. Because Beylerbeyi village is built on narrow streets, parking space is limited from the outset, and on busy days in season finding a spot takes time. That is why most visitors leave their car at the village entrance and walk the rest. The streets are steep; comfortable shoes make your job easier. From central Kyrenia you reach the village gate in 10-15 minutes by car, but we have to say, unfortunately, that most of the time is spent after that gate, looking for a space.

For those wanting to stay in the village there is a small-scale fabric of boutique hotels, and most of the properties are spread across the same hillside. There is one more detail about accommodation: a property in the village is listed on booking sites under an Ozanköy address. Don't let that difference in the address line mislead you; the distance between them is no more than a few kilometres. The most tangible gain from spending the night here is never joining that parking queue at all.

From the Concert Calendar to the Hillside Route

In the months from spring to early summer the abbey turns into a concert venue. Since the festival's edition number and date range vary by source, if you are looking for the programme you need to check the current calendar. On concert evenings, arriving early makes parking easier.

For those wanting to see the village on foot, there is a sample route to hand too. The line that sets out from Doğanköy, calls at Beylerbeyi and descends from here via Güvenç Tepe at the foot of the Kyrenia Mountains to Ozanköy was walked in 2016, a total of 23 kilometres and roughly eight and a half hours. Beylerbeyi village sits right in the middle of this line, and plants such as myrtle and cyclamen were noted along the route. Since the record dates from that year, it is best not to think of the line as an official, waymarked trail; it serves as a reference. The short walks within the village, on the other hand, are within anyone's reach; the square and Durrell's house are in the same area. The time to set aside for Beylerbeyi village is determined not by the abbey's closing time but by the slope of the streets.

For the Gothic arches in the courtyard, read our Bellapais Abbey article; for the neighbouring village at the other end of the hillside, see the Ozankoy Kyrenia guide; and if you are thinking of spending the night in the village, take a look at our Bellapais Monastery Village hotel page.