There are two different ships on the Taşucu-Kyrenia route, and they are not the same journey. Foot passengers board the fast ferry that leaves at midday and cross in two, at most two and a half hours. Those bringing a car board the vehicle ferry towards midnight and step off in Kyrenia in the morning. From the Taşucu-Kyrenia ferry ticket price to the paperwork at the port, the rest of your Cyprus ferry plan hinges on this distinction. There's a trap on the map, too. The Kyrenia ship departs not from Mersin's city port but from Taşucu, a hundred kilometres to the west; the ship leaving Mersin Port goes to Famagusta and sails through the night.
The Taşucu, Mersin and Anamur Routes
Two companies operate the Cyprus ferry route. Akgünler Denizcilik has been in the business since 1999, while Filo Denizcilik runs a call centre open day and night. Both operate a fast passenger ship and an overnight vehicle ferry between Taşucu and Kyrenia. The departure point is the Ceyport terminal in Taşucu; the arrival is Kyrenia New Port. The vehicle ferry carries around a hundred and twenty vehicles and eight hundred passengers. The fast ship holds about two hundred and fifty people. The second route, from Mersin Port to Famagusta, works quite differently. It departs at 20.00 on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, the crossing takes up to ten hours, and its main cargo is cars and lorries — though foot passengers board too.
If you're staying at Long Beach or on the Karpaz Peninsula, this route drops you closer to your destination. In summer, a passenger-only service from Anamur to Kyrenia also opens, taking an hour and forty-five minutes; its days and times depend on Akgünler's schedule for that summer. The Alanya-Kyrenia route was tried a few times in past summers. It doesn't appear on the 2026 booking screens.
Which Days Have Sailings
Filo's schedule covering late August and September shows five departures a day: 09.00, 10.30, 12.00, 14.00 and 23.59. The midday departures are the fast ship; the night one takes vehicles. Akgünler's summer pattern is similar: the fast ferry at 10.30, 12.00 and 14.30, the vehicle ferry around 23.30. Is it like this every day?
On that same Filo schedule, Saturday 29 August is marked "no sailing", because Saturday is this route's weekly gap. In summer there's a ship almost every day except Saturday; come winter, the table drops to three or four days a week. Pick your date, check the schedule, then buy your ticket. On the night ferry, the clock doesn't work the way you'd expect either.
TRNC (North Cyprus) ports are closed between 23.30 and 08.00; if the ship arrives early, it waits for opening. Although the crossing takes anywhere from five to eight hours, you won't disembark before eight in the morning — don't book a hotel on the assumption you'll "be in Kyrenia at three a.m."
Ticket Prices Are Read One-Way
Here's the surprise: the two directions of the same route don't cost the same. Filo's tariff dated 20 August 2026 reads as follows:
| Passenger type | Taşucu → Kyrenia | Kyrenia → Taşucu |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | 1,127 TL | 1,444 TL |
| Student | 1,095 TL | 1,412 TL |
| Child (ages 7-12) | 445 TL | 445 TL |
The TRNC (North Cyprus) departure tax explains the difference. For that reason, calculate a round trip by adding the two directions separately. Discounted passenger types are also defined for military personnel, veterans and press-card holders, selectable on the booking screen. The tariff above is the company's own list. The figures that appear on ticket platforms sit somewhat higher; the lowest price showing there for the coming months is 1,535 TL, with the cheapest dates in late September, early October and mid-November.
Reading the two sources together, we can say a Cyprus ferry passenger ticket settles between 1,100 and 1,700 TL depending on the season. One source adds a port fee of around 300 TL per passenger, but it's unclear whether that's included in the price — leave that much room in your budget. If you're bringing a vehicle, that's a separate calculation. A passenger car runs around 3,000-3,500 TL one way, with SUVs and campervans higher. The driver's own passenger ticket isn't included in that amount — everyone in the vehicle buys a ticket separately. The 2,517 TL that appears on some lists also comes from the vehicle line item.
Compared with Flying
What scenarios emerge when you compare Taşucu ferry prices with flying? There are two different answers depending on which month you travel. In January, an Istanbul-Ercan plane ticket drops to an average of 1,034 TL; in the same month, a passenger ticket from Taşucu to Kyrenia reaches 1,400 TL with the port fee. In winter, the maths favours the plane. For someone travelling from Istanbul, the flight is both cheaper and an hour and a half. In September, that same flight climbs to 4,599 TL while the ferry stays at 1,500 TL — in summer the gap flips. But Istanbul to Taşucu is fourteen or fifteen hours by bus, or two more hours overland if you fly to Çukurova and continue by road; the money you save turns into time spent travelling. What really makes the Cyprus ferry option sensible is bringing your own car, or living along the Mersin, Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep corridor. For a solo traveller setting out from Istanbul, the plane remains the shorter path. Our flight-ticket guide lays out which months get cheaper in a table.
Bringing Your Vehicle
Keep the registration document with you; if the vehicle is registered to someone else, a notarised power of attorney is also required. Turkish citizens can take both themselves and their car across with a chipped ID card — no passport needed; residence-permit holders and students show a passport. Your Turkish traffic insurance stops at the border, because the Green Card system doesn't cover the TRNC (North Cyprus). The same goes for comprehensive cover. You take out a policy at Kyrenia port as temporary traffic insurance specific to the island. The shortest term is one month, and the price climbs as the term lengthens. Carry your Turkish policy with you all the same.
There's also a height limit that varies by ship. On the fast and ro-pax vessels the limit is 1.90 or 2.30 metres; for an SUV with a roof box, a campervan or a high panel van, the only option is the conventional ship that sails at night. Reserving space is a seasonal business too. In summer, on public holidays and during school breaks, vehicle space should be locked in at least a week — preferably ten days — ahead. A tourist entering on an ID card can stay on the island ninety days. The same window applies to the vehicle. If there's any chance you'll stay longer, the matter falls to TRNC (North Cyprus) customs. Since entries and exits are logged, you leave with the same vehicle on the way back.
What Time to Be at the Port
Check-in opens two hours before departure — three on public holidays — and the desk closes sixty minutes before sailing. Examples of this landed on complaint sites in August 2026: passengers arriving after the desk closed weren't allowed aboard, and the ticket money wasn't refunded either. If you're crossing with a vehicle, be at the port two or three hours early for customs and passport formalities. There's no baggage weight worry as on a plane — customs exemption limits apply; cash over 10,000 euros must be declared at customs. There's no special concession for children. A chipped photo ID is required for everyone, babies included. A driving licence or an old-style ID booklet won't get you through this gate. You can also board with a passport — only then the overseas departure tax, 1,250 TL for 2026, kicks in; there's no such charge with a chipped ID card. If a sailing is cancelled for bad weather, the ticket is either fully refunded or transferred to the next departure. In winter, lightly booked sailings do sometimes get cancelled, so a day's buffer always pays off in winter plans.
Getting to the Port
Taşucu port is a hundred kilometres from Mersin — an hour to an hour and a half by road. Access is easy. Every bus leaving Mersin bus station towards Silifke passes through Taşucu, and within the district, routes 170 and 172 drop you at the "Taşucu Liman" stop. If you land at Adana or Çukurova Airport and come overland, the drive is two to two and a half hours. Kyrenia New Port is a few kilometres from the city centre; a taxi has you at your hotel in ten minutes, and shuttles aren't hard to find. In other words, the hard part isn't at sea — it's on land. The desk closes sixty minutes before departure; it's not the ship that will flex, it's your arrival time in Taşucu.
