Nicosia: a first-timer's guide to Cyprus's capital

Why go

Most visitors to Cyprus stay on the coast, so Nicosia feels refreshingly local. Students, civil servants and families fill its cafés, and the old town is a compact maze of lanes, churches, mosques, workshops and courtyard restaurants. It is also the place to understand Cyprus today. Since 1974 the island has been divided, and in Nicosia you see that history up close: sandbagged lookout posts, shuttered streets in the buffer zone, and then, a few steps away, ordinary life carrying on on both sides.

The south side

Start on **Ledra Street**, the main pedestrian shopping street, and the **Laiki Geitonia** quarter of restored houses and tavernas near Eleftheria Square, whose modern redesign by Zaha Hadid sits on the Venetian moat. The **Cyprus Museum** is the most important archaeological museum on the island, with Bronze Age figurines, the terracotta army of Agia Irini and statues from Salamis. **Saint John's Cathedral** has vivid eighteenth century frescoes, and the **Archbishop's Palace** sits next to it. The **Leventis Municipal Museum** tells the city's story well, and the **Shacolas Tower** observatory gives a view over both halves of the city. The **House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios**, an Ottoman era mansion, is a lovely small museum.

Crossing to the north

The **Ledra Street crossing** is open around the clock for pedestrians. Show your passport at both checkpoints and you are in the north within minutes. Highlights there are the **Selimiye Mosque**, a Gothic cathedral turned mosque, the **Büyük Han**, a sixteenth century caravanserai with craft shops and cafés, and the covered **Bandabulya** market. Prices in the north are mostly in Turkish lira, though euros are widely taken. Before crossing, read current government travel advice and check that your travel insurance covers the north, as some policies do not.

Food and coffee

Nicosia eats well. Try a long meze in a traditional taverna, souvlaki and sheftalia from a grill, or loukoumades, honey soaked doughnuts, from a street stall. On the north side, look for lahmacun, kebabs and Turkish coffee in the han courtyard. The café scene along **Makariou Avenue** and around **Onasagorou Street** in the old town is busy from morning to midnight; order a frappé or a Cyprus coffee and settle in.

Where to stay

Stay inside or just outside the walls to walk everywhere. The old town has a few boutique hotels in restored buildings, while the modern centre around Makariou Avenue has larger business hotels. Nicosia has fewer hotels than the coast, so book ahead for weekdays when conferences and government visitors fill rooms.

Getting there and around

Shuttle buses and intercity buses link Nicosia with Larnaca airport and every main town. Inside the walls, walking is the best way to get around, and the whole old town can be crossed in twenty minutes. City buses and taxis cover the rest. Summer afternoons regularly pass forty degrees, so plan sightseeing for mornings and evenings and rest at midday as locals do.

How long to stay

Many people visit Nicosia as a day trip from Larnaca or Limassol, which works well for the main sights. Spend a night if you want to cross to the north at a relaxed pace, enjoy the evening café scene and visit the museums without rushing. Plan your route with the free trip planner and browse the places to visit list for cafés and tavernas.