We spent two days exploring Nicosia; the capital city of both the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the last divided city in the world. You can walk between the two sectors via a crossing point in Ledra Street and admire the old town and Venetian city walls on both sides of the UN controlled border.
How to get to Nicosia
There are no commercial flights to southern Nicosia. It is possible to fly to Ercan on the northern side, but only from Turkey. We flew to Larnaca, on the south coast, hired a car and drove to Nicosia. The drive is just 29 miles and takes around an hour.
Getting around Nicosia
The narrow, cobbled streets of the old town are best explored on foot. Note: There is only one pedestrian crossing point between north and south Nicosia – in Ledra Street. If you’re using Google Maps, you are likely to get lost, as it doesn’t appear to acknowledge the above fact and sent us down several divided streets.
Where to stay in Nicosia
Nicosia isn’t very touristy, so the hotels tend to be geared more towards business travellers. We stayed at the Altius Boutique Hotel, about a mile west of the old town. The hotel’s heyday is somewhat behind it (the only certificate on display in the foyer was a Tripadvisor rating from 2015). But it was adequate for our needs with a large room plus free parking, Wifi and breakfast.
Nicosia in 2 Days Itinerary
| Drive to Nicosia Accommodation – Altius Boutique Hotel | |
| Day 1 | Green Line Ledra Street/Lokmaci Crossing Point Atatürk Myd Büyük Han Bedesten Selimiye Mosque Municipal Market Dinner at F Kelebek Papillion Venetian Walls Famagusta Gate Liberty Monument |
| Day 2 | Ledra Street Shacolas Tower Leventis Municipal Museum Eleftheria Square Dinner at the Syrian Club |
Drive to Nicosia
The drive from Larnaca to Nicosia takes less than an hour. Once you’ve reached the outskirts of town, it’s a quick blast up the A1; a motorway where the central reservation is filled with flowering shrubs.
Accommodation – Altius Boutique Hotel
The Altius Boutique Hotel is about a mile from the old town. It’s pretty basic, but clean and comfortable and has its own car park – this was as close as we could get to the old town with free parking.
Nicosia Day 1
After checking in, we take a walk round Nicosia Old Town, following the Green Line and city walls, before crossing into Northern Cyprus for more exploring, then back into the southern sector to complete our loop. Total distance; 3 miles.
Green Line
The Green Line is the exclusion zone between the two regions of Cyprus, which is controlled by the United Nations. It runs for a total of 186 miles, including right through the centre of Nicosia. You can walk along the edge of this line to see the various checkpoints, barricades and bunkers. As well as streets which are truncated by the border fortifications.
Ledra Street/Lokmaci Crossing Point
Sitting incongruously in the middle of the main shopping street, is the Ledra Street/Lokmaci Crossing Point; a pedestrian crossing point between the southern and northern sectors of the city. The crossing only takes a few minutes. You will need your passport (or ID card), but they don’t stamp it.
Atatürk Myd
The landmark Atatürk Myd is a square with a Venetian column and a fountain from the Ottoman period. On a Sunday morning, it’s packed with people drinking coffee and chatting. Opposite the square is the Supreme Court, housed in the former British Colonial court building.
Büyük Han
Büyük Han (The Old Inn) is a market in the old Caravanserai building. It is constructed around a courtyard which contains a mosque and a fountain. During British rule, Büyük Han became the city’s first prison. Today, it houses craftsmen, galleries, restaurants and cafes.
Bedesten
Bedesten is a cultural centre in the renovated former 14th Century St Nicholas Church.
Selimiye Mosque
The large Selimiye Mosque started off as a Gothic church, built very slowly by the French between 1209 and 1326. Some 200 years later, the Ottomans arrived, added a couple of minarets and converted it into a mosque. .
Municipal Market
The Municipal Market is housed in an art deco building dating back to 1932. It used to be the region’s largest market. Nowadays, it mainly caters to tourists and sells souvenirs etc. The market is closed on Sundays.
Drinks at F Kelebek Papillion
Surprisingly for a Muslim country, lots of things are shut on a Sunday, so we have to make do with a wander round, looking at some of the more interesting buildings, then settle at a table outside a touristy restaurant for glass of draft Efes beer and some dinner as we watch the world go by. There are many cafes lining the road near the crossing point. We opted for F Kelebek Papillon.
Note: The official currency in Northern Cyprus is the Turkish Lira, but shops and restaurants close the border will accept Euros.
Venetian Walls
Dating from 1567, the Venetian Walls are a circular defence system of walls, surrounded by a moat, erected by the Venetians to ward off Ottoman invaders.
Famagusta Gate
One of the three gates in the city walls is Famagusta Gate. It has a wooden door opening out to a tunnel that leads through the rampart wall.
Next to the Gate is an aqueduct built in the 18th century as part of the water supply system of Nicosia which brought water from the mountains north of the city. A stone built arched construction, it ran from Kyrenia Gate in the north to Famagusta Gate in the east. During the demolition of a private building, eleven arches of the old aqueduct were discovered.
Liberty Monument
The Liberty Monument celebrates the island’s liberation from the British. It depicts the figures of 14 freedom fighters being released from prison in 1959 alongside peasants and priests, which represent the various strata of Greek Cypriot society.
Unlike Larnaca, where it’s pretty much business as usual on a Sunday, a lot of things are closed in Nicosia on Sundays. This appears to include public toilets. Not an ideal situation for someone who just drank a pint and a half of beer!
Nicosia Day 2
Today, I spend a day in southern Nicosia, with some shopping, culture and a leisurely meal at the excellent Syrian Club. Meanwhile, the old man walks across the border and catches a bus to the coastal city of Kyrenia.
Ledra Street
As well as being the main crossing point between the north and south of the city, Ledra Street is also the main pedestrian shopping street. Nothing opens very early in Nicosia, so I end up sitting on a bench while a tramp tries to peer into my handbag and a strange man paces up and down the metre gap between my bench and the wall. Eventually, the shops open and I can purchase some gifts and souvenirs.
Shacolas Tower
Shacolas Tower was Nicosia’s tallest building when it was constructed in 1959. You can take the lift to the 11th floor where, if you’re lucky enough to find it open, you can visit an observatory and small museum. It was closed when I visited, so I just poked my camera out of the window by the lift and went on my way.
The tower is allegedly open daily from 10 am (11 am on Sunday) until 5 pm. It would appear that these times are more aspirational than actual. Entry costs €2.50.
Leventis Municipal Museum
There are a couple of options for museums in Nicosia; the Cyprus Museum, the island’s main and largest archaeological museum, which is located just to the west of the city. And the Leventis Municipal Museum. I opt for the latter, which is more centrally located and charts the history of Nicosia.
The museum is open daily except Monday from 10 am until 4.30 pm. Admission is free.
Eleftheria Square
Plateia Eleftherias (Liberty Square) was remodelled in 2021 by architect Zaha Hadid, nicknamed Queen of the Curve for her enchanting curved designs.
A curved viewpoint wraps around the edge of the old city walls and overlooks a park consisting of curved paths, benches and water features.
Dinner at the Syrian Club
For dinner, I go to the Syrian Club, which is just round the corner from our hotel. You enter via a tunnel of lights into a restaurant in a fake garden surrounded by fountains.
Most people opt for the mezze. It’s very good – the fried aubergine in pomegranate sauce is one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. There is also belly dancing. An excellent way to round off our visit to Nicosia.
- Trip taken: January 2024
- Updated: April 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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