Nicosia

Worth seeing in and around Nicosia

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Saint Sophia Cathedral

   Selimiye Mosque, historically known as Cathedral of Saint Sophia or Ayasofya Mosque, is a former Christian cathedral converted into a mosque, in North Nicosia. It has historically been the main mosque on the island of Cyprus.

   400 m · Gothic-style mosque in Northern Cyprus · Wikipedia
2. 02
   University of Cyprus

   The University of Cyprus is a public research university established in Cyprus in 1989. It admitted its first students in 1992.

   1.8 km · university in Nicosia, Cyprus · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Cyprus Museum

   The Cyprus Museum, also known as the Cyprus Archaeological Museum, is the oldest and largest archaeological museum in Cyprus, located on Museum Street in central Nicosia. The museum is home to the most extensive collection of Cypriot antiquities in the world, and houses artifacts discovered during numerous excavations on the island.

   900 m · Archaeological museum in Cyprus · Wikipedia
4. 04
   University of Nicosia

   The University of Nicosia is a private for-profit university in Nicosia, Cyprus. In September 2007, Intercollege became the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.

   4.7 km · university · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Haydar Pasha Mosque

   Haydar Pasha Mosque, formerly St. Catherine's Church, is a historic mosque in North Nicosia.

   600 m · church · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Arabahmet Mosque

   Arab Ahmet Mosque is situated in the western Arab Ahmet Quarter of North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus. It was built in the late 16th century.

   800 m · mosque in Northern Cyprus · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Cyprus Library

   The Cyprus Library is the national library of the Republic of Cyprus. Its aim is to secure, process, and make available publications that are produced in Cyprus or have to do with Cyprus.

   500 m · national library · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Ledra Street

   Ledra Street is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus, which links Nicosia with North Nicosia, the part of the city under the control of the de facto Northern Cyprus. It is the site of the former Ledra Street barricade, across the United Nations buffer zone.

   400 m · shopping thoroughfare in Nicosia, Cyprus · Wikipedia
9. 09
   St. John Theologian's Cathedral in Nicosia

   The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the main church of the Church of Cyprus.

   300 m · main church of the Church of Cyprus · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Nicosia Atatürk Stadium

    Lefkosa Atatürk Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus. It is the largest stadium in Northern Cyprus.

    5.2 km · stadium in Northern Cyprus · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Nicosia's sights are concentrated in and around the Old City, surrounded by a picturesque star-shaped city wall whose moat has been converted into a pleasant park. Wandering around the Old City is an interesting experience in itself, although some buildings (esp. those near the Green Line) are derelict and crumbling.

1. 01
   Cyprus Museum
2. 02
   Byzantine Museum
3. 03
   National Struggle Museum

   Documents the history of the Cypriot independence movement (1955-1959), with a rather positive spin on the EOKA guerrilla movement.

4. 04
   Leventis Municipal Museum

   Housed in a converted, two-storey house since 1984 the Leventis Municipal Museum has exhibits dating from 2300 BC to the present day.

5. 05
   House of the Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios

   A beautifully restored 18th-century building now housing an ethnological museum.

6. 06
   Museum of the History of Cypriot Coinage

   Bank of Cyprus Administrative Headquarters, 51 Stasinou Str., Agia Paraskevi,.

From Wikivoyage: Nicosia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Explore the smaller city streets, small enough to easily do this on foot. Visit a traditional Cypriot cafe, and sample a Cypriot coffee. Greet the locals. Make sure you visit the Green Line and view all of the city from the Watchtower, into North and South Nicosia.

1. 01
   Hamam Omerye

   In the heart of the old town within the ancient Venetian walls.

2. 02
   K. Cineplex, 115 Makedonitissis, Strovolos,. Modern
3. 03
   Zena Palace Cinema

   One of the oldest venues, has escaped the bulldozer by a thin film.

4. 04
   Horse Racing
5. 05
   Tennis

   Cyprus plays its home Davis Cup matches at the Field Club.

From Wikivoyage: Nicosia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Traditional Cypriot cuisine is a melting pot of south European, Balkan and Middle Eastern influences. You will find most Greek, Turkish and Arabic dishes, often with a local name or twist. It is now decades since Cyprus has established itself as a tourist hotspot and as a consequence many of the local chefs have trained in Europe and elsewhere, bringing their experiences back home with them.

1. 01
   Toronto Pizza Agioi Omologites

   This one is the closest to the city centre.

2. 02
   Piatsa Gourounaki

   Greek restaurant with large servings specializing in meat dishes, but also has some vegetarian ones on the menu.

3. 03
   Cookshop

   Dishes from many European and Middle Eastern cuisines.

4. 04
   Syrian Friendship Club

   Syrian restaurant with fresh food and plentiful servings and as such good value for money.

5. 05
   Toanamma

   Greek and Cypriot cuisine; mainly different kinds of grilled meat.

From Wikivoyage: Nicosia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Nicosia

Airports

Ercan (ECN), 13 km · Larnaca (LCA), 41 km · Paphos (PFO), 95 km

• Larnaca → Nicosia

  37 km · quickest by road, 1h 2m · €4.5–6
  GuideToday
• Paphos → Nicosia

  95 km · quickest by road, 2h 54m · €15–21
  GuideToday
• Tarsus → Nicosia

  238 km · quickest by road, 7h 4m · ₺490–650
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Nicosia

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Nicosia. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Nicosia – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.