Nicosia

Getting to Nicosia

Nicosia International Airport (NIC IATA) has been closed off since the partition of the country.

1. 01
   Larnaca Airport
2. 02
   Paphos Airport

Worth seeing

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,.

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.

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.

Getting around Nicosia the local way