NICOSIA or LEFKOSIA is the only divided capital city in the world. Not only is there the division between Turks and Greeks - the Green Line runs bang through the middle of the Old City - but there is a split between the old and new. Where the old has narrow cobbled streets and charming whitewashed alleys, the new is one vast bowl of concrete, much of it poured post-1974. Driving in from north or from south, the scene is of new housing estates and industrial plants.
Situated in the centre of the island and the large, flat Messaoria plain, Nicosia is well off the main tourist trail. This has helped it avoid the rash excess of tourist development but has left the city dismissed as fly-blown and boring. It's true it has seen better days and Nicosia can sizzle in the summer, but it's still a lively city, with pleasant tavernas on tree-lined boulevards and an old world charm that is much in evidence around the Old City, enclosed as it is by its 16th century Venetian wall.
South of the Green Line, the wall around Plateia Eleftherias is regarded as the main centre, with several pedestrianised shopping streets and the cobbled back streets of the popular Laiki Yitonia district. Only a few visit the northern half of the city where little has changed since the Turks invaded.
There are old markets, dusty back streets where peddlers ply their wares and hammams offer public bathing. The streets of Nicosia are very safe wherever you walk, provided you keep an eye out for traffic.
Nicosia hills
Kyrenia Gate Nicosia
Nicosia street
Bombed out building
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, in 1974, followed a coup that was intended to annex the island to Greece. The invasion ended with Turkey occupying much of northern Cyprus and setting up a government that only Turkey recognizes. It is a situation that remains in plac today
Until relatively recently North Cyprus was a no-go area for tourists to the island. The situation has now improved byt the political deadlock remains unresolved. The border between north and south Cyprus now runs right through the heart of Nicosia.
A UN buffer zone, only a few yards wide, separates the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The narrow streets of the old city can end in cement walls, gun emplacements, sandbags and razor wire. There is free mobility across the divide however through border checkpoints. Armed armed guards patrol and these are still the only places you can legally cross.
Nicosia is still a fascinating city. Little visited by tourists, except those crossing to the north, it has an impressive old city encircled by an imposing city wall that is in good repair, in the south at least.
Much quieter than its noisier southern half, North Nicosia city centre offers the visitor a glimpse into the past. Here little has changed since the Turkish invasion, although new estates have sprung up lately on the outskirts. You can easily see the Old City (and there's not much else you'd want to see) in a single day and that's what most visitors do.
Although there is accommodation to be had you must check at the Ledra Palace crossing to make sure this is OK. North Nicosia is a safe city to walk around night or day. The people are very welcoming and friendly. To the north are the mountains and the huge twin flags of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus painted into the hillside along with the slogan 'Ne Mutlu Türküm Diyebilene' - 'Happy is he who can call himself a Turk'.
Venetian wall bastion
City wall and gardens
The walled ramparts that surround the city of Nicosia were originaly built by the Venetians and are now a major tourist attraction. The walls were erected to keep out the Ottoman Turks and took four years to build from 1567-1570. They weren't a fat lot of good as the Ottoman army landed at Larnaka just as they were being finished and stormed Nicosia only three months later.
The ramparts completely encircle the city and make for fine walks along several sections. They were built with 11 fortified bastions which have remained pretty well unchanged. Today the Green Line through the middle of the old city leaves five bastions in the south, another five in the north. The remaining Flatro Bastion in the east is occupied by Greek, Turk and UN forces in equal measure - such are the niceties in carving up an island.
The southern ramparts and moat are generally in very good condition. Car parks have been built below them and there are gardens and town parks which also serve as venues for concerts. The bastions in the north have, unfortunately, been left to pretty much fall apart and many are now overgrown and crumbling.
The walls used to have just three gates into the Old City but there is now access in several more places and traffic enters from all directions.
Famagusta Gate
The Famagusta Gate is the best preserved and most photographed of the old gates that once led into the city and is found in the Caraffa Bastion in the east, off Leoforos Athinas.
The impressive sloping facade leads through the wall and an imposing wooden doorway. It was renovated in 1981 and the area is now used for exhibitions and concerts. These in turn have attracted several trendy restaurants and cafes to the area.
This is also the main city bar and clubbing strip and the place lights up with neon after 10pm.
Laiki street cafe
Near the D'Avila Bastion is the Laiki Yitonia district in the revamped part of the old city. The Government expropriated a square kilometre in 1977 to preserve the old city character and support local crafts and culture.
the result is a prettified traffic-free srea, crossed by cobbled lanes are full of shops and restaurants designed to catch the upmarket tourist trade. There is a wide variety of bougainvillea-bedecked restaurants and an even wider variety of colourful but irritating touts trying to tempt you into them.
Despite this, there are not that many bars or cafes where you can sit outside in the sunshine. Nevertheless it's a very pleasant area with lots of shade and you can always stock up on free maps and guides from the nearby Cyprus Tourist Office.
View north from Ledra Museum
Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios house
The Cyprus Museum has the best collection of archeological finds on the island. The building dates from around 1880 and is frankly past its best but the collections are very impressive. The highlight is the terra cotta figures dating from the 6th and 7th centuries. There are also some very fine statues, including Aphrodite of Soli, ubiquitous on travel brochures and posters.
The Ledra Museum & Observatory sits incongruously on top of the Woolworth's department store and is the best place for panoramas of the city both north and south through powerful telescopes sited there.
The House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios is a remarkably restored mansion of a wealthy citizen around 1800. Lavish excess triggered a peasant revolt that threw him out and when he returned five years later he was beheaded for treason. One room has been restored as a living museum while the rest is given over to Ottoman antiques and memorabilia.
The Makarios Cultural Foundation houses three exhibition areas. One is the European Art Gallery with painting by Van Dyke, Rubens and Tintoretto in its collection. Nearby is the rather dull Greek Independence War Gallery with maps, documents and paintings and also the Byzantine Art Museum which has a huge collection of icons from the 5th to the 19th centuries. Also nearby is the Ethnographic Museum which has many fine examples of folk art and crafts including embroidery, clothes, pottery, paintings, leatherwork and wood carving.
Ledra Palace checkpoint
Border checkpint
Well, hardly a holiday destination but still a favourite spot for gawking tourists. The Ledra Palace Hotel crossing, the only legitimate entry point from south to north. It's not a place to dwell for long. Graffiti-daubed cement walls and posters of Greek Cypriots killed by border guards front the crossing which is about 300m long and lined with razor wire.
To the west is the bullet-pocked Ledra Palace Hotel now occupied by the UN, while east is a string of bombed out buildings. Crossing into the north is legal, though papers are inspected vigorously and south Cypriot officials will register your departure with disapproval.
The Turkish checkpoint is more informal and the guards more friendly, although passports are still rigorously studied as visitors are warned against buying alcohol or tobacco. There are many signs to warn against taking pictures but guards don't seem to mind, though it's as well to ask first unless you want your camera confiscated.
You cannot go north to south unless you are a returning visitor and you must return on the same day unless you want real problems. The Green Line divides the city east - west and there are many places where the dividing wall blocks streets and alleyways.
Selimiye Mosque
Selimiye interior
North Nicosia's most prominent landmark is the SELIMIYE MOSQUE, a strange cross between mosque and Gothic church that betrays its checkered history at the hands of religious conquerors. Work started on it in 1209 but it wasn't finished until 1326 when it was known as the Church of Agia Sofia.
It was formerly the cathedral of St. Sophia, built over the ruins of a previous building. It's architectural style in parts resembles the mediaeval cathedrals of France.
It suffered a couple of earthquakes before the Ottoman's arrived in 1570, stripped it of its treasures and built two minarets. The Gothic structure is still visible despite Islamic overlays of whitewashed walls and the ornate west front, with its three decorated doorways, is very impressive.
On the south side is a Greek church that was once used as a covered market but is now preserved as an ancient monument. The interior marble and granite columns and a vaulted room full of mediaeval tombstones, with the coats of arms of Crusader knights.
To the east is the HAYDARPASHA MOSQUE and the former 14th century Church of ST CATHERINE and now an art gallery. Especially good are the ornate carvings of gargoyles, dragons and shields on display.
Buyuk Hamman
To the south of Selimiye Mosque the famous BUYUK HAMMAN Turkish bath house. This is a favourite with male and female tourists. Entry is through a very ornate door which was once part of a 14th century church.
The bath house has been sunk below street level and you descend stone steps to get a get a refreshing steam bath and a very invigorating massage for next to nothing.
Nearby is the DERVA PASHA MUSUEM, a former mansion house built in 1807 which is now an ethnographic museum featuring household items, glassware and ceramics on the ground floor and a fine display of Turkish costumes in the rooms above. Most impressive is the splendid selamlik, or rest room, complete with squishy sofas and giant hookah.
Great Inn
To the west of the city is an example of a GREAT INN or BUYUK HAN. This is a place similar to those found in Turkey where travellers could find rooms, trade goods and socialise. This one was built in 1572 around a courtyard with nearly 70 rooms around it on two floors.
Room the upper floor were for lodging and each is fitted with a fireplace and an octagonal chimney. In the middle of the courtyard a domed octagonal miniature mosque sitting on on eight columns with a fountain beneath.
During the British rule, the Han served as a prison and later it became a builder's yard. It was extensively restored in the 10 years to 2002 and is now a thriving arts centre, with upper guest rooms and artists' studios below.
Tamassos statue
Fikardou village
Peristerona church
Many visitors stay in Nicosia and fail to explore the large and uninviting Messaoria plain which is a barren waste in the summer but very green and pleasant in winter. But it is worth taking a look. There are a few ancient sites worth visiting and some attractive churches and monasteries to visit. The villages in the Troodos foothills are a step back in time.
The best archaeological site is ANCIENT TAMASSOS, the remains of the ancient kingdom found about 17km south west of Nicosia near the village of POLITICO. Its wealth was founded on copper which was extensively mined from 600BC.
The main attraction is the tombs of two kings with walls carved to imitate wood. The treasure that was here has long since vanished and a hole in the roof of the larger tomb shows where the grave robbers got in. Six limestone sculptures - four lions and two sphinxes -were recently discovered during work on one of two 6th-century BC royal tombs. Two of the lions were life-size and complete.
About 2km south is the postcard pretty village of PERA with its winding cobbled back streets and bougainvillea-bedecked walls. The village is one of several often included in 'safari' tours of Messaoria and the Troodos mountains.
Photogenic opportunities can also be found at OROUNDA and PERISTERONA where there is a very fine church. Heading into the Troodos mountains is the area of AGIA MARINA with several well marked shady picnic spots. Another favourite is the pretty village of FIKARDOU is one of a clutch of well-preserved villages. Houses date from the Ottoman period and have splendid balconies. There is a small cafe.
There's little in the way of budget accommodation in South Nicosia. Most hotels are middle to up-market. Most mid-range hotels are in the western part of the new town and top-end options in the centre.
There are fewer places still north of the border but there are several comfortable hotels in the city centre. Most mid-range hotels are in the western part of the new town.
South Nicosia has several networks of urban buses. Most bus routes start at Solomou Square next to the Tripoli Bastion in the city centre or the terminal at the Constanza Bastion to the east. In addition Nicosia municipality runs its own free yellow buses within the city walls. Buses to other resorts are frequent and cheap but there is no public transport to the airports at Paphos or Larnaca.
There are plenty of taxi firms in South Nicosia that pick you up with a phone a call. There is also a 24-hour taxi rank at the Eleftherias Square. Taxi fares are regulated by law and drivers must use a meter. South Nicosia Service Taxis are operated by Travel Express from the Podocataro Bastion with cheap rates to other resorts.
Car hire is plentiful and parking easiest in the large pay and display car parks around most of the city bastions, with the largest and most convenient between Constanza and D'Avila bastions on Leoforus Stasinou. It's best to avoid driving between 11am and 1pm weekdays when traffic gets very heavy.
In North Nicosia there are several public buses but they mainly serve the outlying suburbs. The long-distance bus service is from Ataturk Caddesi and Kemal Asik Caddesi in the new town. Services run daily to all the major towns. Service taxis also operate from Kyrenia Gate near the bus station and destinations include Kyrenia and Famagusta.
Taxis are plentiful, especially around Kyrenia Gate. It is best to agree a fare before getting in. Taxi drivers will offer to take you on good value tours of the north. The advantage is that drivers will serve as unofficial guides as well, but check out if their English is good unless you speak Turkish yourself.
There are several car hire firms and driving is no real problem. Parking too is relatively easy unless you arrive in the city late morning on a working day.
The main shopping areas in South Nicosia are Makarios Avenue, Stasikratous Street running parallel behind it, and Ledra Street. As well as the local craft shops there are the usual international stores like Virgin and Woolworth's. Stasikratous Street is best known for expensive boutiques, shoe shops and silverware jewellery. At the end of Makarios Avenue is Eleftherias Square and the city centre.
Most of the shopping area in the old part of Nicosia is now traffic free. From Eleftherias Square the wall past the town hall leads to Eleftherias Venizelos Square, also known as Ochi Square, and a colourful open market every Wednesday
In North Nicosia the shop owners are universally friendly and welcoming and don't usually pester you when browsing. The old Belediye Pazari indoor market has plenty of fresh local produce while the new market is the place for bargain clothes, shoes and textiles.
Shops only display a small selection outside because of the heat so it's a good idea to take a look inside for the better goods. The traffic free Arasta Sokagi area is the heart of north Nicosia's shopping district.
Beautiful Cyprus is renowned for its spectacular scenery, magnificent mountain backdrops, stunning sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and superb weather all year round. Holidays to Cyprus are perfect for groups, couples or families wanting a family getaway. Whatever you are looking for in your getaway, you will no doubt find it with Cyprus holidays.
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Details in most European languages and currencies.
Most travellers to South Nicosia arrive at Larnaca International Airport to the south. British Airways and Cyprus Airways provide direct service from London to Larnaca. Cyprus Airways also runs flights from Manchester and many other European cities. KLM flies direct from Amsterdam and Swissair from Zurich. There are also several direct connections with various cities in Turkey with Turkish and Cypriot carriers.
The airport is very busy in the peak tourist season from May to November, but fairly empty the rest of the year. The airport’s single terminal has all the basic facilities with ATMs, currency exchange and three banks in the public concourse and in the Arrivals Hall. There are cafes, duty-free shopping and a post office.
There are regular bus services (No 22 and No 24) from the airport into the town centre from 6.20am to 7pm but they don't run on Saturday afternoon or on Sunday. Taxis are also always available outside the airport. A board displaying the fares to major destinations can be found in the Arrivals Hall. Shared taxi and minibus transport can also be arranged by Cyprus Airport Transfers (+357 0263 23422) or Acropolis Transport (+357 2462 2000).
There is a city airport serving North Nicosia at Ercan, about 8km to the east along a new expressway. There are now several scheduled flights to the UK as well as Turkey. There are only two airlines at the time of writing - Cyprus Turkish Airlines and Turkish airline. Cyprus Turkish Airlines runs a bus to Ercan airport from its city offices about two hours before flights are scheduled to take off.
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