Sights and landmarks in Nicosia

Sights and landmarks in Nicosia

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   Archangel Michael Trypiotis Church

   Orthodox church built in 1695 according to an inscription, but its icon of Archangel Michael is older. Other points of interest of this church are its beautiful 18th-century iconostasis and the relics of Saint Riginos.

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   Archbishop's Palace and St. John's Cathedral

   The residence of the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus. It's built in neo-Byzatine style and finished in 1960. Not open to the public, but viewable from the outside. Next to the palace are the old palace, as well as St. John's cathedral, the main church of Cyprus, constructed in 1662 on the site of a former Benedictine monastery. On the palace grounds are also the Byzantine museum and the National Struggle museum.

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   Bayraktar Mosque

   Built and expanded gradually during the 18th and 19th centuries, around the tomb of an unknown Ottoman flagbearer (bayraktar) who fell during the conquest of Cyprus in 1570. The mosque went through some rough times during the violent decades after World War II, being bombed three times and heavily vandalized in 1975, possibly in retribution for the Turkish invasion. Since 2003 it has been open to worshippers again.

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   Byzantine Museum

   Easily spotted thanks to the giant statue of Archbishop Makarios standing outside, has one of the world's best collections of Orthodox icons and other artworks, mostly ranging from the 9th to the 16th century.

   Mon-Fri 09:00-16:30, Sat 08:00-12:00, Sun closed·€2

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   Cyprus Folk Art Museum

   Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus

   Now housed in the old Archibiscopric Palace, the museum holds more than 5000 exhibits of folk art: clothing, tools, pottery, artwork and paintings. In the museum shop there are traditional handicraft for sale, and the museum cafe has traditional drinks and snacks.

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   Cyprus Museum (Κυπριακό Μουσείο)

   Cyprus Archaeological Museum

   Showcases the best of Cypriot archeology from the 9th millennium BCE to the end of antiquity. There is a café on the grounds.

   Tue-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-13:00, Mon closed; closed New Year's, Easter, Christmas·Free

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   Cyprus Museum of Natural History

   Museum showcasing the animal life of Cyprus and the Mediterranean, including mammals, marine life, insects and fossils. There's also an exhibition about dinosaurs, as well as mammals from North America.

   Mon-Fri 08:30-13:00·Free entrance

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   Cyprus Police Museum

   Learn more about the history of law enforcement on the island. On display are police equipment from different periods, and items and documents related to infamous crimes and 20th century conflicts. The museum was opened in 1933 in the main police station, and got its own dedicated building in 2004.

   Mon-Fri 09:00-13:00·Free entrance

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   Cyprus Postal Museum

   Presents the postal history from the Venetian era, and has a very large collection of stamps.

   Mon-Fri 09:00-15:00, Sat 09:00-13:00

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    Eleftheria Square

    This square next to the city walls has taken over Faneromeni's role; major events and rallies take place here.

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    Famagusta Gate

    Leoforos Athinon

    One of Nicosia's three old gates, it has been turned into the Lefkosia Municipal Cultural Centre, used for various exhibitions and performances.

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    Faneromeni Square

    An important historical square dating from Venetian times, and until 1974 considered the heart of the city. Faneromeni square is surrounded by historical buildings and monuments such as the Faneromeni Church, Faneromeni School, Faneromeni Library, and the Marble Mausoleum.

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    Holy Mother of God Cathedral

    Surp Asdvadzadzin Church

    To replace the main church of Nicosia's Armenian community which was left on the Turkish side, the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church was built and opened in 1981. It's the only church built in traditional Armenian style on Cyprus, and around it there are also other monuments related to the Armenian community, like the Armenian Genocide Monument, a marble khachkar (Armenian cross stone) and several statues.

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    House of the Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios

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

    Mon-Fri 08:00-14:00, Sat 09:00-13:00, Sun closed·€1

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    Ledra Observatory Museum

    Shacolas Tower Museum and Observatory

    The Shakolas (older Nicosians know it by its former name The Mangli) building sticks out like a sore thumb in the medieval old city. To reach the observatory you have to go into the Debenhams shopping complex which is right in the middle of Ledra street, a mini skyscraper of 12 floors, towers over other buildings not rising higher than 2-3 floors. On its penultimate floor you find the observatory, where it's possible “to see” the division of the island. There is a café up on the sixth floor which also has some nice views which you can enjoy should it be quiet, but usually there are paying customers sitting at the best viewpoints. Entrance to the observatory on the 11th floor is a low €2.50 so it's a must-see.

    Daily 10:00-20:00·€2.50

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    Leventis Gallery

    Cypriot and European paintings. There are temporary exhibitions, in addition to the three permanent exhibitions; the Greek, the Paris and the Cyprus collections.

    Mon 10:00-17:00, Tue closed, Wed 10:00-22:00, Thu-Sat 10:00-17:00

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    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. Voted European Museum of the Year in 1991.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-16:30·Free

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    Liberty Monument

    A monument to honour the fighters of the EOKA guerilla organization against the British colonial rule during the Cyprus emergency in the 1950s.

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    Museum of the History of Cypriot Coinage

    A numismatics museum with hundreds of coins on display, from ancient to modern spanning nearly 3,000 years of coinage history on the island.

    Mon-Fri 08:00-14:30

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    National Struggle Museum

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

    Daily 08:00-12:00·€1

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    Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre

    Housed in a converted old power station built in 1936. The building sat derelict for 20 years and reopened as a contemporary art gallery in 1994. Includes a decent cafe-restaurant with an imaginative Mediterranean menu. Winner of a 1994 Europa Nostra award.

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    Nicosia aqueduct

    Remains of an Ottoman aqueduct from the 18th century, part of the old water supply system bringing water from the mountains to Nicosia.

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    The Cyprus Classic Motorcycle Museum

    Privately owned, this is the only such museum on the island and is tucked away in the medieval city. On display are about 150 classic (mostly British) motorcycles dating from 1914 to 1983.

    Mon-Fri 09:00-13:00, 15:00-19:00, Sat 09:00-14:00

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    The Office gallery

    Modern art gallery next to the Green Zone, open during exhibitions (there are no permanent exhibitions).

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    Tower 25

    Also called the White Walls, this high-rise apartment building was finished in 2013, and in 2016 it was awarded the Best Tall Building Europe by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

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    VON World Pens Hall

    Established by an avid pen collector, Vladimiros Ouloupis Niros (V.O.N.), the museum has hundreds of pens on display, some of them dating back to the 17th century, and accesoires like inkpots, seals and stamps. There's also a reading room with rare books.

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    Ömeriye Mosque

    Open for both worshipers and visitors, Ömeriye is regarded as the most important mosque in the non-Turkish part of Cyprus. The mosque was built in 1571, when the island came under Ottoman rule after the Ottoman-Venetian War.

28. See Not mapped

    Walls of Nicosia

    The old city walls with its bastions encircle the city, both the current northern and southern part of it. Certainly the most visible attraction in the city, the walls very built in the 16th century by the Venetians.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Nicosia (CC BY-SA 4.0).