NICOSIA Economic Travel Guide
The Capital Divided in Two by the Green Line..
Cyprus = entertainment island.. Because when Cyprus is mentioned, entertainment is the first thing that comes to mind… But Cyprus also carries the weight of a great history on its shoulders.. This beautiful island in the calm waters of the Mediterranean greets you with its historical heritage, cheerful people and cultural mix…
Lefkosia (Nicosia), the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is also is the biggest. Another feature of Nicosia is that it is the only capital in the world divided into two.. Because the northern part of Cyprus belongs to the Turks, the southern part belongs to the Greeks.. The Green Line between these two countries belongs to the United Nations.
Nicosia is of great importance in terms of its location, but it actually has a small settlement in terms of land.. So, we have prepared a route for our Cyprus trip, where we will spend half a day in Nicosia and go down the Beşparmak Mountains towards Kyrenia.. Click to read our Girne Travel article
TRANSPORTATION TO NICOSIA: HOW TO GET TO NICOSIA?
By Airplane: There is only 1 airport in Northern Cyprus; Ercan Airport in Nicosia (Nicosia). There are other direct flights from Istanbul. Or there are direct flights from another province of Turkey.. Thus, you will see two countries and at least two cities… It is announced to economic travelers.
To reach the city center of Nicosia, which is 24 km from Ercan Airport;
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- Airport shuttle: You can use shuttle to go to Ercan Airport-Nicosia city center named KIBHAS.
- Car Rental: To go from Ercan Airport to Nicosia, you can rent a car from the airport. You can handle the car rental business before you even start your trip, which we actually recommend.. You can find vehicles suitable for your budget on the website www.discovercars.com. You pay an amount during the rental and pay the rest when you receive the vehicle.. We recommend that only those who will rent a car pay attention to the fact that the traffic flows in the opposite lane and they have to strictly obey the speed rules.
- Taxi transportation is possible. Almost all taxis are Mercedes, but keep in mind that taxi prices are a bit more expensive than renting a car.
- You can choose public transport. Click for bus times
By Ferry: You can reach Cyprus by ferry from Mersin and Alanya, which are the closest provinces to Cyprus.
NICOSIA CITY TRANSPORTATION
You can provide Nicosia city transportation by taxi, car rental or bus. You can view the bus schedules here.. For a touristic trip, you can easily complete the must-see places in Nicosia on foot.. In addition, comfortable minibuses called kombos provide transportation in Nicosia.
ACCOMMODATION IN NICOSIA: WHERE TO STAY IN NICOSIA?
For accommodation in Nicosia, Golden Tulip Nicosia Hotel and Casino is located around Nicosia Old City or at the beginning of Dereboyu Caddesi (Mehmet Akif Caddesi). You can choose. As an alternative to hotels, you can choose to rent a house on airbnb.com, or for places with lower budgets, on the website of booking.com, by sorting the options according to price ranges.
ABSOLUTELY TO DO IN NICOSIA
- Walking on Dereboyu Caddesi
- Cycling the Nicosia Suriçi area and the Old City Center
- hanging out at the new venues opened at Lokmacı Barricade
- Walking around the Arab Ahmed district and Samanbahçe Houses
WHAT TO EAT IN NICOSIA? WHAT TO DRINK?
You can taste Turkish cuisine in Nicosia. Even if you say you already know, our recommendations for places you should definitely go when you feel the need to eat are;
- Old Mosaic Restaurant within walking distance of Bedesten. Address
- We strongly recommend you to eat Piruhi, or Cypriot ravioli, at Sedirhan Restaurant in Büyük Han.
- You can drink Sangria at Sabor, regardless of how expensive it is.
- Uray You can try an English-style bean hot dog at Canteen on Sokak.
Also, Dereboyu Caddesi (Mehmet Akif Caddesi) is a street where you will have various restaurant and cafe options.
SHOPPING IN NICOSIA
The most famous street of Nicosia, Dereboyu, that is, Mehmet Akif Street, is a popular destination for both Nicosia residents and tourists with its shopping and dining options. point of interest.
You can also buy local baskets or souvenirs from the part of Istanbul that you will see as the Municipal Market (or Bandabuliya), which resembles the Grand Bazaar. The side streets stretching from the Büyük Han to the barricade area are also quite full in terms of both small shops and drinking options.
You will see that those who shop in Nicosia have Greek neighbors who eat cheaply in places with bags in their hands.. It is impossible not to sigh when you see the Greek neighbors waving their arms, walking through the border gate and unfortunately doing a lot of shopping with their precious three or five euros right now!
NICOSIA CITY TOUR
The walking route we created for our Nicosia travel guide is approximately 4-5 km and 1 km in a full circle, which we can continue to circle around and you will complete with pleasure. it will take hours..
You can find the list and locations of all touristic places that are not on the route above but to be seen in Nicosia city center here.
List of places to see in Nicosia: Barbarism Museum, Kyrenia Gate (Kyrenia Gate), Venetian Column (Venice Column), Sarayönü Mosque (Sarayönü Mosque), Derviş Pasha Ethnography Museum and Mansion (Dervis Pasha Etnography Museum and House), EVKAF, Büyük Hamam, Büyük Han, Kumarcılar Han, Selimiye Mosque ( St.. Sophia Cathedral), Bedesten (St.. Nicholas Church), Bandabuliya (Municipal Market, Old Market), Eaves House, New Mosque, Lusignan House, Alparslan Türkeş Museum House, Haydarpaşa Mosque, Green Line, Arab Ahmed and Samanbahçe. Let’s take a look at the places we wrote about one by one..
- Dereboyu Caddesi (Mehmet Akif Caddesi): Besides the restaurant, cafe, and shopping mall on the street, the most important and must-see place is the Museum of Barbarism.. If we say that this street is the most important street of Nicosia, it is the place.. In parallel, there are the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TRNC Ministry of Internal Affairs.
We turn our route towards the border and enter the old city center through the old city gate of Nicosia.. If you wish, you can leave your vehicle in a suitable parking area at this point and walk around the side streets comfortably.. Parking fees are very affordable and the streets are too narrow to drive around.. (We paid 10 TL during the day -October 2021- at the time we went)
- Kyrenia Gate: The structure built by the Venetians in 1567 was the castle gate where the entrances to the city of Nicosia were made at the time of the Venetians. It served as an observation tower during the Greek revolt during the Ottoman Empire.. Although it is the Castle Gate, the walls on both sides of it were demolished because British double-decker buses could not pass.
- When you continue along Kyrenia Street, you will see the Mevlevi Tekke Museum on the road.
- Samanbahçe houses on the left are important and worth seeing as the first mass housing example built by the Ottomans.
- Venice Column (Venice Column): Constructed by the Venetians in 1550, the column is located in Atatürk Square.
- Sarayönü Mosque (Sarayönü Mosque): It was built in the original Ottoman architectural style. After the earthquake of the early 1900s, it was rebuilt in the Andalusian style by a British architect. It has been used as a marriage ceremony since 2005.
- Arab Ahmed Mosque: It was built in 1845 in the neighborhood of the same name, in the name of Arabahmet Pasha, who participated in the conquest of Cyprus, was the Governor of Cyprus and was among the first foundation founders.
- Dervis Pasha Etnography Museum and Mansion
We continue on our route, passing first the EVKAF, the State Capital Building, and then the Great Bath.
- Great Han: The inn built by the Ottomans, 1. There are local restaurants and cafes on the ground floor.. 2nd. On the ground floor, there are art shops.. Kumarcılar Han, located right next to it, is 17.. It was built on the ruins of the Middle Ages towards the end of the century and is a typical example of the inner city commercial inns of the Ottoman period.
- Selimiye Mosque (St.. Sophia Cathedral): An old gothic mosque.
- House with Eaves: It was developed during the Ottoman and British colonial period by utilizing the remains of a structure built in the Middle Ages; This house, which has the characteristics of Ottoman residential architecture in terms of plan, construction technique and material features, is used as a Culture and Art Center.
- Bedesten (St.. Nicholas Church): The old Byzantine church was converted into a covered bazaar under Ottoman auspices.. Renovated by the European Union fund.
- Bandabuliya (Municipal Market, Old Market): The covered municipal market was the most important market during the Ottoman period. Usually vegetables and meat are sold.
- We complete our route with Yeni Mosque, Lusignan House, Alparslan Türkeş Museum House, Haydarpaşa Mosque.
Municipal Market When you exit through the gate of , you will see the Green Line, which is the border between Turkey and Greece.
ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHT LIFE IN NICOSIA
Night in Nicosia We strongly recommend that you do not enter anywhere that says club! Especially in Nicosia, there is a sex trade in the name of nightlife! In other words, they take you from Ercan Airport and take you to the nightclub, and there are options such as free accommodation.. That’s why you should have a coffee, eat dinner, never go to the nightlife in Nicosia Old City Center
NICOSIA OTHER PLACES TO VISIT NEARBY: ALTERNATIVE TOURS
Even if you have a Schengen visa, you cannot walk from Nicosia to the Greek part. To come here, you have to go to Southern Cyprus via Greece. There is no need to wonder, though, because on the other side of the barricade, the same streets, similar shops and people with two legs and two arms just like us live
When you go directly to Kyrenia, another great city of TRNC to see from Nicosia, it is about halfway it takes hours. But if you have rented a car on this trip, we recommend you to travel to Kyrenia with two different routes; you can reach. Click for the route.
2- You can reach Kyrenia by circumnavigating the Karpaz Peninsula in the direction of Closed Maras, Famagusta from the right of Nicosia. Click for the route.You can also read our article “From Karpaz Peninsula to Zafer Point” for places to visit on this route, accommodation suggestions and trip details by clicking here.
NICOSIA TRAVEL NOTES:
- Museums in Nicosia are open from 10:00 to 15:00, closed on weekends. So, start the day early and try to coincide with your museum visits between this time.
- Combos, the name given to minibuses.
- Stay away from nightlife
- Before traveling to Cyprus “ You can read our article “Attention North Cyprus Travelers” by clicking here.
RESOURCES
- http://welcometonorthcyprus.co.uk/
- https://www.lefkosabelediyesi.org/