This article essentially describes the situation in the southern, "Greek" part of Nicosia. Information about the northern, "Turkish" part can be found in the article Nicosia / northern part.
 | ||
| Nicosia Λευκωσία Lefkosía · Lefkoşa | ||
| district | Nicosia | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 276,410 (total) 61,378 (north) | |
other value for residents on Wikidata: 330,000   | ||
| height | 148 | |
| other value for height on Wikidata: 220 m | ||
| Tourist information Tel | 90 392 2272 994 | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
| ||
Nicosia is the last two-part capital in the world. It lies roughly in the middle of the island Cyprus and is the capital of the independent Republic of cyprus, her northern part (tr. Lefkoşa) is the capital of the internationally not recognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. A few years ago it was extremely difficult to cross the border, nowadays you can easily switch between the "Greek" (they mainly speak Greek) southern part and the "Turkish" (they mainly speak Turkish) northern part of the city. All you need is the entry document (passport, identity card) that you presented to the border authorities when entering the island of Cyprus.
background
Nicosia (gr. Lefkosia), like the island, is divided into two parts. In the city center is Old Nicosia (walled city), delimited by a city wall, which is essentially a regular dodecagon. The border strip, the buffer zone (UN-administrated zone), which here in the narrow streets is often only a few meters wide. There are two crossings for pedestrians in Nicosia. One is right in the old town on the pedestrian zone 1 Ledra Street
, the other about 500 meters northwest of Old Nicosia on the former 2 Ledra Palace Hotel. The other connecting roads between north and south are blocked by blockades, which are guarded by soldiers on both sides.
In the north you can stay between 30 and 90 days (according to the stamp). When returning to the south, goods worth a maximum of € 260 may be brought with you. Bringing alcohol is limited to 1 liter and 40 for cigarettes, although real controls are rare on obvious tourists.
getting there
By plane
Nicosia Airport has been closed since 1974. The nearest airport is 50 km to the south-east Larnaca. From there you can quickly get to Nicosia via the motorway.
The northern part of the city is about that Ercan airport to reach, about 10 km to the east.
By bus
From the other big cities in the Greek part (Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca) there are overland buses to Nicosia. These are green and have the name Intercity bus (www.intercity-buses.com). Tickets can be obtained directly from the driver. A day ticket return ticket is cheaper than two single journeys.
In the street
From the south you can take the highway from Nicosia Larnaca in about 45 minutes and from Limassol reach in about 1 hour. The new expressway B9 leads in a south-westerly direction to Troodos Mountains with the highest mountain on the island, Olympus, and then continues as the B8 Limassol. In the northern Turkish part of the island, highways lead north from Nicosia Kyrenia / Girne, east towards Famagusta / Gazimagusa as well as heading west Morphou / Güzelyurt.
By boat
Only the port of Limassol can be reached by ship. From there it takes about 40 minutes by car / taxi.
mobility
Dynamic cardsThe municipal office of South Nicosia is pretty hidden in a back alley Ledra Str. wedged between souvenir shops.
The sights of Nicosia can be easily reached on foot. Otherwise you can use the city bus system OSEL use or use taxis. The 1 central transfer point in the Greek part is Solomos Square.
Tourist Attractions
Churches
Many Greek Orthodox churches are closed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- 1 St. John's Cathedral: In front of it a white marble bust of Makarios III.
- 2 Agios Savvas
Buildings
- 3 Bishop's Palace with statue of Makarios III., at St. John's Cathedral.
Monuments
- There are many monuments. But they mostly show heroes of the EOKA from the independence and civil wars and are mostly of no interest to tourists. It is worth mentioning because of its size 4 Liberation Monument, it says on the Podcataro bastion
Museums
- 5 Leventis City Museum (Λεβέντιο Μουσείο) (Leventio Museum), Hippocratous, Nicosia.
Two buildings close together. - 6 Postal Museum, Ayiou Savva 3Β. A house consisting of only three rooms that exhibits postage stamps and numerous old items from the postal service. In its somewhat chaotic way a charming jewel, not only for stamp collectors, which is definitely worth the detour in the city center. Essentially a one-man business run by a pensioner who is also active in the local philatelic association and also sells brands.Open: Mon.-Fri. 9.00-15.00, Sat. 9.00-13.00.Price: free.
- 7 Motorcycle museum, Ρανικού 44. Tel.: 357 22 680222. About 150 old motorcycles are shown.Open: from 9.00 a.m.
- 10 Cyprus Museum (Κυπριακό Μουσείο), Museum 1. Tel.: 357 22 865854. Just outside the city walls, between the bus station and the House of Representatives. Focus on art and archeology of the classical period.Open: from 8.00 a.m.
Parks
- Athalassa Park, on the southern edge of the city.
- Strovolos promenade, along the Strovolos River.
various
- Green Line
shop
In the southern part of the old town there are two main shopping streets, Ledra Street and Makarios. The shops essentially correspond to the branch companies customary in a European city center. Smaller, family-run shops are more likely to be found in the side streets. Larger department stores are Marks & Spencer in Strovolos and Debenhams on Ledra Street.
If you cross the border into the northern part, there are shops lined up directly behind it that offer large quantities of clothing and shoes in particular. As in some places in Turkey, you will find a wide range of "branded products" here, especially aimed at tourists.
Large supermarkets are something relatively new in Cyprus. There are three branches in Nicosia: two branches of the alpha mega chain in Strovolos and Engkomi (next to the Hilton Park) and the largest of the three, the Orphanides supermarket on the Troodos ring road in the south of the city.
The big shops are mostly open Mon-Sat 8 am-8pm. Wednesday afternoons are closed. In the summer there is a lunch break from around 1 pm to 4 pm, but it is open until 10 pm.
The so-called are also interesting Periptero (gr. Περιπτερο), small shops with a limited supply that can be found on almost every corner and are open 24 hours.
kitchen
Cheap
medium
Upscale
nightlife
accommodation
medium
- 1 Centrum Hotel, 15 Pasikratous street (Eleftherias Square). Tel.: 357 22 456 444. The restaurant belongs to the hotel Byzantino.
Upscale
There are three major hotels in South Nicosia:
Learn
There are three major educational institutions in South Nicosia:
Work
Since Cyprus joined the EU, it has been possible for EU citizens to take up work without any problems. However, the job offers are not too numerous.
security
Nicosia is generally a very safe city. You should be careful at night near the Green Line and when visiting some clubs and "cabarets."
health
There are no particular health risks in Nicosia. If you have a sensitive stomach, you should resort to bottled water. Dilapidated houses near the Green Line one should not enter the old town; there is a risk of collapse.
Practical advice
In general, the Cypriots are very friendly. Avoid too openly taking sides with either of the two ethnic groups. In the south it was not a good idea to advertise that you were in the north. However, the situation has eased over the last decade.
- 6 Post office, (Konstantinou Palaiologou. On the outskirts of the Greek old town, easy to find.Open: 9 am-3pm.Price: 2015: letter / postcard to Europe € 0.64).
Cell phones are very common in Cyprus. The reception is very good in Nicosia. It should be noted that SIM cards from the south will not work in the north. Roaming with German cards is significantly cheaper in the Greek part of the city than in the Turkish part due to the legal EU price caps.[1] There are still a few card phone booths in the inner city area.
During the winter months, different zone times apply in the north and south of Nicosia. In Northern Cyprus there is no change between summer and winter time, the clocks go one hour ahead of Eastern European (winter) time all year round (CET 2h, in the south, on the other hand, CET 1h). When it is 12 o'clock in the south, the clocks in the north are already 1 o'clock. During summer time, however, the same time applies in the entire city (as everywhere in Cyprus), namely Eastern European Summer Time (i.e. CEST 1h).
trips
Public transport in Cyprus is quite limited. From the square in front of the Ledra Street Buses run to the surrounding villages and towns at long intervals. For tourists living in Nicosia, however, these are usually not so suitable, as the connections to the surrounding area in particular go into Nicosia in the morning and out again in the evening.
Otherwise there are taxis that run at affordable prices. The trip from Nicosia to the airport costs between 50-60 euros. During the day you can, if you are lucky, catch a shared taxi, but you have to rely on the normal taxi to get to the airport. Rental cars are the main means of transport for tourists and indispensable for someone who wants to see several cities in Cyprus.
literature
Web links
- http://www.nicosia.org.cy/ (el) - Official website of Nicosia
Individual proof
- ↑Price example Nov. 2015: in the Turkish part of the city € 1.29 per minute outgoing, 0.69 incoming, 0.39 per SMS, in contrast in the Greek part € 0.22 per minute outgoing, 0.05 per incoming call minute, 0.07 per SMS.
