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Nicosia Travel Guide

Nicosia (Lefkosia (Λευκωσία) in Greek, Lefkoşa (Lefkosha) in Turkish) is the centrally located capital of Cyprus and by far the largest city on the island. It also acts as a separate administrative capital for the Nicosia district. The municipality of Nicosia only governs the central portion, however the city now sprawls for several kilometers and has engulfed several surrounding villages and settlements. Its population hovers around the 250,000 mark (a third of the total population of Cyprus) but the city has a feel of one much larger. It is the administrative and financial hub of the island as well as home to several universities, colleges and other educational establishments. It also hosts most foreign embassies and offshore companies (a big industry in Cyprus nowadays). Along with its international students and foreign workers it has developed a truly cosmopolitan feel.

Nicosia is the world's last divided capital. The barbed wire and guardtowers of the Green Line cut the town in two, with the northern side being the capital of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the southern half being the capital of the Republic of Cyprus.

Politics aside, Nicosia is a little short on both the archaeological treasure troves and beaches with pulsating nightlife that bring most visitors to Cyprus. But the Old City with its museums and churches is pleasant enough, and precisely due to the comparative lack of tourists, the city retains more of an authentically Cypriot air than the resorts of the southern coast. Fantastic little cafes are open to invite you in for a Cypriot coffee, so just walk around and see the many woodworking shops that are deep within the City, and take a walk down to the Green Line, the boundary that now divides North from South. Being the financial and administrative centre of the island, it is by far the best place for shopaholics.

More information on Nicosia travel at Wikitravel.org

Things To Do and See in Nicosia

Cyprus Museum, Nicosia
Attraction type: History museum

Ayios Ioannis, Nicosia
Attraction type: Religious site

Ethnographic Museum, Nicosia
Attraction type: Specialty museum

Turkish Ethnographical Museum, Nicosia
Attraction type: Specialty museum; History museum

Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, Nicosia
Attraction type: Museum

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