Nicosia
Region: Both sides
The island's capital, a walled city on both sides of the line, where you can cross on foot in the middle of a shopping street.
Nicosia sits in the middle of the island, inside a ring of 16th-century Venetian walls with eleven heart-shaped bastions. The walled city is divided between the north and the south, and most visitors see both halves in a day: the Ledra Street crossing joins them on foot, so bring your passport or ID card.
The northern half
The Selimiye Mosque, built as the Gothic Cathedral of St Sophia in the 13th and 14th centuries, dominates the skyline with its two minarets. Nearby the Büyük Han, an Ottoman inn from 1572, has a courtyard of small craft shops and cafés, and the covered Bandabuliya market sells fruit, halloumi and sweets.
The southern half
The Cyprus Museum holds the island's most important archaeological collection, from Neolithic figures to Roman statues. Inside the walls, Laiki Geitonia's restored lanes lead to Ledra Street's shops, and the Famagusta Gate, once the main entrance to the city, is now a cultural centre.
Away from the coast
Nicosia is the place to see how Cypriots live when they are not on holiday: busy coffee shops, neighbourhood tavernas and markets. It is hot in summer and lively all year, and every part of the island is within about an hour and a half's drive.
