NicosiaCapital
Cyprus · Country profile
Nicosia is the ancient, divided capital of Cyprus, the last divided capital of Europe and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the island, set in the fertile plain of the Mesoria at the heart of the Mediterranean country. Enclosed within its great Venetian walls, the old city of the Nicosia holds the layers of the Byzantine, the Lusignan, the Venetian and the Ottoman centuries around its narrow lanes, its churches, its mosques and its caravanserais, while the modern capital spreads its business districts, its museums and its green suburbs across the surrounding plain. The city has been divided since the wars of the 1970s, with the historic heart split between the two halves of the island through the buffer zone of the border, and the crossings of the centre give the visitor the extraordinary experience of the divided capital. Old, beautiful and charged with its unresolved history, Nicosia is the complex heart of the island of the Aphrodite.
About Nicosia
Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus. The city's documented population is around 328,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Euro (EUR) and Greek and Turkish are spoken; the dialling code is +357.
The Walls of the Venetian and the Gates of the Town
Nicosia is a compact, walkable capital where the essential circuit moves between the old city within its walls and the modern centre beyond them, with the museums, the bazaars and the churches and mosques of the historic lanes anchoring the days. The great Venetian walls with their heart-shaped bastions, the museum of the island with its incomparable antiquities, and the caravanserais and the markets of the old city frame the classic visits, while the crossing points of the divide, passing through the buffer zone into the northern quarter, give the unique divided-city experience. The shopping streets, the restaurants and the cafes of the modern town, and the villages and the mountains of the near interior, complete the full circuit of the Mediterranean capital.
The Museum of the Island and the Heritage of the Metropolis
The climate of the capital is the warm Mediterranean, with the hot, dry summers, the mild, wet winters and the long sun-filled spring and autumn seasons, each pleasant in its way for the walking of the old town. The euro is the currency of the capital, with the Greek and the Turkish the languages of the two halves and the English widely spoken across the city. The old city, the walls and the museum make the core circuit, and the crossings of the divide require their identity documents. Light clothing for the summer, a light jacket for the winter and comfortable walking shoes for the old lanes complete the easy preparation for the divided capital.
The Crossing of the Divide and the Quarters of the North
The great Venetian walls of the capital, the perfect star-shaped fortification with its eleven heart-shaped bastions that the Venetian rulers completed in the sixteenth century, survive intact around the old city and rank among the finest such fortifications of the Mediterranean, and the old town within them, with its grid of the medieval lanes, its copper-roofed churches and its minareted mosques of the Ottoman age, preserves the historic layering of the many empires of the island. The museum of the island, housed in the grand colonial building of the capital, guards the extraordinary antiquities of the whole of Cyprus, including the celebrated goddess figurines of the prehistoric age, while the crossing of the divide, the passage through the border zone into the northern half with its own bazaar and its fortress of the walls, completes the unique, poignant experience of the last divided capital of Europe.
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- Country
- Cyprus
- Population
- 328,000
- Capital
- Nicosia
- Region
- Asia
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Languages
- Greek, Turkish
- Calling code
- +357
- Country code
- CY
Entry requirements for Cyprus
Visa status for travellers from common origins visiting Cyprus for tourism.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nicosia the capital of Cyprus?
Yes — Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus.
What currency do I need in Nicosia?
The local currency is the Euro (EUR). Languages spoken in Cyprus include Greek and Turkish.
What is the dialling code for Cyprus?
The international dialling code for Cyprus is +357.
Do I need a visa to visit Cyprus?
It depends on your passport. Among the origins we track, travellers from Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda and Argentina currently enter Cyprus visa-free for tourism. Use the entry requirements tool to check your own nationality and purpose of travel.
Flying out of Nicosia? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.