Nicosia offers several clearly distinct highlights for a cultural trip: the walled Old Town, historic houses, diverse museum collections and two weekly open-air markets. There is also the cycle path in Pedhieos River Linear Park. You can plan your stay around architecture, art and history or a cycling stage, without combining the different themes into a single route.
Old Town, neighbourhoods and walls
Laiki Geitonia is a pedestrian area within the city walls. The neighbourhood includes restored houses, 18th-century buildings, homes, art shops and tavernas. The Old Town is therefore defined not only by historic buildings: residential life and commerce are also part of the neighbourhood.
A characteristic example of urban architecture is the Archontiko of Axiothea, an 18th-century mansion in the Old Town. Nicosia’s medieval walls enclose eleven heart-shaped bastions and an 80-metre-wide moat. This fortification adds another dimension to the city’s history, alongside its individual houses and neighbourhoods.
Museums with diverse collections
The permanent exhibition at the Leventis Municipal Museum includes objects from the region and the ancient city, dating from 3900 BC to AD 325. Other galleries focus on the Byzantine and medieval, Venetian, Ottoman and British periods. The thematic range therefore extends from the earliest objects mentioned through several later periods. The museum also organises educational programmes, guided tours and other events.
The Byzantine Museum in the walled Old Town displays more than 200 icons dating from the 9th to the 19th century. Its collections also include sacred vessels, vestments and books. The icons span a broad period, while the vessels, textiles and books add other forms of sacred art to the collection.
The museums of the Pancyprian Gymnasium are located in the historic centre. The Pancyprian Gymnasium is Cyprus’s oldest secondary school. Its archaeological and numismatic collections, along with its collections of old maps and weapons, offer different ways to explore history and objects. Most of the exhibits have a connection to Cyprus.
The Cyprus Folk Art Museum was founded in 1937 by members of the Society of Cypriot Studies and is housed in the old Archbishop’s Palace. Its collections include basketry, leatherwork and naïve painting, as well as agricultural implements and weaving tools. Alongside the historical and sacred collections of the other museums, it offers an additional perspective on crafts and everyday objects.
Market days and cycle path
Two open-air markets are held every week at the Constanza car park, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Market hours may change, so check them before your visit. The two days of the week provide a clear point of reference for planning, while you can choose the other highlights to suit your interests.
The cycle path in Pedhieos River Linear Park starts at the bridge south of the Presidential Palace and ends at the old General Hospital. Along the way, it passes the traditional centre of Ayion Omoloyiton and leads to the park opposite the Church of St John the Baptist near Giorkeio. This clearly identifies the route’s start and endpoint, as well as several named landmarks along the way. Check current path conditions locally.
A house with a cultural purpose
The Archontiko of Axiothea brings together two aspects in the description of the site: it is considered a characteristic example of urban architecture and serves as a centre for cultural activities, exhibitions and literary seminars at the University of Cyprus. This use distinguishes the house from museums, whose focus is on collections. When choosing your interests, you can therefore consider historic architecture and cultural activities as distinct, yet equally concrete, aspects of Nicosia.
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For the main travel overview: Nicosia.
