North Nicosia (Turkish: Lefkoşa) is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia and the capital of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Culture and History

Northern Nicosia is the Turkish-occupied side of the city, containing approximately a third of the Old City. Cut off from the core of the city and a fair distance from any other population centers in the North, northern Nicosia is economically in dire straits and the city streets are visibly crumbling, with many shops shuttered for lack of custom.

Orientation

Atatürk Square, at the northern edge of the Old City, is the focal point of the city.

Travel to Nicosia (North) - Visa Requirements

Most tourists visit northern Nicosia as a daytrip from the southern side.

By car

A road connects Nicosia to Kyrenia on the northern coast.

Tours and Getting around Nicosia (North)

The Old City of north Nicosia can be comfortably covered on foot. If crossing through the checkpoint at from South Cyprus, there are taxis that can be rented by the hours or by the day to cover the Old City and surrounding areas.

Nicosia (North) tourist attractions and sightseeing

  • Selimiye Mosque (St. Sophia Cathedral). Northern Nicosia's top attraction, this fortresslike cathedral-cum-mosque was completed in 1228 and has survived a number of earthquakes since then. The cathedral was converted into a mosque in 1570 and the two minarets added at the same time are a Nicosia landmark.

Nicosia (North) city tours

Nicosia (North) souvenirs and shopping

Nicosia (North) Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Nicosia (North) nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Nicosia (North) cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

The going rate for a Pension is 30 YTL - considerably more than tourists will be used to paying on the Turkish mainland.

Contact

Tourism information may or may not be available at the tourism office on Atatürk Square.

Get out

  • Until recently, it was impossible to visit the South from the North, but controls have been relaxed recently. Now it is possible to visit the South on a day trip, provided you are an EU-Citizen. Citizens of other western nations (e.g. US, Canada, Australia) are allowed to pass by the Greek Cypriots on a case to case basis only. People from countries that need a visa for the Republic of Cyprus cannot visit the South if they entered the island via the TRNC. The main checkpoint for pedestrians is on Ledra Street.
  • The pleasant port town of Kyrenia is 20 minutes hour away by car, and St. Hilarion Castle makes an interesting detour along the way.

This page was last edited by Jani Patokallio. Based on work by Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) Episteme and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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