South Nicosia: the old city, museums and the Ledra Street crossing
Last verified 19 October 2026
South of the Green Line. Greek: Lefkosia. Turkish: Lefkoşa.
Nicosia is the last divided capital in Europe. The Green Line runs straight through the old walled city, and in practice it works as two cities side by side, which is how we cover it. This page is the southern half, South Nicosia (Lefkosia in Greek, Lefkoşa in Turkish), the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. Its northern counterpart is North Nicosia, and most visitors see both in the same day.
Nicosia is inland and gets hot. In July and August temperatures regularly pass 40 degrees, so walk the old city in the morning or the evening.
The walled city
The old city sits inside a ring of 16th century Venetian walls, with eleven arrowhead bastions and a moat now turned into gardens, sports pitches and car parks. You can walk round much of the southern half of the circuit.
Eleftheria Square. The main gateway into the old city from the modern centre, redesigned by Zaha Hadid Architects and finished in 2021. It opened up a stretch of the moat as a green walkway and is the obvious place to start.
Ledra Street. The main shopping street of the old city runs north from Eleftheria Square straight to the Green Line, where it meets the Ledra Street crossing into North Nicosia.
Laiki Geitonia. A small pedestrianised quarter of restored 18th century houses just east of Eleftheria Square, with craft shops and the Leventis Municipal Museum.
Famagusta Gate. The grandest of the Venetian gates, on the eastern side of the walls, renovated for the Cyprus EU Council Presidency in 2026. It has long been used as a cultural venue, so check what is on.
Museums
Cyprus Museum. The island’s main archaeological museum, just outside the walls, covering everything from the Neolithic to the Roman period. Its main exhibition was upgraded in early 2026, and a new national archaeological museum is being built nearby, expected to open around 2029. Closed on Mondays. Sources disagree on whether there is now an entry charge, so allow for one.
Byzantine Museum. In the Archbishopric, reopened after renovation in March 2025, with one of the most important collections of icons on the island. Open Tuesday to Saturday, entry €7.
Leventis Municipal Museum. The story of Nicosia from prehistory to the present day, in Laiki Geitonia. Free, closed on Mondays.
Shacolas Tower. A department store building on Ledra Street with an observatory on the 11th floor, for a view across both halves of the city and the Green Line to the Kyrenia mountains beyond.
Crossing to the north
Two crossings in the old city are for pedestrians only. Ledra Street (Lokmacı on the northern side) is the busy one, in the heart of the shopping streets, and the one most visitors use. Ledra Palace, on the western edge of the walls by the old hotel of the same name, is quieter. Bring a passport or ID card. Our guide to the crossing points covers the rules, what you can bring back, and the crossings for cars.
Getting there
South Nicosia is about 45 minutes by road from Larnaca airport and an hour and a half from Paphos. Intercity buses connect it with every main town in the south, and stop on the edge of the old city walls.