© Lonely Planet Publications LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA) 55 www.lonelyplanet.com LEFKOSIA (SOUTH ) •• History 56

Lefkosia (South Nicosia) HISTORY now numerous from the Established in the middle of the wide Mesa- northern side of the city come to work in the oria plain on the Pedieos River for defence southern side of the capital. Many protests Λευκωσία Lefkoşa purposes, Lefkosia has always been the take place in Lefkosia for the abolishment country’s capital. The city was originally of the Green Line and the buffer zone, but known as Ledra, the name kept by one of its so far to no avail. major streets, and grew extensively during

LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) LEFKOSIA the Byzantine period. The Venetians, who ORIENTATION If you get tired of the coast’s lazy, beach-bum lifestyle, and even if you don’t, make sure briefly held Lefkosia from 1489, built the The most interesting part of the city for visit- you spend some time in the country’s capital, known officially (and to Greek speakers) as stone defensive walls around the city. But ors is the Old City, inside the 16th-century Lefkosia. The city been labelled with the beaten cliché of ‘the last divided capital’, a reality these did little to keep the Ottomans out in Venetian walls. Reduced in height and dis- that, although still present, is slowly changing thanks to 24-hour checkpoint crossing into its 1570. Life in Lefkosia under the Ottomans sected by wide thoroughfares, the walls are saw little growth, and only when the British hardly visible in places. The town centre is northern half. Clichés aside, Lefkosia (population 213,500) is an attractive, enticing city and the took control in 1878 did the city begin to Plateia Eleftherias on the southwestern edge country’s cultural heart; it’s ideal for experiencing what modern is all about. There are spread beyond its walls. of the walls. Fireworks are held here on New great restaurants here, from dark taverns with dancing families and bouzouki players beside Violence inspired by the Ethniki Organosi Year’s Eve. The UN crossover point (the Ledra metres of meze, to ultramodern, fashionable joints, where young Cypriots twitch to the sounds tou Kypriakou Agona (EOKA; National Or- Palace Hotel crossing) is at the far west, and ganisation for the Cypriot Struggle) against Gate is near the Caraffa Bastion to of electronic music. The country’s best museum is here, with its extensive archaeological the British in the 1950s and then the Turkish the east. At the base of the walls there are car collection. The long, glitzy stretch of Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou III (Makarios Ave) is Cypriots in the ’60s saw considerable carn- parks and municipal gardens. See p174 for a consumer’s heaven, with chain, designer and local shops displaying goods not for the age on the streets of Lefkosia. Intercommu- orientation tips on that half of the city. thrifty-hearted. The Old City with its curious shape that’s been likened to a snowflake or a nal disturbances between Greek and Turkish The New City sprawls outwards south hand grenade is a labyrinth of narrow streets, teeming during the day and ghostly at night. Cypriots in 1963 brought a de facto parti- of the Venetian walls, and its main artery is tion of the city. The so-called ‘Green Line’ the modern Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Maka- It hides churches, mosques and beautiful, often dilapidated colonial houses. came into being at this time when the Brit- riou III (Makarios Ave) where dozens of ish military defined the Greek and Turkish cafés, bars, restaurants and shops attract Lefkosia’s high summer temperatures are both a curse and a blessing. It can be painful to areas using a green pen on a military map. Lefkosians. traipse along melting pavements at high noon, along with mad dogs and Englishmen, but The name has stuck to this day. The Turkish the heat rescues Lefkosia from the hordes of tourists holidaying on the rest of the island. invasion of 1974 finally divided the city and Maps it has remained so ever since, chaperoned The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO; The city is split almost evenly between the Turkish-occupied North and the Republican by the watchful but increasingly weary eyes p61 ) has a fairly reasonable map of Lefkosia South. The modern parts of (Greek) Lefkosia look like the made up, face-lifted sister of the of UN peacekeeping forces. In 2003, cross- city centre and, on the reverse side, greater crackly skinned, traditional (Turkish) North Nicosia, whose streets are full of crafts and faces ing the Green Line was made easier, and Lefkosia. This is available free from all CTO you may think belong to three centuries ago. Lefkosia/North Nicosia as a whole reflects the story of Cyprus: its two people, divided, hoping for a future that may bring a better solution. LEFKOSIA IN… With crossing to and fro made easier, in Lefkosia things are already looking up. And what Two Days better place to start preparing for the future than in the capital? Start your day walking along the Venetian walls ( p61 ), the city’s guardians for centuries. Go to Famagusta Gate (p62 ), where concerts and other events are often held. Visit Faneromeni Church (p64 ), and have a fresh juice at the Double Six Coffee Bar (p71 ). Check out the views of the city HIGHLIGHTS from the Ledra Museum-Observatory ( p64 ) and see the Green Line. Visit the Cyprus Museum ( p63 ), where the oldest artefact dates back to 8000 BC. Dine to rembetika music at Tziellari ( p70 ), „ Explore the fantastically preserved Venetian walls (p61 ) that surround the Old City and have some drinks at Hammam ( p72 ). On day two, visit the extravagant House of Hatzigeorgakis Kornesios (p65 ) and the Arch- „ Delve into the country’s ancient past at the bishop’s Palace (p65 ) fronted by the looming statue of Archbishop Makarios III. In the after- Cyprus Museum ( p63 ) noon, have a luxurious Turkish bath in the Omeriye Hammam (p65 ). Dine at the Syrian Arab Venetian „ Pamper yourself at the luxurious (yet afford- Walls Friendship Club ( p71 ) and check out the bars on the trendy Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou

able) Omeriye Hammam ( p65 ) Faneromeni Omeriye III (Makarios Ave). Church Hammam „ Check out Faneromeni Church ( p64 ) and its Four Days peaceful square, which was once the centre of Tziellari Cyprus Follow the two-day itinerary, then on your third day visit North Nicosia (Lefkoşa; p172 ) for the city activity Museum day. On the fourth day visit the Lefkosia Arts Centre & Library (p66 ) and then relax in the leafy „ Dine on meze at Tziellari (p70 ) and dance to municipal gardens ( p68 ). Dine on brilliant pizza at Da Paolo ( p70 ) and drink at Plato’s ( p73 ), a bouzouki music place reminiscent of a Parisian bistro. LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) 57 Lefkosia (New City) 0 500 m LEFKOSIA (NEW CITY) 0 0.3 miles LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Lefkosia (NewCity)

Navarinou A See Inset B C Leoforos Stasinou D E F Evanthous ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ

Vassilisa Amalia 8 33 Diagorou Sofouli Leo Leoforos Evgenias 35 Ilioupoleos 45 nidou & Antoniou Tagmatarhou Pringipos Theokritou D. Pouliou Karolou Aheon 43 Theodotou 46 Leoforos Stasinou

1 21 De Themistokli 36 42 44 To Kykko Bowling Delfon Prodromou 3 16 (500m); Forum Nicosia Hilonos Sina Arnaldas Lordou Vyronos Leoforos Evagorou I Stasandrou Pindarou28 By Intercontinental 32 39 37 49 40 Bouboulinas (900m); Othellos (1.5km); 5 Grigori MetohiouPloutarhou 12 27 International riou 17 Stasikratous Klimentos aka 6 G. Hatzidaki 38 Leoforos Kallipoleos Fair Ground (2km) 34 Afroditis 13 26 Leoforos rvi 23 Mnasiadou 15 ὈὈὈὈIras Androkleus Theodosiou Foti Pitta

Kitieos Kosta Annis Komninis Afxentiou Arhiepiskopou M 48 Kypranoros Hatzopoulou 25 Mykalis Digeni Akrita krou Voulgari Georgiou Griva Digeni Tef 11 Vasili Mihalidi Leoforos Avlonos 10 Iasonos 31 Leoforos Santaroza Agiou Prokopiou Nikrokreontos 47 Alkeou 9 Hytron Kalavryton Leoforos River 41 1 Naxou 2 Aiantas Orfeos Thessalias Georgiou 7 Leoforos Vasileos Pavlou I Griva Digeni Stasinou Agapinoros Agathonos Zinonos Sozou Arhiepiskopou 29 ὈὈὈὈ30 Leoforos Dimostheni severi 14 ὈὈὈὈ To Ostrich To Soloneion Ethnikis 20 Book Centre Wonderland Frouras Pedieos Park; K-Cineplex Makariou III Nikis Dramas (500m); Troödos (78km) 24 Diogenous INFORMATION SLEEPING American Express...... 1 D2 Asty...... 21 B1 British High Commission...... 2 E3 Averof...... 22 E3 Canadian Consulate...... 3 D1 Cleopatra Hotel...... 23 D1 CTO Head Office...... 4 F3 Cyprus Hilton...... 24 E2 Cyprus American Archaeological HI Hostel...... 25 D2 ὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈAglantzias 3 Research Institute...... 5 D1 To Skali

Savva Rotsidi Aglanzias French Embassy...... 6 B1 EATING Palli German Embassy...... 7 C2 Abu Faysal...... 26 E1 2 Aglantzia Agios Dometios Alexandrou Greek Embassy...... 8 C1 Arheon Gefsis...... 27 D1 Mondo...... 40 D1 Internet Café...... (see 4) China Spice...... 28 E1 Sfinakia...... 41 D2 Pedieos Attikis Irish Embassy...... 9 C2 Date Club Restaurant...... 29 E2 Swiss Cottage...... 42 E1 Agiou Pavlou Eleft Limnou Norman 19 heriou Venizelou Anexartisias 22 18 4 Israeli Embassy...... 10 C2 Dragon...... 30 B2 Iröon Agiou Pavlou

Kohlias Bookshop...... 11 D2 Finbarr's...... 31 D2 ENTERTAINMENT www.lonelyplanet.com Netherlands Embassy...... 12 C1 Kalymnos...... 32 D1 Club Cilo...... (see 31) Post Office...... 13 E1 Kana Kai...... ὈὈὈ33 C1 ὈὈOpera 1 & 2...... 43 D1 Kentavrou ὈὈAverof Russian Cultural Centre...... 14 D2 Loukoullos...... (see 23) Palace Cinemas (Zina Pallas)...... 44 D1 Georgallidi 0 500 m Russian Embassy...... 15 B1 Plaka Tavern...... 34 A1 Pantheon 1, 2 & 3...... 45 D1 Joins Main Map Salamis Tours...... 16 D1 Syrian Arab Friendship Club...... 35 B1 Versus Club...... 46 D1 Navarinou 4 US Embassy...... 17 B1 Zoo...... 36 D1

TRANSPORT Leoforos Lemesou SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES DRINKING British Airways...... 47 D2 Atlantos Cyprus Automobile Association..18 E3 Café La Mode...... 37 D1 Cyprus Airways...... 48 D2 Nicosia Race Club...... 19 D3 Da Capo...... 38 D1 KLM...... 49 D1 To Cyprus To Larnaka (44km); To Dasoupolis (750m); Handicraft Agia Napa (80km); University of Cyprus...... 20 F2 Le Café...... 39 D1 Lufthansa Airlines...... (seeὈὈ 44) Scholi Tyflon (750m) ὈὈService Lemesos (82km) publications. 6258; Avlonos booksandCypriot 9)Specialisesinart Alasias 16) p58; (Map Old City, at the northern endofLedra, bythebarrier.Old City,atthenorthern Kohlias Bookshop west sideof Plateia Eleftherias. Hellas orMiltis&Evgenis kiosksonthe zines canbefoundateitherof thePeriptero Foreign-language newspapers andmaga- that maybeof interest toforeign visitors. There are onlyafew bookshops inLefkosia Bookshops INFORMATION around centralLefkosia. plays of the‘YouAre Here’ kindare found little practicalvalue. Publicstreet-map dis- of sorts,butitispoorlyproducedandof shopsinLefkosia. stationery map isavailable frommostbookshops or suburbs andalsohasastreet index.This sia The offices. www.lonelyplanet.com Itre Café Internet Access Internet and ambulanceare The general emergency numbers forpolice Emergency Centre Russian Cultural Institute Research Archaeological Cyprus American Council British range of periodicalsandbooksforreference: A numberof culturalcentres offer awide Centres Cultural your needs. Strovolos) AlittlesouthoftheNewCity,itmight alsoserve Soloneion BookCentre Moufflon Bookshop MAM Mouseiou 3) Police station good section ofbooksonCyprusbothinEnglishandGreek. good section and stocksawiderangeofLonelyPlanetguides. Ithasa inEnglish-languagetitles(newandsecondhand) primarily [email protected]; Sofouli1)Thisshopdeals bookstore that is worth seeking out. seeking bookstore thatisworth Leoforos KonstantinouPaleologou 19)Aleadingacademic situated nearthe CTO. 2am Sat &Sun)In theNewCity; somewhat inconveniently Lemesou 17a;perhrCY£1; Some bookshopsstockastreet directory hasmuch better coverage of theouter Mp p60; (Map % 2267 0832; Andrea Dimitriou 11) 2267 0832;Andrea Dimitriou Mp p58; (Map (Map (Map p60 ; (Map (Map p60 ; Street &Tourist Map of Nico- % Mp p58; (Map 2275 3536;[email protected]; Mp p60; (Map h ( % % % Mp p58; (Map % % noon-2am Mon-Fri, 2pm- noon-2am Mon-Fri, 199 or 2233 9936; Leoforos 2247 7434)Locatedinthe % 2266 6799;Vyzantiou24, 2266 5152;Leoforos % 2246 1766;fax2244 2266 5155; % % 2276 1607; 112.

LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Information On theedgeofOldCity. the NewCity. noros 2d; 2577; ApostolouVarnava 19) Leoforos KonstantinouPaleologou) Paleologou 30) Lefkosia General Hospital Lefkosia General are on calloutof normalhours. holidays, aswellthenamesof doctors who andonweekends and open duringthenight Local newspapers listpharmacies thatare normally from9amto1pmand4pm to7pm. Leoforos Kostaki Pantelidi;Leoforos perhrCY£1; Kostaki CTO; provides an afternoon tourist service. tourist providesan afternoon CTO; Jun-Aug)Nearthe 2.30-8pmMon-Fri Sep-May, Mon-Fri CY£1; Old City; will do a service washforyouaboutCY£4. Old City;willdoaservice American Express Express American the following: Paleologou.Konstantinou include Banks corner of Plateia Eleftherias andLeoforos most cards.Ahandyplaceforcash isthe There are ATMs allover thecitythataccept Money Leoforos Nechrou)WestoftheOldCity. ring If aprivate doctororpharmacy, you need Services Medical Kyprianou) Library Severios ofEducationLibrary Ministry Foundation&Library Cultural Makarios &Library Centre Arts Lefkosia Municipal Ahilleios Library map of Old City( Lefkosia’s p60 ). The followingplacesare alllocated onthe youcannottake bookshome.ing, although arein Lefkosia openforresearch andread- At leastfive libraries publicorsemipublic Libraries DryCleaners Express Laundry Printways Nicosia Palace Arcade Andreas PapaeracleousAndreas Photostore Photography Hellenic Bank % stocked shop catering toallyour photography needs. shopcatering stocked 0008; Plateia Arhiepiskopou Kyprianou) 0008; PlateiaArhiepiskopou 2266 6101; Rigenis 48)Inthe OldCity;this isawell- 2266 6101; Rigenis h % h 10am-11pm) ClosetotheHolidayInnhotel. 1432. Visitinghours fordoctors are Mp p60; (Map 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1.30pm Sat)In 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, (Map (Map p60 ; Solonos1a; ( ( % % Mp p58; (Map % (Map (Map p60 ; Ippokratous49)Inthe 2234 4888; Plateia Arhiepiskopou 2234 4888;PlateiaArhiepiskopou 2276 3033;Leoforos Konstantinou Mp p60; (Map 2266 1628; Rigenis 63B;perhr 2266 1628;Rigenis (Map (Map p60 ; % ( % 2276 5607;Agapi- % h h 2230 3180; 2266 3653; (Map (Map p60 ; % 10am-11pm) 2.30-6.30pm 2280 1400; ( ( % % 2243 2243

58 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) 59 Lefkosia (Old City) 0 300 m LEFKOSIA (OLD CITY) 0 0.2 miles LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Lefkosia (OldCity)

A B C D E F 8 Mula Flatro (Zahra) 73 (Sibeli) INFORMATION Makarios Cultural Foundation Ahilleios Library...... 1 E3 & Library...... 39 E2 59 Leoforos Athinas Andreas Papaeracleous Municipal Market...... 40 E2 Agiou Georgiou 1 Photostore...... 2 D2 National Struggle Museum...... 41 F2 NORTH NICOSIA Patroklou Australian High Commission...... 3 E3 Omeriye Hammam...... 42 E2 (LEFKOŠA) Minoös 45 57 British Council...... 4 C2 Omeriye Mosque...... 43 E2

CTO...... 5 E3 Pafos Gate...... 44 D2 Leoforos Markou Drakou 25 Express Dry Cleaners...... 6 D3 Panagia Chrysaliniotissa...... 45 F1 Ermou 74 Hellenic Bank...... 7 E3 Statue of Makarios III...... (see 23) 15 ὈὈ53 Crossing...... 8 C1 65 Roccas 63 (Kaytazaÿa) Leoforos Lefkosia General Hospital...... 9 C2 SLEEPING Liperti 51 Thiseos Kykkou 72 Caraffa MAM...... 10 E3 Castelli Hotel...... 46 D2 33 Artemidos 40 36 41 69 31 Miltis & Evgenis Kiosk...... (see 14) Classic Hotel...... 47 D2 Pafou 32Lefk Dionsou Apostolou Pendadaktylou onos 30 44 26 17 Varnava 67 Ministry of Education Library...... 11 E3 Holiday Inn...... 48 D2 Faneromenis Granikov Moufflon Bookshop...... 12 D3 Tony's Bed & Breakfast...... 49 E3 Megalou Alexandrou 64 22 Trikoupi 19 Municipal Leoforos Aigyptou Plateia 47 60 66 21 Nicosia Palace Arcade...... 13 D3 Gardens 39 Arhiepiskopou 2 20 46 Arsinoïs Evripidou 62 Larnakas Periptero Hellas...... 14 D3 EATING 71 Patriachou54 23 Kyprianou Leoforos Rigenis Ouzounian 83 Police Station...... 15 D1 1900 Paei Kairos...... 50 D3 Nechrou 55 42 Koraï 4 Ledra Post Office...... 16 D3 Agios Georgios Taverna...... 51 E2 Vasiliou Voulgaroktonou Perikleous Aristotelous Grigoriou 35 Aischylou ὈὈὈὈ ὈLeoforos N Foka Salaminos Tripoli Plateia Post Office...... 17 D2 Bonsai...... (see 48) Leoforos Mouseiou Arsinoïs LAÏKI Tyllirias 18 48 Palaion Patron Germanou 43 9 Leoforos29 Omirou YITONIA 61 Printways...... 18 D2 Da Paolo...... 52 F3 Perikleous 38

79 Solonos 34 2 Apollonos Trik Severios Library...... 19 F2 Egeon...... 53 F1 Chilonos 58 70 Podocataro Leoforos 84 Rigainis 37 Areos Telephone Office...... 20 C2 Erodos...... 54 E2 Fokionos oupi Onasagorou Leoforos K Pantelidi Aischylou 52 Toilets...... (see 5) Estiatorio Savvas...... 55 E2 56 49 Leoforos Evgenias & ma 6 68 1 Antoniou Theodotou ti Pala 81 13 Ippokratous Nikos...... 56 D3 Plateia Leonidou Kos Plateia 50 5 10 11

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Orfeas...... Ilioupoleos 57 F1 Lloyd Tzortz Leoforos Stasinou 27 Leoforos Solomou 80 14 7 28 Church...... 21 F2 Pago Pago...... (see 46) Diagorou Leoforos Konstantinou Paleologou 16 Arablar Mosque...... 22 E2 Pahit Ice...... 58 D2 Lordou Vyronos 12 76 82 ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈD'Avila 78 Constanza Ὀ 3 Archbishop'sAheon Palace...... 23 F2 Taverna Axiothea...... 59 F1 Plateia 24 Bayraktar Mosque...... 24 E3 To Steki tis Loxandras...... 60 E2 Eleftherias Alkeou Chrysaliniotissa Crafts Centre...... 25 F1 Tziellari...... 61 F2 Leoforos Stasinou 77 Cyprus Classic Motorcycle Zanettos Taverna...... 62 E2 75 3 Delfon Museum...... 26 D2 Leoforos Evagorou 1 Cyprus Handicrafts Centre...... 27 E3 DRINKING Afroditis

Cyprus Jewellery Museum...... 28 E3 SinaBastione...... 63 F2 Bouboulinas Cyprus Museum...... 29 C2 Double Six Coffee Bar...... 64 E2 Leoforos www.lonelyplanet.com Ethnographic Museum...... 30 F2 Erotiko...... 65 F1 Theatre Workshop of the University Buses to Agia Napa, Troödos & Klimentos

Dervi Leoforos Famagusta Gate...... Ploutarhou ὈὈ31 F2 Hammam...... Prodromou 66 E2 of Cyprus (thepak) ...... ὈὈ73 F1 ...... ὈὈὈὈ78 E3 Faneromeni Church...... 32 E2 Ithaki...... 67 F2 Theatro Ena...... 74 F1 Buses to Lemesos,Stasikratous Pafos & Digeni Akrita Makariou III Kallipoleos Holy Cross Catholic Church...... 33 D2 Kyklos Café...... 68 E3 Themistokli Larnaka...... 79 D2 House of Hatzigeorgakis Odos Othellou...... 69 F2 SHOPPING Buses to Platres,Foti Pitta & 4 Kornesios...... 34 E2 Plato's...... 70 E3 Ermes...... (see 35) Kyykos...... 80 D3 Ledra Museum-Observatory...... 35 D2 Virgin Records...... 75 D3 Olympic Airlines...... 81 D3 G. Hatzidaki Mykalis Kosta Kitieos krou Lefkosia Municipal Arts Centre ENTERTAINMENTGeorgiou Hatzopoulou Taxi Stand...... 82 D3 Vasili Mihalidi Griva Digeni Tef & Library...... 36 E2 LeoforosLefkosia Municipal Theatre & TRANSPORT Nikokreontos Travel & Express...... 83 F2

Leventis Municipal Museum...... 37 E3 Box Office...... 71 C2 Alitalia...... Leoforos Dimostheni Severi 76 D3 Urban Bus Station: A Petsas & Liberty Monument...... 38 F2 Red...... 72 E2 Bus to Protaras & ...... 77 F3 Sons...... Leoforos Santaroza 84 D3 area oftheOldCity. from thepublic. restored There’s abranchinthetouristy, queries it isnotreally geared tohandlingover-the-counter headofficeisintheNewCity,although 2pm Sat)TheCTO’s 1644; Leoforos Lemesou 19); 4264; Aristokyprou 11; 4264; Aristokyprou Toilets Eleftherias. city, withalarge concentration onPlateia public phonesare the foundthroughout outside thebuilding. Gate. Ithassomephonebooths insideand (CYTA; Map p60 toPafos), which isclose the CyprusTelecommunications Authority The maintelephone centre is inLefkosia Telephone Post office Post www.lonelyplanet.com the others. Onethatishelpful: to offer significantpriceadvantages over noneislikelyagencies Lefkosia, throughout While you’llfindalarge number of travel Agencies Travel .org.cy) Organisation Cyprus Tourism Information Tourist Yitonia,Laïki neartheCTO office. Plateia Eleftherias.There are alsotoiletsin walls; thenearest onestothecentre are by Public toiletsare situated neartheVenetian stantinou Paleologou; branch intheNewCity. end ofLedra near the Green Linelookout,andanother to. There isalsoasmallpostofficeclosetothenorthern Thisiswhere posterestante mailcomes Plateia Eleftherias. 8.30am-1pmSat)Thecentralpostofficeiseastof Thu, Fri, There isnoreal togothere cause since paper. in2006, sowatch thisspace. Workshould start reunification of theisland.Alittle over-ambitious perhaps, butthedesigns lookpromising on and hopesthatit may becomethecatalyst fortheeventualthe design an‘urbanintervention’ within into Lefkosia’s pedestrian walkway. Shecalls centralpark,encircled byapalm-tree-lined a greento construct beltalongthemoatthatsurrounds thewallsatpresent, turning thearea Dome. Zonein London’sMillennium Hadidplans forIBA-Block 2inBerlin,andtheMind project for hersociallyaware projects. Herimpressive includes theStrasbourg CV tram station,ahousing while remaining in harmony withitsancientsurroundings. The architect, Hadid,isrenownedZaha floor-lit designis intended theVenetian topaintthecapital’smain attraction, walls,insharprelief, A massive reconstruction isabouttobegin project inLefkosia’s Plateia Eleftherias. Asweeping, PREPARING ANEWSQUARE head office Mp p60; (Map Mp p58; (Map h h % 9am-1pm &3-6pmMon,Tue, 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am- 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 2230 3123;Leoforos Kon- Old City % 2233 7715;fax (CTO; www.visitcyprus (CTO; Mp p60; (Map % LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Dangers&Annoyances 2244 and 500postgraduatestudents. 1992. Itcurrently hasaround3000undergraduatestudents was establishedin1989andadmitteditsfirststudents lic ofCyprusisonthesoutheasternsideNewCity.It 75)TheonlyuniversityintheRepub- .ucy.ac.cy; Kallipoleos the northernandsouthernhalves of the circular defence wallthatsurrounds both grenade? slicedartichoke? Orahorizontally shape: isitlike asnowflake? Ahand Astar? forget it.Andthat’spartlytodowithitsodd viewpoint,you’llnever map orfromahigh it once,ona is souniquethatwhenyousee They formaborderaroundtheOld Citythat The Venetian wallsare like logo. Lefkosia’s Venetian Walls properly. sights mostof themajorat leasttwodaystosee map of theOldCity( p60 ). Allowyourself are inthissection foundonthe The sights &ACTIVITIES SIGHTS trouble. lead toserious at anyotherplace. Thisillegalmove would totrycross points; you’dbeill-advised the Northisallowedonlyatofficial check- women shouldavoid them.Crossinginto dingy andthreatening andsolo atnight, ticularly neartheGreen Line,canappear theOldCitystreets,around. However, par- isaremarkablyLefkosia safe citytowalk DANGERS &ANNOYANCES ofCyprus University Universities Salamis Tours Salamis Lines. for includingcruisetickets other travel-related bookings, and Arnaldas 7c)IntheNewCity;arrangesairlinetickets Despite itsimpressive appearance,this Mp p58; (Map (Map (Map p58 ; % 2276 2323;fax22758337; % 2289 2000;www

60 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) the wallsare organised byinterest. the OldCity. now, which allowregular accessto traffic are vehicle accesspointsaroundthewalls overgrown anddilapidated inparts.There walls are inpoorer shapeandhave become ing andrelaxing. InNorthNicosia, the venues foroutdoorconcerts,andstroll- are toprovide used car-parking spaceand areLefkosia in excellentcondition.They and theKyrenia (Girne)Gate inthenorth. in theeast,Pafos Gate ( right ) inthewest, by three gates: theFamagusta Gate ( below ) Nicosia. (Zahra) and (Zahra) Barbaro The remaining bastions, ish, Greek forces. CypriotandUNmilitary side of theOldCityisoccupiedbyTurk- sia. The Caraffa pressive wooden doorand sloping façade concert venue and exhibition hall. Itsim- was renovated asa in1981 andnowserves a century of neglect, the wholestructure Leoforosoff Athinas. Followingmore than Bastion City of It’sintheCaraffa Lefkosia. three originalgates thatledintotheOld of thephotographed and bestpreserved hostou; tions, less unchanged since. ever Five of thebas- the fortifications. months later storming attacked Lefkosia, and threeOttomans landedinLarnaka intended water. tocontain InJuly1570the itwasapparentlyalso dug,although never parts foraddedprotection. Amoatwas bastions spacedequallyaroundtheram- specifications, whileadding11fortifying engineer gnano designedtherampartsandfellow The appointed Ascanio engineer Savor- feared Ottomaninvaders outof Lefkosia. 1570 withtheexpress aimof keeping the rulers erected 1567and thewallsbetween forwhich itwasbuilt.TheVenetianpose Old Cityunfortunately failedinthepur- 61 The easternmost Famagusta Gate In the following section, the sights within thesights In thefollowingsection, The Venetian wallsandmoataround The city’swallswere originallypunctured The wallshave remained inplacemore or LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Sights&Activities Tripoli h , are of inthesouthernsector Lefko- (Musalla), (Musalla), Flatro 9am-1pm &4-7pmMon-Fri) Francesco Barbaro built them to builtthem Barbaro Francesco , Roccas D’Avila (Sibeli) Bastion on theeastern (Sibeli)Bastion (Kaytaza Famagusta Gate , Quirini Constanza Loredano (Cephane), (Cephane), ğ a), are inNorth , Podoca taro isthemost

(Cevizli), (Cevizli), (Pyli Ammo- Mula and and much later addition. into theOld City isa wall that allows traffic under the wall.Theadjoining breach in the open, guards anarrowpedestrian passage for theBritish. ThePafos Gate, leftfirmly the Ottomans,and asapoliceheadquarters warehouse asanarsenal for The gate served fluttering defiantlyateach other. of Cyprus,NorthernGreece and since 1963,with the flagsof the Republic aspot forakindofIt hasbeen flagstand-off three traditionalentrances toOldLefkosia. SanDomenico, isoneofetians asPorta the This westernmost gate, knownbytheVen- Pafos Gate communities. reflecting thetwo thedivisionsbetween include anyfigures of TurkishCypriots, The monument,erected not in1973,does Presiding over of itistheStatue Liberty. ofthe variousstrata Greek Cypriotsociety. andpriests, representingalongside peasants fighters beingreleased fromprisonin1959, Colonial powers, withfigures of 14EOKA ’liberationfromtheBritish Itrepresents Bastion. on thePodocataro the mosque. lic. In1999aplotwasuncovered tobomb tothegeneral pub- and themosqueclosed bearer.standard repaired Itwaseventually aged themosqueandnearbytombof the early 1960sEOKA-inspired dam- attacks the target forterrorist activity,andinthe a lotof unwanted attention. Ithasbeen this spot.Thesmallmosquehasattracted recoveredwas subsequently andburiedon down bythedefending forces,buthisbody named inTurkish) wasimmediately cut bearer;(standard forwhomthemosqueis tomans in1570.TheOttoman walls were successfullybreached bytheOt- tion, marksthespotwhere theVenetian mosque, situatedBas- ontheConstanza West of Famagusta Gate, thisprominent Monument Bayraktar Mosque&Liberty and drinkingplaces(see p69 and p72 rounding thegate hasgreat trendy eating ). during thesummermonths. Thearea sur- concerts byvisitingartistsare held,usually isasmallopen-airarenato theright where the rampartwall.Outsidetunneland through open outontoatunnelthatleads Close byistheelaborate Close www.lonelyplanet.com Liberty Monument Liberty bayraktar , Bastion. See theboxed See text,Bastion. p178 fordetails. reach theTurkish-heldsideof theRoccas ends atthevery edge of thisbastion. der of Turkish-controlledNorthernCyprus for astretch of about200m,whilethebor- marginfortable virtually disappears here thetwosidesbyanormally com- separating zone along thebastionwalls.TheUNbuffer easily identifiablebytheno-parkingsigns PalaceLedra Hotel crossing ( below ) andis that lasted foraroundthirtyyears. thetwocommunities between noncontact is interesting, asareminder however, of the side andeyeballeach otherfacetoface. It easy toactuallycrossover totheopposite Now it’shardlyanattraction,sinceso quarters,each other atclose before 2003. Greek andTurkish Cypriotscouldeyeball Cyprus inthatitwastheonlyplacewhere The Roccas wasuniquethroughout Bastion Roccas (Kaytaza inside thefront-doorvestibule. remains Mass firmlyclosed. timesare posted leading ontotheTurkish-controlledsector of worship ontheproviso thatthebackdoor pite this,thechurch stillfunctionsasaplace while resting zone. withintheUNbuffer Des- position of backingontotheTurkishsector Pafou, thischurch isintheuncomfortable Across the road, eastof the Pafos Gate on Church Holy CrossCatholic www.lonelyplanet.com To the left,as youhead north, istheformer by songs of andprotest. lamentation sion and handoutliterature, accompanied women gather toremember the 1974inva- p167 ). OnSundaymorningsGreek Cypriot the islandatademonstration in1996(see soldiers nearDeryneia intheeastern partof murder of three Greek Cypriots byTurkish vasion. There are alsoposters depicting the missing sincethe1974in- depicting those and-white painted wallwith graphicposters too,afterthe night alateout. night to theother,andmanycrossin middle of tourists andlocalsnowcrossfrom oneside theNorthandSouth. Massesbetween of clusively forpedestrianandbicycle crossings ex- This istheonlyspotonislandreserved Crossing PalaceHotel Ledra If youare inNorthNicosiayoucaneasily It issituated about200msouthof the The crossing itself isabout 300m long. The crossing itself The crossingispartiallyblocked byablue- ğ a) Bastion LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) •• Sights & Activities LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Sights&Activities h ( This is theisland’smostinteresting Cyprus Museum and planned. and hasdisplaysof alltheworkcompleted Palacefice isjustoutsidetheLedra Hotel, (and are being)renovated. Theproject of- and valuable buildingsinthecityhave been project. Startedin1979,manyinteresting of theEU-sponsored ‘ Nicosia Master Plan’ cupied bytheUN.Therenovation ispart PalaceLedra Hotel, nowrenovated andoc- reads ‘TRNCforever’. lic of ’whileanothersign sign welcomesyoutothe‘TurkishRepub- Cypriot checkpoint building.Aprominent which liesthefairlyinnocuousTurkish Turkish Cypriot-controlledterritory, after hotel. Awhite irongate markstheentryto Eleftherias. dens. It’sa10-minute walkwestof Plateia 1883, isopposite thelovely municipalgar- in Cyprus.Theoriginalbuilding,erected in the bestcollectionof archaeological finds play of with fertility andtheunderworld. and suggest adeitythat wasalsoidentified snake representations fertility symbolise of thegod; represent demon-servants orminotaur.centaur There are figures that the worship of awarrior god,presumably a are warriors. Theirwarchariots indicate resentations, thefigures are maleandmany circular order. Apartfrom twofemale rep- are displayedastheywere found,inasemi- dating backtothe7th6thcenturies BC, (Güzelyurt) intheNorth.The2000 figures, ered in1929atAgia Irini,northof Morfou three Severus ofenormous bronze statue also depicted ontheCY£5banknote. An ‘goddess of Cyprus’ontourist posters and Soli (475–400 BC). They date fromtheCypro-Archaic IIperiod tian influence,were only discovered in1997. which showadefiniteThe statues, Egyp- the necropolissouthof Lefkosia. % Abandoned of shopslietotheright the Highlights includetheremarkableHighlights dis- Another highlight isthecollectionofAnother highlight Also lookoutfor thefamous statue inroom5,widely marketed statue asthe 9am-5pm Mon-Sat,10am-1pmSun) 2286 5888;Leoforos Mouseiou1;admissionCY£1.50; limestone lions , found atKythrea (De terracotta figures terracotta andtwo inroom4,discov- sphinxes Emperor Septimus Emperor Septimus ğ and houses andhouses irmenlik) in Aphrodite of Aphrodite found in foundin museum 62

LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) naded arches. naded arches. dome,ontopoftagonal impressive colon- find someonetoletyouin,isabeautiful oc- in Lusignantimes.Inside,ifyoumanage to lic, itwasthechurch of Stavros touMisirikou ing, unfortunately nolonger opentothe pub- Plateia mosque issquirrelled away.Acuriousbuild- is Faneromenis Okostïogdois Oktovriou, where this tiny Plateia Alongside Arablar Mosque declared Greek Warof Independence. toman governor in1821,duringthenewly memory of four clericsexecuted bytheOt- the eastern sideof thechurch wasbuiltin styles.The and Latin and isamixture of neoclassical,Byzantine is thelargest church withinthecitywalls the site of anancient Orthodox nunnery.It sive Faneromeni Church, builtin1872 on of street. Inthecentre Ledra is theimpres- be heardonlymetres awayfromthebustle is aquietsquare, sosilentthatbirdsongcan rias tookover in1974,Plateia Faneromenis The centre of thecitybefore Plateia Elefthe- Faneromeni Church displays of gold. are displayedinroom7B,alongsidevarious mosaic ofLeda&theSwan hardly beoverlooked. 1928, isthemainexhibitinroom6andcan 63 A coupleof lovely such asthe mosaics, LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Sights&Activities the street that originally bisected theOld Citymore orlessequallyinto two. towardstheend of desolation anddestruction particular squeeze sign. There street, throughthegapinto thenext following thewalking-tour isanarea of for thelittlestreet ontheright withTaverna Axiothea( p70 ). Walkto the endofAxiotheasand (Sibeli) you harduptothe lineatthefareastern sideofthecityclose tothemilitary-controlled tour takes walking to approachthem too closelyorgetyourcameraout.The CTO-signposted you hearfromevery Cypriot. the capital’sand country’sdivision,especiallywhencoupled withsomany1974storiesthat washing.Cypriot flagsthathangbetweenthem like The Green Lineembodies theeerinessof Agia landmark,withtheTurkish Nicosia’smostremarkable Sofiamosque,North andTurkish work), itsmere presence gives Lefkosia itsbizarre edge. You’llseethedoubleminarets ofthe of division.Whilethere’s notalottoseeonceyouare there (save forsomecreative graffiti crumbling housesstillfascinate foreigners. The Green Lineisunmissableanditexudesasense side’ has therefore vanished,theGreen Lineand thespookybuffer zonewith itsabandoned, isnoweasyandsomeof the‘mystery oftheotherDespite thatcrossingintotheNorth thefact WALKING THEGREENLINE It isthought that manyof thestreets and ruined buildings are booby-trapped withmines. UN andGreek Cypriot

Bastion . Take thelastturnleftoffLeoforos Athinas along Agiou Georgiou andlook Marble Mausoleum Marble fromPalea Pafos, bunkers punctuate thelineacrosscity,andyouare notsupposed on given inEnglish, French andGerman. of variousbuildingsandneighbourhoods are a great placetoorientyourself. Explanations andtracetheGreen Line. Lefkosia Itisalso telescopes togazeatthewholeofcan use good vantage pointover thecity,here you Woolworths) departmentstore ( p74 ontopof Ermes(formerly an observatory ). A the foodisoften overpriced. it’s However, try tolure youinwithcheesy greetings, and waterants withtacky features, where waiters means thatit’scrammedwithbad restaur- onlytouristarea.Old CityisLefkosia’s This merchants. Thistinysouthernpartof the years asanarea forpainted ladiesanddodgy hood’, wasrestored formany after itserved Laïki Yitonia, meaning‘popular neighbour- Yitonia Laïki seum two-storey small, The Museum Municipal Leventis one, itself itlikesNot really although tocall amuseum, Museum-Observatory Ledra sion CY£0.50; 9396; 11thfl,ShakolasTower,cnrLedra &Arsinois;admis- also agiftshop. traditional dress, booksandprints.There is items ondisplayare equipment, household tothepresent day.Among before 2000BC h 10am-4.30pm Tue-Sun)

Pendadaktylou ( % 2267 3375;Ippokratous17;admissionfree; h Ledra Museum-Observatory 10am-8pm Mon-Sat,10am-6pmSun) has exhibits dating from hasexhibitsdatingfrom where itmeets Leventis Municipal Mu- Municipal Leventis www.lonelyplanet.com Ermou

Flatro ( % 2267 , is is 7278; Praxippou7-9;admissionfree; koupi & Plateia Tyllirias; koupi &PlateiaTyllirias; Fri) Handicrafts Centre Centre Handicrafts Cypriothandicrafts, ing topreserve A government-sponsored foundation aim- Centre Cyprus Handicrafts The small Museum Cyprus Jewellery brochures free of charge. stock uponmostmapsandothertourist (p70). Kairos this area, withtheexceptionof 1900Paei taverns inthecity,trytoavoid eatingin stroll. Withsomanygoodrestaurants and rather pretty, andaniceplacefor short www.lonelyplanet.com Hammam for alovely, relaxing Turkish bathat cap on,andstrip down toyourbirthdaysuit Switch yourmobile, off putyour shower Hammam Omeriye Mary, the Originally theAugustinianChurch of St Mosque Omeriye and avoid prayer times. official leave atthedoor shoes dress conservatively, thegeneral etiquette requiredthey observe – countries. Non-Muslimsmayvisit aslong visiting Muslimsfromneighbouring Arab primarilyasaplaceofis used worship by halfway alongTrikoupi.Todaythe mosque away; theentrancetomosque isabout minaret caneasilybespotted somedistance Omer wasburiedinthe7thcentury. Itstall this wasthespotwher stored onabeliefthat asamosque,based re- in1570.Itwassubsequently Lefkosia des troyed bytheOttomans astheyentered from the14thcentury.Thechurch was h religious items, silver utensils andoldtools. to today.Theexhibitsincludeornaments, jewellery fromtheendof the19thcentury only Wed, Fri, Sun, toursMon11am-5pm) only Wed, Fri, CY£12-25; Turkish bathCY£10, traditionalbody peeling CY£6,massage of theproductsare forvisitors. onsale andnurtured.crafts beingpractised Many pottery, woodwork,embroideryandother and nicelypresented. Here youcanwatch in Laïki Yitonia inLaïki presents thehistoryof The CTO has an office here,The CTOhasanoffice andyoucan 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pmThu) 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Fri, h

(Ömeriye Hamam; Plateia Tyllirias; admission& Hamam; PlateiaTyllirias; (Ömeriye Omeriye Mosque Omeriye 9am-9pm, menonly Tue, Thu,Sat, women Cyprus Jewellery Museum Cyprus Jewellery ( h % outside prayertimes) e theMuslimprophet 2230 5024;Athalassis186;

(Ömeriye Camii;cnrTri- (Ömeriye h . This building 10am-4pm Mon- iswellrun

( Omeriye Omeriye % dates Cyprus LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) •• Sights & Activities LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Sights&Activities 2266 memorabilia. over to displaysof antiques andOttoman smoking. Therest of the mansion isgiven nargileh water (MiddleEastern pipes)for ing quarters, withplushfloorcushions and upasmock liv- side. Only oneroomisset and interesting thananyof theexhibitsin- ismore itself beautiful headed. Thehouse property wasconfiscated, andhewasbe- years of later, hewasaccused treason, his Returningfrom exilefive and toIstanbul. ingeneral, forcedhimoutofclasses Cyprus revolt in1804,aimedattheruling peasant guess, hisextravagance washisundoing.A man inCyprusatthetime. But,asyou may exemptions, andbecamethemostpowerful variousestates andtax vast wealththrough from KritouTerra village, accumulated his Orthodox authorities.Kornesios, originally the Ottomanand or liaisonofficer between ( of Cyprusfrom1779to1809.Adragoman longed toKornesios,theGreat Dragoman mission CY£0.75; Kornesios well-preserved The Kornesios House ofHatzigeorgakis can take atouron a Monday. If youdon’tfancythebathexperience, or aromatherapymassageforCY£25each. comes atanextracost)orhave aChinese you couldindulge inbodyscrub (which the bath.Apartfrombasicsteam bath, and acupof herbal tea torelax withafter tle of water, towels(onelarge, onesmall) you enter, youget bot- acomplimentary As masseurs. and women,same-sex relaxing daysformen spot,withseparate Omeriye Hammam isasafe, popular and the baths themselves. The16th-century and arefreshing mintyscentaccompany the circularbararea, whilecandles,mirrors has anenormouschandelier hangingover ous, stylish design.Thedomedreception was recently restored andsportsaluxuri- postindependence reincarnation of EOKA, destroyed by was almost totally EOKA-B (the Turkish invasion of the North. Thepalace coupandsubsequent ing the1974 military much of in1956, aswelldur- thefighting piskopou Kyprianou, thiswasthesceneof A mock Venetian building onPlateia Arhie- Archbishop’s Palace tercüman

( % in Turkish)wasaninterpreter h 2230 5316; Patriarchou Grigoriou 20;ad- 2230 5316;Patriarchou Grigoriou 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pmSat) 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, House of Hatzigeorgakis House ofHatzigeorgakis

be-

64 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) admission CY£1; leatherwork and woodcarving. basketry,tery, metalwork, folk painting, amples of embroidery,lace, costumes,pot- have made. Here been fineex- youwillsee somelater15th century, although additions the country.The building dates backtothe collection of folk artandethnographyin dation This complexof the Foundation Cultural Makarios life of thisrevered archbishop-president. theboxedSee text, p110 , formore aboutthe III Makarios owed byahideousblack inthevicinity)isovershad- else everything of theArchbishop of Cyprus. Thepalace(and residence tothepublic,isofficial closed the 1980s.Thebuilding,which isgenerally on 15July1974,butitwasrebuilt during they attempted tokillArchbishop Makarios TurkishCypriots)while which mostlyfought 65 the small totheMakariosClose CulturalFoundation, Ethnographic Museum 5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) 5pm Mon-Fri, Plateia Arhiepiskopou Kyprianou; admissionCY£1; Kyprianou; Plateia Arhiepiskopou and Delacroix. Van Dyck,Rubens,Tintoretto, Lorraine themes are mainlyreligious withworksby from the16thto19thcenturies.The ings of various Europeanschools of art Gallery Art European consists of three mainexhibitionareas. The the iconsof the more interesting items ondisplayare from the5thto19thcenturies. Among are dating some 220piecesinthemuseum, collection of iconsrelated toCyprus.There Museum ByzantineArt Greek Warof Independencein1821.The and paintingsof fromthe peopleandevents lery of Arakas at , andthe of ArakasatLagoudera, tury) fromtheChurch of theVirgin Mary invasion. in NorthernCyprusafter the1974Turkish the Panagia Kanakaria (Kanakaria Church) Kanakaria whichMosaics, were stolen from In addition,there are sixexamplesof the Monastery atKalopanayiotis.Lambadistis (13th century)fromtheChurch of StJohn Close byisthe Close LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) •• Walking Tour LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Walking , which contains maps, copper engravings maps,copperengravings , which contains ( % 2243 0008; Plateia Arhiepiskopou Kyprianou; Kyprianou; 2243 0008;PlateiaArhiepiskopou , which loomsacrossthesquare. Ethnographic Museum Christ & the Virgin Mary &theVirgin Christ h 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pmSat) 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, Greek IndependenceWarGal- Greek presents 120oilpaint- hastheisland’slargest Makarios Cultural Foun- Cultural Makarios houses thelargest houses statue of Archbishop statue ofArchbishop

( % Resurrection (12thcen- 2243 2578; h 9am-

Sat, 10am-4pmSun) free butdonationswelcome; & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pmSat) & 3-6pmMon-Fri, has acoffee shopandartlibraryforvisitors. varymonthly.Thecentre Exhibitions also ofMuseum Contemporary ArtinGreece. and otherworksfromtheDimitrisPierides collection includespaintingsandsculpture, interesting collectionof art.Thepermanent anoccasionallybizarre contains butmostly of oldandrare icons. logos. Itisrenowned foritsrich collection Helenawas builtin1450byQueen Paleo- the oldestByzantinechurch and inLefkosia Golden Flax’inGreek. It’sconsidered tobe Mary, of the anditsnamemeans‘OurLady dogleg onto Trikoupi. Soon you’ll see the dogleg ontoTrikoupi. Soonyou’ll see tous, turnleft ontoThrakis and take the from prehistoric timestothepresent. p64 ), which traces thecity’sdevelopment No 17isthe onto Ippokratous.At andturnright Ledra streets andpastmany of itsmuseums. alongtheOldCity’s main This tourgoes WALKING TOUR small This Centre Chrysaliniotissa Crafts The church of Chrysaliniotissa Panagia & Library to theratheravant-garde head alongApostolouVarnava foroneblock and of Museum right theNationalStruggle duckintothesmallarcadeto museums, For somethingalittlelesscerebral thanthe &Library Centre Arts Lefkosia The buffs. This displayisreally for die-hard history National StruggleMuseum the British. against 1955–59 NationalLiberationStruggle other memorabilia fromtheoften bloody piskopou Filotheou) 3-7pm Thu) 7;admissionCY£0.25; 5878; Kinyras along thelinesof atraditionalinn. a centralcourtyardinbuilding designed workshopsandacoffee shopsurround Eight into foritsdisplayof Cypriotartsandcrafts. Continue alongtotheend of Ippokra- from Plateia Eleftheriasfollow Starting

( exhibitsdocuments,photosand % arts centre arts National StruggleMuseum 2243 2577;ApostolouVarnava 19;admission isdedicated totheVirgin Leventis Municipal Museum Museum Municipal Leventis . Itsair-conditioned interior Panagia Chrysaliniotissa Panagia

h (Dimonaktos 2; www.lonelyplanet.com 10am-3pm &5-11pmTue- is worth dropping isworthdropping Lefkosia Arts Centre Centre Lefkosia Arts h 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, h

10am-1pm 10am-1pm ( %

(Arhie- 2230 2230 ( 1 ; ὈὈ ὈὈ

Wlig Tour Walking www.lonelyplanet.com Omeriye Mosque Omeriye bishop’s Palace piskopou Kyprianou, dominated bythe Kornesios is the18th-century About 125malongthisstreet ontheright after you willreach Patriarchou Grigoriou. ontoPlateia Tylliriasandshortlyright National Struggle Museum National Struggle Museum Museum from 1736. Nextdooris the 1662 and haswonderful frescoes dating Ioannis Church(6) Agios Inthegrounds ofseum. thefoundation is ence WarGallery andByzantineArtMu- the EuropeanArt Gallery,Greek Independ- Foundation Cultural of Makarios III.Here you’llfindthe Leoforos ὈὈ ὈὈ The nextleftleadsyoutoPlateia Arhie- Distance Finish Start WALK FACTS

200m 0.1miles 0 0 Kostaki Pantelidi Kostaki ( Plateia Eleftherias Flatro(Sibeli)Bastion 7 ( 3 ; opposite ), andalso nearbyisthe 2km ; p65 ), which isnowamuseum.

EleftheriasPlateia Rigenis ( 4 ( ; p65 statue ) andacolossal 2

; p65 Turn ) onyourright. Ledra D'Avila

( ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Ippokratous 5 ; opposite ), comprising Onasagorou House of Hatzigeorgakis House ofHatzigeorgakis , which was built in

( Solonos 8 1 ; opposite ).

Aristokyprou Eshylou Ethnographic

Thrakis NORTH NICOSIA Makarios

(LEFKOŠA)

oupi Trik LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Lefkosia forChildren Arch- Plateia Tyllirias 2

Constanza Patriarhou

out theVenetian wallsalongtheway. following thesignpoststoCTO. Check Yitoniato Laïki istotake Leoforos NFoka, (Sibeli) Bastion(10) barbed wire andUNwatchtowers of the nas towhere thestreet abruptlyendsatthe diningareanight-time alongLeoforos Athi- here trendy it’sa400mwalkpastLefkosia’s was oncethemainentrancetocity. From the imposing Leoforos NFoka. Turnleftandyou’llsee which leadsonto ontoThiseos, turn right puppet theatre show. watching a traditional Cypriot shadow- what’s on whileyouare around. Ask about the year,andwill know place throughout nannies. The CTOhasalist of taking events to havefamilies seem theirown,live-in inthecity, assomany baby-sitting services most Cypriots.There are no professional are Lefkosians child-friendly,although like appealtochildrenLefkosia’s israther low, towns andresorts,Unlike theseaside LEFKOSIA FOR CHILDREN Continue northalongAgiou Ioannou and Grigoriou Leoforos Stasinou ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ 3 5 8 7 6 4 Agiou Ioannou

Plateia Thiseos Famagusta Gate Famagusta Gate Arhiepiskopou Kyprianou . Themostdirect wayback Agiou Georgiou

Podocataro Patroklou Ὀ

Othellou Dimonaktos Leoforos N Foka

10 Leoforos Athinas Leoforos ( 9 9 (Sibeli)

Plateia Vasileos Flatro ; p62 ), which

Georgiou II Caraffa Flatro Flatro

66 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) h the signstoAgios IoannisMaloundas. take the Palehorihighway, exitandfollow sion price. Toget here, followtheTroödos tourisincludedintheadmis- sightseeing thepark’splayground;a too,anduse eggs birdsandtheir about thepowerfulspeedy therekids canlearneverything istoknow and is25minutes Your outsideLefkosia. biggest ostrich park(andfarm)inEurope tickleyourfancy.It’sreputedlymight the .com) tion. Itmayjustkeep theparents happytoo. happy tochat extensively about hiscollec- ownerismore whose a private than museum probably are withvehicles of allkinds.Thisis asthey to make withyoung ones, obsessed place attractskidsof allages, it’sagreat stop around the OldCity( p66 ). tours brochure orfollowour walkingtour have a30minute break inthemiddle. All walkslasttwo hours and45minutes, and the Walls’,abus andwalkingguidedtour. Fridayis ‘Nicosia–Outside Old Lefkosia; runs onMonday; Thursday isawalkthrough stored’ isabusandwalkingguidedtourthat intheOldCity. office at10am,fromtheCTO Friday, allstarting guided walksonMonday,Thursday, and The TOURS 67 Te The FESTIVALS & EVENTS (the fast food one). (the fastfoodone). will allowthemtoshare hisotherpassion passion. Thecaféwithsnacksanddrinks andshareshoes inHomerSimpson’sgreat place toget yourkidstowearuncomfortable centre, sittingbehindtheHilton,isa great can be used forsomefunontheslide. can beused on ahotsummer’sday,andtheplayground This isalovely spotforawalkandrest & 3.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pmSat) & 3.30-7pmMon-Fri, % 7pm May-Oct, 9am-5pmNov-Apr) 7pm May-Oct, adult/childCY£1/0.50; Agios IoannisMaloundas; Engomi; Otih odrad hm Park Theme Wonderland Ostrich Kykko Bowling Municipal Gardens Gardens Municipal Alternatively, pick upaCTOwalking- &Kaimakli:‘Chrysaliniotissa thePast Re- Cyprus Classic MotorcycleMuseum LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Tours 2268 0222;Granikou44;admissionCY£1; 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-2pm Sat) 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, , first held in March 2006,emphasises Cyprus International Cyprus International Film Festival CTO h

1.30pm-1.30am) Mp p60; (Map

( % %

Mp p0; efrs Mousieou) Leoforos p60; (Map 2235 0085;Archimidous15-19, 2244 4264; Aristokyprou 11; 2244 4264;Aristokyprou This 19-alley bowling This19-alleybowling Thisthemepark Although this Although ( % (www.ciff2006 h

2299 1008/9; 2299 1008/9; runs free (Map p60 ; p60 (Map h 9am-1pm 9am-1pm 9am-

western suburbof Makedonitissa. at theInternational Fair Groundsinthe aremunications equipment.Allevents held com puters, officemachines andtelecom- .com.cy; Rigenis 94; s/dCY£54/65; .com.cy; Rigenis 2266 2225;Solonos13;s/dCY£18/28; week ofweek November; June; the tional Fair biggest istheannual event for three annualfairs andexhibitions.The ‘feel athome’treatment that’sadvertised. ifyou don’tget the So don’t besurprised larly groomed (orwholook abitscruffy). travellers, whodon’tlookparticu- or those range aren’t todealingwithsolo tooused other placesinCyprus, hotels atthisprice commodation in thecity.But,asinmany Midrange hotels are themost commonac- Midrange a midrange category. upgradedto downorbeen has eitherclosed Mostofleft inLefkosia. whatonceexisted There isvery littlebudget accommodation Budget SLEEPING naka andLemesos. Eventscivilisations. alsotake placeinLar- around theworldrelated todialogueamong temporary filmandvideoproductionsfrom Itscreens con- the WestandMiddleEast. Cyprus’ positionasamiddle-ground between but quite reasonable foracheap sleep. It’sbasic Hatzidaki, ThemistokliDervi. off to bookinadvance. Followthesignsfrom a doubleorsingleroomhere, butyouhave blocks fromPlateia Eleftherias.Youcanhave In aquietpartof theNewCityaboutsix 2918/2316; www.csfa.org.cy) fuzzy-picture TV. fridge room comeswithasemicold anda compensate forthedodgyshowers. Each therebeen since1974.Nicelittlebalconies prices are low,andthebedsfeel asifthey’ve location. The the OldCity,isinafantastic The oldbuilding,banginthecentrewise. of air-conditioning unitswouldsuggest other- ten bytimeandredecoration, the although tohave forgot- placesthatseems been those Classic Hotel Tony’s Bed&Breakfast The HI Hostel Cyprus State FairsCyprus State Authority thattakes May placebetween and Motorshow

(Map p58 ; p58 (Map

(Map p60 ; p60 (Map % takes placeinthefirst Offitec 9943 8360;Tefkrou 5;dmCY£5)

takes responsibility % (Map p60 ; p60 (Map www.lonelyplanet.com a 2266 4006; www.classic a isatech-fest of ) This three-star This three-star ) Cyprus Interna- % This isoneof 2266 6752; fax 2266 6752;fax

( % 2235

cytanet.com.cy; Ouzounian38;s/dCY£99/114; Cyprus’ strategic position wasinvaluable. and western spiesduring the ColdWar, when parently thegathering-ground foreastern as III;s/d CY£169/204; Makariou .com; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou rooms are cleanandbright. and ‘personal touch’. Themock-traditional onitsratherkitsch rusticdécor prides itself and inaquietpartof thisplace Lefkosia, CommissionCity, neartheBritishHigh comfortable roomsovercomfortable inEngomi. peaceandquiet,plussome place promises nesian restaurant-bar downstairs ( p71 ). atthePagotoo manycocktails Pago Poly- particularly handyasahangover cure after Internet ports.Thehotel alsohasasauna, rooms are andhave smartandcomfortable suit before youaskabout vacancies.The travellers,dishevelled-looking sodonyour ness lotandtherefore aloof slightly towards the Classic,thisisahotel aimedatthebusi- to Next doortotheHolidayInn,andclose in specialises The 59Knives restaurant, partof thehotel, ist; theroomsare smartandcomfortable. creamy, woodcolours; thedesignisminimal- reception totherooms,isdoneupinrelaxing why.Everything,and youcansee fromthe ‘Small LuxuryHotels of theWorld’group, toPafoshotel, close Gate, isamemberof the www.lonelyplanet.com and original establishments in the city. inthecity. and originalestablishments but there lackof isalamentable imaginative suspects, withluxurious comfortanddesign, top-endhotels areLefkosia’s all theusual Top End ignored altogether. bags orclothesmaybefrowned uponor could bealife-saver. Travellers withscruffy day,the buildingandonahotLefkosia more ravishing thananyotherfeature in business-oriented hotel. Thepoollooks boring, impersonal roomsinthis(again) proved of thelackof luxuryandrather The Egyptian Pharaoh wouldnothave ap- pos Karolou 12;s/dCY£38.50/63; pos Karolou .cy; Averof 19;s/dCY£26.75/39; [email protected]; Florinis 8;s/dCY£58/75; [email protected]; Florinis contribution to the Classic’s luxuries. contribution totheClassic’sluxuries. Asty Cleopatra Hotel Cyprus Hilton Averof Castelli Hotel Hotel Castelli

) Thispremier five-star hotel wasap- Mp p58; (Map

Mp p58; (Map haute cuisine,

Mp p58; (Map % Mp p60; (Map

% 2277 3030;fax3311;Pringi- Mp p58; (Map 2277 3447;www.averof.com % a % a 2237 7777;www.hilton ) 2271 2812;hinnicres@ Close totheOld Close adding its own addingitsown % ) This two-star Thistwo-star 2235 6666;cleo ais as ) ) from CY£65/112; Digeni;s/d [email protected]; Leoforos Griva Georgiou cytanet.com.cy; Rigenis 70;s/dCY£150/188; cytanet.com.cy; Rigenis count appliesfrom1Julyto31August. cellent roomsandfacilities,a30%dis- in thewestern suburbof Engomi.Ithasex- of thebunch thatis alittlewayoutof town, some surprisingfinds. enclaves, andadrive toeithermayturnup volos tothesouthhave theirown culinary suburbs such asEngomitothewestorStro- we stickmainlytotheOldandNew Cities, geoning suburbstotheeastorwest.While ing: theOldCity,Newand thebur- offersLefkosia three basiclocationsforeat- EATING gym andsauna. ( p71 theindoorpool, ). Guestsget touse such astheJapanese restaurant Bonsai popular fortherestaurants thatitcradles, chain HolidayInnismost hotels. Lefkosia’s and indistinguishablefrommosttop-end lack of imaginationmakes thishotel sterile the extortionate roomprices,butaserious The great locationcouldperhaps justify go downtoaslowCY£95anight. from 1Julyto31August,whenroomscan smile, askabout thediscountsthatapply restaurants.and in-house Withaknowing and outdoorpool,tennis andsquashcourts went oninitsluxuriousrooms,indoor Who knowswhatpoliticalmanoeuvring main growthareas. Indian restaurants are amongtwoof the of ethniccuisinesavailable. and Chinese their own,meansthatthere isawidearray Cypriots nowhanker after foodotherthan of Cyprus,coupled withthefactthatmany eign palates. Thegrowinginternationalism touristtrapsthatpandertofor-high-cost get, itisthankfullybereft of low-quality, thecityisnotaprimetouristtar- Because beforehand tobeonthe safe side. in Augustforthe annualholidays.Phone downfora couple of close weeks Lefkosia eateries Yitonia scattered Laïki inbetween. areas with asprinkling of low-frills, cheap Dining in theOldCityiscentred ontwomain Old City Dining in Lefkosia canbearealDining inLefkosia treat. Forum NicosiaByIntercontinental Holiday Inn A wordof warning:manyrestaurants in LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Eating as

Mp p60; (Map ) Four star; the only one theonlyone Fourstar; % 2271 2712;hinnicres@

( % 2235 6666; 2235 6666; as

68

) LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) CY£2.50-3) wines onoffer. ofspirit) ortryaselection themainlyGreek ing onweekends. dras. Bookingis an absolute must fordin- and lotsof atLoxan- peopleisthestandard music, goodquality Greek-style mains CY£4-8; Zanettos Taverna Greek Cypriot Cuisine RESTAURANTS Old Citymap( p60 ). areThe eateries inthissection foundonthe revellers,evening mostof whomare locals. is fullof bars andrestaurants andattracts to thecoast,whileFamagusta Gate strip of day-trippers, whothennormallyretreat is mainlypopularwiththelunchtime crowd 69 by no means exquisite. Hammam. Thefood isreasonable, although on Plateia Tyllirias, abuttingthe Omeriye the loveliest front yardinthe Old City, nis 67;mezeCY£6.50; meze CY£2.50-4.50; waiting forbusiness. the painted ladiessitintheirdoorways, shadypartofaway inaslightly town,where ing them.Agreat placeformeze,it’shidden their dozens,andit’sdefinitely worth join- traditional taverns. Thelocalsflockhere in the city,asitisallegedly oneof theoldest Have atipple of patties. infilopastry,andeggplant cheese up of five with stuffed cheeses), eggplant match specialising in Greek-style tourist partworthgoingto. It’sapretty little To Steki tisLoxandras To Steki Erodos 1900 Paei Kairos 1900 Paei Kairos LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Eating Tziellari THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE will comeinhandyifyoutrytomaster some ofthatdancing. Cypriot sausage).There ishousewine, get, starringtheCypriotfavourites and suchasolives, grilled haloumi,souvlaki often entire familiesdiningandGreek dancing,armsoutstretched. The meze isastypicalyou feel ontoafilmsetfromthe1930s:darkwoodenwalls,demure asifyou’dwalked lighting,and heavy doorsintoTziellari. There atmosphere issucha distinct inthisrestaurant thatyoumight downadarkalleyandpushthe Achiepiskopou Kyprianou,thenfollowthesoundofbouzouki find thisplace. Allyouhave todoisopenyourearsasyougetthemurkynight-time Plateia mezedes Thisplacehasagreat reputation in

( % ( h % mezedopolio 2275 2250; Patriarchou Grigoriou 1;2275 2250;Patriarchou Grigoriou h lunch &dinner) 2243 1099;Koraï24;mezeperpersonCY£10; such as mezedes

(

% dinner) tsipouro h ( % 2276 5501; Trikoupi 65;mains 2276 5501;Trikoupi dinner) 2266 7668;Pasikratous 11-15;

The only place in the Theonlyplaceinthe ). It serves mix-and- ). Itserves ( stryftari % (asmallrestaurant (a clear, distilled (aclear,distilled This is certainly Thisis certainly 2267 5757;Fanerome- Live traditional (a pie made (apiemade mezedes zivania

(localfirewater) andCyprusbrandy,allofwhich CY£7.50, grills CY£4; CY£7.50, grills Paliou CY£2.50-4.50) 27;grills Dimarhiou 4.30pm Mon-Sat) successful business. reading anewspaper,unperturbedbyher activityfrominside, theevening observes favourite: mama souvlaki.Anoldsolitary full of Cypriotscomingtoeattheirnational inthepark,alwayspackederna withtables vas mezedes onarich platterold house of imaginative Youdineinanatmospheric local devotees. lar Egeon drawsafaithfulfollowing of mainly a Paolo Da International Cuisine good forlow-pricedandtasty the laststreet before thebarricades.It is CY£3-4; ern sideof themarket. bouzouki (insidetherestaurant only). can eat,have onefree drinkandlisten to all aboutgrilledmeat.ForCY£12.50, you is onthemainlandGreek version, which is meze,buttheemphasis fits, thisplaceserves andpeople. Liketraffic mosttrad itional out- for aquietdinnerordrink( p73 ), awayfrom outsideareThe littlewoodentables perfect like anapparition on thedimlylitstreet. This smallGreek is blue-and-white house 52; mainsCY£5.50; h will throw caution to the wind andforget all place withpizza that smellsso divine you like but offering goodhome-cooked dishes, just h Egeon Odos Othellou Odos Othellou Orfeas Also worthchecking outis Taverna Axiothea

dinner) ( Agios Georgios Taverna Georgios Agios % dinner) h ( 2276 3444;Solonos65; mainsCY£5;

. Bookingsare essential. %

Theever-so-discreet yetvery popu- dinner) ( ( % % Youwon’thave tolookhard 2243 8538;Leoforos Konstantinou Paleologou , unadorned,simple andbasic 2243 3297;Ektoros40;mezeCY£7-12; 2234 3447;Leoforos Athinas23;meze h A little,unassumingjointon

(Othellou 1;mezeCY£8; (Othellou h lunch &dinner)

( % dinner) 2243 0787;Axiotheas9;mains www.lonelyplanet.com Asprawlingtav-

( % seftalia A small Italian A smallItalian onthenorth- 2276 5971;Plateia Estiatorio Sav- Estiatorio mezedes. (grilled h h dinner) noon-

h snacks CY£1.50-2,juiceCY£1.50; lots of dancing tolive Cubanmusic. hitian duck(CY£10)isrecommended, asis Pago islocated Hotel inCastelli ( p69 ). Ta- asyouwaitforatable. Pagoadorned cocktail skirt andgrab apineappleandumbrella- h ing traveller. quick, qualitykebab for ahungry,wander- from 7.30pmto11.30pm. 12.30pm to2pm,andTuesdaydinnertime Monday andThursday lunchtime from (CY£12.50)isonoffersushi buffet every fornia rollsisadelicacy.Anall-you-caneat mackerel, octopus,shrimp,squidandCali- tuna, hamour,swordfish, omelette, salmon, Nigiri and getbythemoving hypnotised choice. around thecounter,stools asyousitonhigh ( p69 sushi tasty thatgoes serves ), Bonsai insidetheHolidayInn town. Sittingdeep always brick ovens bake is yourpizza,andthepasta on topof theVenetian walls.Wood-fired street tothesummergarden,which sitsright risk theirlives carryingyourfoodacrossthe garlic thatdangleabove the ovens. Waiters windows. Everything smellsof theherbsand wooden-shuttered ceilingsandtall, high inwinter) isared-brickused room,with about yourlow-carbdiet.Theinterior (only www.lonelyplanet.com Nikos QUICK EATS andadelicious cappuccino.sandwiches, tomato and delicious kiwijuice. Breakfast onhaloumi, riot pricklypear,hydratingwatermelon, or juices toboostyoursystem. Cyp- Trysweet cushions torecline onanddeliciousfresh owner. Theatmosphere isrelaxed, there are furniture, byVassos, hauledfromBali the A great cafédecked out insmoothebony Double SixCoffeeBar CAFÉS mer days. ilies and just about anyone on the hotsum- areoutside tables always fullof kids, fam- little time. A localice-cream maker whose CY£7.50-10; Bonsai Pahit Ice Pahit Pago Pago Pago Pago lunch &dinner) noon-10pm) (Rigenis 3A; kebabs CY£3-5; 3A;kebabs (Rigenis sushi(CY£11.60)consistingof raw al dente

h (

% ( %

Somany ice-cream flavours, so lunch &dinner) 2271 2712; Rigenis 70;mainsCY£5-9; 2271 2712;Rigenis ( lountza % ThebestJapanese placein 2267 7141;Ledra 120;icecream CY£1; . 2271 2812;Ouzounian38;mains ( % (pork-loinsausage) h Put on your grass Putonyourgrass 2266 8998;Faneromenis; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat) 11.30am-11pm) A mains CY£4-6; Makariou 8,Engomi;mezeCY£7; Makariou silisa Amalia17; h stairs ( p73 ). indigestion, godancingintheclub down- better placestoeat.After dinner,forabitof it hasareputation forbeingoneof Lefkosia’s outinchrome andsteel, ranean menu.Laid amodernistic, Mediter-4th floor,andserves restaurant overlooks theOldCityfrom kg CY£10-18; kg restaurants. Insummer,dineon considered oneof better hotel Lefkosia’s restaurantstop itsin-house frombeing butitdoesn’t patra Hotel maybestuffy, European cuisinenextto the pool. European h is laden with cooling fansand greenery, won’t beeating dinner. Thelarge garden with respect, andifyou comeforlunch, you ians. The mezeismassive, soapproach it this istheidealplace forvegetar-Lefkosia, from beingoneof thebestplaces toeatin Zoo Greek Cypriot Cuisine RESTAURANTS the NewCitymap( p58 ). areAll theeateries inthissection foundon New City Syrian Arab Friendship Club ArabFriendship Syrian International Cuisine dinner is served onthesquare. The dinner isserved visited duringthesummermonths when dine atthissuperblittletaverna. It’sbest fancy achange, headwest of thecentre and If youhave plentyof timeinthecityand you cometoeathere. interior isalittleglitzy,sodress upbefore lunches. Thevanilla-whitefor thecasserole prime ministers andpresidents whocome of including with thewell-heeled Lefkosia, little hardtofind,thisplaceisreally popular for apredinner drink. and thefishistodiefor. There’s asmallbar as elPresidente; it’samodestlittleplace also attractstheCypriothigh-flyers, aswell of abig appetite. themandyou’llneed are besthere butbewarned:there are many Date ClubRestaurant Date Plaka Tavern Plaka Kalymnos Loukoullos

9pm-1am) lunch &dinner) LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Eating ( % 2275 8262;Leoforos Stasinou15;mainsCY£5-7; h Great forromanticdining,the h

(

h % ( % lunch &dinner)

lunch &dinner; ( Themanagement of Cleo- 11am-midnight; mezeCY£10) % 2247 2423; Zinas Kanther 11;fishper 2247 2423;ZinasKanther 2267 1000; Florinis 8;mainsCY£4-6; 2267 1000;Florinis 2244 6498; Plateia Arhiepiskopou 2244 6498;PlateiaArhiepiskopou

( % (SAFC; Afishtavern that 2237 6843;Agathonos 2; a h % ) Flashyanda dinner 2277 6246;Vas- mezedes

mezedes Mon-Sat) Apart 70 or

LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) geni; mainsCY£6-8; takeaway chickentakeaway dishesfor around CY£4. a meanPekingdoes duck. You can order totheOldCity, whichtimate placeclose nese chef. nese good range of dishes,allcooked byaChi- try thisplace. takeaway, ThereChinese isa CY£4-8; beans, chick peas, ful foodisanexperienceof itsown:green vice here issuperfriendly,andthewonder- and children are welcometoplay.Theser- 71 CY£7-10; on anargileh. once you’re youcan’tmove, sostuffed puff and, cold)dessert which isserved custard, Try thedelicious and parsley andplentyof salad) meattoo. chefs. chefs. dishesaresented prepared bynineChinese each table. The delicious,elegantlypre- cushions, andaplantadornsthe centre of ist, withblackwood,white walls,andbeige Hong Kongperhaps. Thedécorisminimal- they eatitintheposhpartsof Shanghai or street withaleafycourtyard.The restaurant inaquietback- isanoldhouse blocks southof the Bastion, theConstanza bestplace. Threedishes, thisisLefkosia’s simply indulge Lebanese insomefantastic met’s heaven, or andifyouwanttosample h and olives. chickpeasfeaturing figs,nuts,honey,beets, mayhaveself feasted upon.Dineondishes that theancientGreek philosopherhim- have taken this to heartandoffer upfoods Theowners of thisplace rus (341–270BC). ofthe satisfaction thestomach’Epicu- said menu for2 CY£8.80-10.80; Makariou III52b;mains CY£5-7; Makariou chicken boxty pancake). potato (stuffed and-stout pie,or ajazzedupbasil-and- either traditional,or‘fusion’,such as beef- the world.ThemenuisallIrish cuisine: version of itsmore ‘earthy’clonesaround Irish pub(see opposite ) isanup-market Ksara Riesling. Ksara are recommended, asisabottleof Lebanese Kana Kai Kana Abu Faysal Finbarr’s China Spice Dragon Arheon Gefsis Arheon LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Drinking lunch &dinner) h h

dinner) (

lunch &dinner) %

(

( % ( % % 2259 1711; Leoforos Georgiou Griva Di- 2259 1711;Leoforos Griva Georgiou ( h

‘Therootof allpleasures is % ( Lebanese cuisineisagour-Lebanese 2277 3820; Metohiou Hilonos 25; set Hilonos 2277 3820; Metohiou 2237 6625;Leoforos Arhiepiskopou % 2276 0353;Klimentos31;mezeCY£7; lunch &dinner) 2287 5875;Pindarou 26;mains mahalabia 2245 2830;Stasandrou29;mains tabouleh h Chinese cuisinelikeChinese lunch &dinner) h lunch &dinner) (bulgur-wheat If you fancy a Ifyoufancya (a light, rice (a light, mezedes Anin- This

designer-wear boys. girls,ormuscleand andblonde-highlights lip-gloss foralltypesandnotonlytheusualplentyof catering III 9A)Aspaciouscaféandbarwithanupstairsterrace, old colonial house, with agrand arched door old colonial house, behind Omeriye Hammam, this heavenly riou III16;snacksCY£2-3) riou coffee-outdoors trend. Italsohaswi-fiInternetpoints. coffee-outdoors thesipping- IIIcafés. Thisistheplacethatstarted Makariou III 30B)Themotherofalltrendy Leoforos Arhiepiskopou close until around2am. close show signs of life before 9pmanddon’t blur. Usually, none of thefollowing places analcoholic fun exploringthe citythrough piskopou Makariou III,youcanhave lots of Old City,tobars alongside Leoforos Arhie- youweren’tBut don’tsay warned… your Pradaoutfit along,well,you’llsurvive. the dressing-up typeoryoudidn’tbring called ‘trendies’ tobefound.Ifyou’re not this smallislandwhere there are anyso- big here, istheonlyplaceon andLefkosia you mustreally dress is up.Designerstuff out,considerthis: toreallyfor anight fitin, If you’re abouttohitthestreets of Lefkosia DRINKING ratherswishfood. coffee, thisplacealsoserves one ofthecity’smoststylishcafés. Alongside delicious &Sparkshosts itornot,Marks III12A)Believe Makariou LaMode Café Mondo CY£1.50-2) cakes to 11pm. The followingplacesare openfrom9am CAFÉS your frappé.Noalcohol isserved. dishes,asyousip mobiles whileeatingpasta inconversationbusinessmen deep ontheir orand Guccibrigadenibbleonsalads, sia’s fashionableelite. WitnessthePrada who’sanyonein Lefko- foreveryone seen Da Capo thefollowing: guidance, sample packed withcafésandbars, soforabitof little steep. andflans,butpricestend style tarts tobea pastry chef makes someexquisite European- coffeelate-night andcake. TheSwiss-trained totheOldCity,thisplaceisgreatclose for Hammam From theFamagusta Gate area inthe Le Café Swiss Cottage Leoforos ArhiepiskopouMakariou IIIis ( ( % % ( % 2277 8044; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou Makariou 2277 8044;Leoforos Arhiepiskopou 2275 7427; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou Makariou 2275 7427;Leoforos Arhiepiskopou (Map p60 ; p60 (Map ( Onthecornerof Theokritou % 2275 5151; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Maka- 2275 5151;Leoforos Arhiepiskopou

( 2251 0788; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou 2251 0788;Leoforos Arhiepiskopou % % 2243 3000;Leoforos Stasinou31; Thisistheplacetobe 2276 6202;Soutsou 9) www.lonelyplanet.com Right Right and jolly (although notwearing bikinis). and jolly(although by bamboofences, andthecrowdisyoung music,thegardenissurrounded loud house feels andlookslike abeach bar. There’s it’sbyFamagustathough Gate, thisplace older crowdwantingaquietdrink. to Famagusta Gate, catering mainlyforan is a‘happyhour’from4.30pmto8pm. chill withanewspaperormagazine. There and expats drinkGuinnessandCaffrey’s checkLefkosians each other out,whilesome mon ’til late. really to theirmates, smoke lotsof nargileh crowd andbackpackers whowanttochat nargileh CY£3.50) food too( p70 ). great quiet drinkunderthestars. It serves from themaindrag,thisisahaven fora oneblockwestandjustaway little house, good andtheatmosphere relaxed. beneath thearomaticfigtree. Themusicis ting underthestars andsippingacocktail tiledfloors,and beautifully isperfect forsit- www.lonelyplanet.com before take the events place. months to printseveral lication asthis goes maynot belistedevents inthelatter pub- available fromtheCTO. Note that some Month concerts andthetheatre, pickup For listings,particularlyforclassical-music ENTERTAINMENT music andkeen-to-party Lefkosians. withfunk Leoforos NFokasandThiseos, This popularstreet-bar isonthecornerof 6) piskopou Makariou III52b;pint ofGuinnessCY£2.70) piskopou Makariou allowed (miniskirtsare OK,though). are respectably dressed: noshorts orT-shirts who butonlytothose the worldisserved, of fromallover placeinMontmartre. Beer a jazzjointorbistrothatwouldn’tbeout thisplace feels likeden insideanoldhouse, watchers andposers. preclub barthatpacksinacrowdof people- the NewCity,Sfinakia isapopular,buzzing Aneatlittlebarbuiltintothewallnext Sfinakia Ithiki Ithiki Kyklos Café Erotiko Plato’s Odos Othellou Odos Othellou Bastione Finbarr’s in andthe Mp p60; (Map

thingtodo),and playbackgam-

Mp p60; (Map

Mp p60; (Map

Mp p58; (Map Mp p60; (Map (Map p58 ; p58 (Map

Mp p60; (Map Agreat placeforthegap-year

Mp p0; telu 1) Othellou p60; (Map Diary of Events % % % % % 2243 4193; Leoforos N Foka 33) 2243 4193;Leoforos NFoka % 2266 6552;Platonas8) % 2234 8111;Athinas2-3) 2276 6661;Santaroza2) 2243 3101;Leoforos Athinas 2237 6625;Leoforos Arhie- 2266 9998;36Ippocratous; Agorgeous pamphlets, pamphlets, Nicosia This Hid- Posh Posh

(the Al- In

LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) •• Entertainment LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Entertainment piskopou Makariou III52) piskopou Makariou 2855; [email protected]) in Aglantzia andthe coming events. and hi-tech systems. sight-and-sound movie-goers withample parking, acafeteria runs allthelatest-release movies andprovides volos. Sportingmultiple screens, K-Cineplex 2.5km out ofto hitLefkosia, thecity in Stro- language films are subtitled inGreek. reruns of English-language movies. Foreign- onthelatest films andsometimes mutations tered thatshow varyingper- aroundLefkosia pop, andtrance. eclectic musicchoices, such asR&B,Greek warehouse withagreat atmosphere and music venue inaformer andnightclub tissis 8; Finbarr’s Irishpub,which isnextdoor. on Saturday;great forafter somedrinksat suburb of Dasoupolis. ers K-Cineplex Cinemas orvisitVirginMouseiou, Records( p74 ). onLeoforos opposite theCyprusMuseum nicipal Theatre box office( p74 ), diagonally watch forposters Mu- ordropbytheLefkosia is tolookinthelocalpress. Otherthanthis, concerts; thebestwaytofindoutaboutthem occasionallyhostsclassical-music Lefkosia Music Live international toGreek pop. ish onthatimage). Themusicranges from ‘flower powerparties’putabitof ablem- its’70s clubscene(although on Lefkosia’s embodiment of styleandsophistication the Zoorestaurant ( p71 ), Zooclub isthe Zoo Nightclubs ing musiciansfromGreece. posters over thesummeradvertising visit- for keeptonia. your eyespeeled Otherwise restaurants offering Yi- live musicinLaïki traditional musicistoheadforanyof the Aglantzias the Blind) There are anumber of othercinemas scat- Club Cilo If you’re keen, get intouch withpromot- The best way to get to see andhearsome The bestwaytoget tosee Red Concerts are commonlyheldatthe

Papadopoulos & Schinis Productions Papadopoulos &SchinisProductions Mp p58; (Map h

Mp p60; (Map outdoortheatre nearthesouthern 5-10.30pm)

( %

(www.aglantzia.com) Mp p58; (Map 2235 5824;www.kcineplex.com; Makedoni- % % The best cinema experience Thebestcinemaexperience 2275 8262;Stasinou15) 2276 7711;Dionysou15) Garage on Friday, house Garage onFriday,house % forinteresting up- 2276 0061;Leoforos Arhie- Scholi Tyflon outdoorvenue

(School for Alive- ( % Under Skali Skali

2537

72 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) linguistic needs. yourfor anyproductionsthatmaymeet Opera 1&2 City map, p58 ) are thefollowing: .nicosiaraceclub.com.cy; Grigoriou Afxentiou 10-12) .nicosiaraceclub.com.cy; Grigoriou Omonia and Olympiakos. Omonia andOlympiakos. many years. Thecityisalsohome toclubs pion, APOELNicosia,heldthetop placefor on thenation’steams. The16-times cham- //soccer.kypros.org/cyprus_links.htm) nas 4) tember toMay. Checkout The in Lefkosia. isfromSep- football season Football ( sport soccer) isthemainspectator Sport as welltheatrical–andbuyyourtickets. find flyers –musical forallupcomingevents AtthehandyboxMuseum. officeyoucan (thepak; Map always inGreek. are plays performedinLefkosia ever, almost There isathrivinglocaltheatre scene. How- Theatre cheaper. CY£3 perperson; othercinemasare slightly Admission toK-Cineplexisnormallyaround Pantheon 1,2&3 Theodotou 18) Palace Cinemas 73 if you have thetime andenergy, sothat their wayto thebest bargain. Join them canbefound elbowing many a Lefkosian 30% to 80% offtheiroriginal price,and ‘discount stores’ at offer clothes and shoes comes toclothes shopping.Theso-called ruleswhenit it’s nowonderthat Lefkosia With itsarmyof designerbabesaround, SHOPPING summer, starting at4pm. summer, starting in winter andWednesdays andSaturdaysin normally heldonWednesdaysand Sundays caters forkeen horse punters. Meets are western suburbof Agios Dometios,thisclub Green Linenorthwestof Famagusta Gate. good showsatitslittletheatre to the close 3028; Leoforos Mouseiou4) Lefkosia Municipal Theatre Theatre Lefkosia Municipal Among these cinemas(allontheNew Among these Club Nicosia Race Theatre Workshop of the University ofCyprus WorkshopoftheUniversity Theatre Theatro Ena Theatro LEFKOSIA(SOUTHNICOSIA)••Shopping Alsotrythistheatre intheOldCity p60 ; ( %

Mp p60; (Map % (Zina Pallas; 2266 5305; Hristodoulou Sozou9) 2266 5305;Hristodoulou ( % 2243 4801)

Mp p58; (Map 2267 5787;Diagorou29) Opposite theCyprus % % 2234 8203;Leoforos Athi- Regularly puts on Regularlyputson 2267 4128;Theofanous

for the lowdown forthelowdown Takis-on-Line % (Map p60 ; p60 (Map 2278 2727;www % Inthe

(http: 2246

8) come to Lefkosia inthesummer.come toLefkosia as buytickets forthemanymusicactsthat latest Greek andnon-Greek aswell releases D’Avila Here Bastion. youcanget allthe nearthe Leoforoshead for,justoff Stasinou 186; .olympic-airways.com; Leoforos Omirou 17) Leoforos EvagorouI54-58) Evagorou I) III&Leoforos Makariou .com; cnrLeoforos Arhiepiskopou 12) Kanther III50) airways.com; Makariou Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Olympic Airlines Lufthansa KLM Cyprus Airways Airways British Alitalia Lefkosia: Cyprus have orrepresentatives offices in airportintheSouth. arrive atLarnaka will airport. Allairpassengers forLefkosia zoneandisnolongerbuffer afunctioning international airportisintheUN Lefkosia’s Air THERE&AWAY GETTING prices. high island atthesame things asanyothertouristshopsaroundthe YitoniaLaïki andgenerally allthesame sell pensive). Touristshops tend tobecentred on British chains, sotheyendupbeingmore ex- not converted intoCypruspoundsinsome are not alwaysthebestvalue(thepricesare New Cityisameccaforchain-stores, which Leoforos ArhiepiskopouMakariou IIIinthe home totheswishErmesdepartmentstore. of andclothesshops, andit’s old-styleshoe areas. street intheOldCityhaslots Ledra boast aboutyourbargain-spotting skills. you canreturn homewithanewoutfitand and cosmetics to clothes and stationery. and cosmeticstoclothesstationery. partment store anythingfrom food selling airways.com; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou III52a) airways.com; Makariou Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Ledra) products beingmadeatvariousworkshops. ramics andpottery. Even better, watch these prices, aswellleatherware, ce- mosaics, Cypriot laceandembroiderieshere atdecent Aplacethatmusic-lovers wantto might Most airlines that serve theRepublicof Most airlinesthatserve Centre Cyprus Handicrafts thereOtherwise, are twomainshopping Virgin Records Records Virgin Ermes h Mp p58 ; (Map TheformerWoolworths isaclassyde- Mp p60 ; (Map 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pmThu) 7.30am-2.30pm Mon-Fri,

Mp p58; (Map Mp p60; (Map % (Map (Map p58 ; Mp p58 ; (Map Mp p60; (Map % 2267 1616;www.klm.com; Zinas

Mp p60; (Map % 2267 4500;www.alitalia.com; % 2287 3330; www.lufthansa 2244 7801;ShakolasTower, % % % www.lonelyplanet.com ( 2275 1996;www.cyprus 2276 1166;www.british % % 2267 2101; www 2276 1190;Arnaldas 2230 5024; Athalassis 2230 5024;Athalassis Get your your Get hour). toAgia Napa(CY£2.50,one bus at3pmMondaytoFriday Troödos noon MondaytoSaturday(CY£5,1¾hours). 7am onSaturday(CY£3,1¾hours). viaLemesos and at runs at6.30amfromMondaytoFriday Monastery at noonMondaytoSaturday (CY£1.90). Lemesos 45 minutes). andtwoonSaturday(CY£1.50, buses runMondaytoFriday Larnaka Protaras viaAgia Napa(CY£2.50,1¼hours). toParalimniRuns abusat1.30pmMondaytoFriday and Pafos (CY£1.50, onehour). andtwoonSaturday buses runMondaytoFriday Seven Intercity BusesCo Intercity BusCo PEAL Eman Buses Agia Napa&Paralimni points. tion, 700mfurthereast. Bas- and thebuslotnexttoConstanza thecornerofnidou near Leoforos Stasinou; Leo- Solomou, abuttingtheTripoliBastion; from oneof three areas (Map p60 ): Plateia ating outof depart Most buses Lefkosia. There are manyprivate companiesoper- Bus www.lonelyplanet.com Pedoulas–Platres Bus Pedoulas–Platres Buses Kambos BusCo Clarios Solis Nea Amoroza Alepa Buses BusesCo Intercity Alepa Buses continue toPlatres. to Pedoulas andPlatres (CY£2).The Saturday busdoesn’t Leonidou 34) Runsabusat12.15pm MondaytoSaturday (CY£1.20). hour) andupto12buses adayinsummertoKakopetria (CY£1.50, one bus toTroödosat11.30am MondaytoFriday and Saturday(CY£3,1¾hours). (CY£3,1¾hours)andat12.45pmon Wednesday Friday at3.45pmonMonday,Tuesday,a service Thursday and on WednesdayandSaturday(CY£2,onehour). Monday, Tuesday, andoneat12.45pm ThursdayandFriday are twobuses aday(2.45pmand3.45pm,onehour)on Other services have theirowndeparture Other services ( % 2266 6388;PlateiaSolomou)Aminibusrunsat ( ( ( ( % % % % ( ( (Leonidou) RunsabustoKykkos % % 2372 1321;ConstanzaBastion)One 9962 5027;PlateiaSolomou)There is 9962 5027;PlateiaSolomou)There 2382 1318;Leoforos Stasinou27) ( ( 2693 6822;PlateiaSolomou)Abus 2275 3234;ConstanzaBastion) Hasa % % ( 2266 5814;PlateiaSolomou)Six 2266 5814;PlateiaSolomou) % 9961 8865, 2295 2437; LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) •• Getting There &Away LEFKOSIA (SOUTHNICOSIA)••Getting trian, ishassle-free. Totake arented car, Palaceing via theLedra Hotel, as apedes- it comes tocrossinginto the North.Cross- airports. andPafosliver passengers toboth Larnaka de- taxis Service ally departingLefkosia. picking upother passengers before actu- willusuallyspendupto30minutesBastion totheairport. taxi getting aservice and leave anhourextraifyou’re atleast preparedup to30minutes are thenorm.Be from anywhere delaysof inurbanLefkosia, press willpickyouupatanappointed time Pafos (2½hours). Travel Although &Ex- (45 minutes toonehour)andCY£9 (1½ hours), CY£3.50toLarnaka Lemesos are Rates CY£4.50to Bastion. Podocataro Travel &Express Travel destinationsare handledby All service-taxi Taxi Service very slow. canbe whentraffic to 1pmonweekdays restrictions. Avoid thepeakperiodof 11am streets andthenumerouson-street parking of wary,however, themanyone-way nou. Be the prominentsignsallalongLeoforos Stasi- your windscreen. the machine anddisplayitontheinsideof of CY£0.30fortwohours. Buyaticket from Parkingforos Stasinou. costsaminimum D’Avila onLeo- Bastions andConstanza new arrivalsisthelarge the lotbetween the Troödos.Themostconvenient onefor III, ortoyourleftifyouapproach from ofright Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou car parksabuttingthecitybastions,to Georgiou GrivaDigeni. Troödos willenter thecityalongLeoforos from thoroughfare intheNewCity.Traffic Arhiepiskopou Makariou III,themain centre, reach youwilleventually Leoforos the extension of themotorwayintocity 6km southof the OldCity.Byfollowing abruptly ontheoutskirtsof about Lefkosia motorwayendsfairly Larnaka–Lemesos inthesouth.The andLemesos or Larnaka from eithertheTroödosMassif tothewest, tends approaching tocome Lefkosia Traffic &Motorcycle Car Parking Place,LeoforosParking Salaminos) Things have changed significantly when Passengers boardingatthePodocataro Getting out of Lefkosia is made easy by outof ismadeeasyby Getting Lefkosia Parking ismosteasilyfoundatthelarge

Mp p60; (Map % justnexttothe 7777 7474; Municipal 7777 7474;Municipal

74 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) in oraroundthe Old City. can hire cars. There are nobicycles forrent Lefkosia Buses isatPlateia Solomou. The urbanbusstation Bus airport. around CY£3.50,andCY£9 toPafos wait of around30minutes. which can sometimesincludea Lemesos, have taxi tochangePafos in withaservice passengers travellingcause to fromLefkosia flyingfromPafoslarly tothose airport,be- can take alongtime. Thisappliesparticu- up anddroppingofftheotherpassengers at leastanhourforyourjourney,aspicking to eitherairports,butdomake sure youleave taxi takeports. Youcan,however, aservice orPafos andLarnaka air- Lefkosia tween There isnopublicorairlinetransportbe- To/From theAirport AROUND GETTING Crossing theThinGreen Line, p235 . theboxedto fillout.Formore info,see text will have leafletthatyouwillneed thevisa driverstaxi whogototheNorthregularly should benomore thanCY£25.Also,most toKyreniaand ajourneyfromLefkosia cost anywhere CY£10andCY£15, between toNorthNicosiashould ney fromLefkosia this, butifonerefuses, tryanother. Ajour- North. Mostdrivers shouldbehappytodo to get totake youanywhere ataxi inthe have luggage anddon’twanttowalk,is theeasiestthingtodo, ifyou Otherwise, boxed text TheElusive Insurance, p175 . acarofor indeed yourown,refer tothe 75 Ethniko Elpis Apostrati erias (Map p60 companies: ). Some localtaxi There isalarge onPlateia Elefth- stand taxi Taxi A Petsas &Sons At Plateia Solomouis the urbanbusstation, &Motorcycle Car other, urban buses areother, urbanbuses of limited use. hotels are of withinwalkingdistance each mostof themajor sitesurbs. Because and ous routes toandfromthecity sub- III 63c) A service taxi to Larnaka airportwillcost toLarnaka taxi A service AROUNDLEFKOSIA••AncientTamassos ( % ( % ( 2276 4966; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Makariou Makariou 2276 4966; Leoforos Arhiepiskopou % 2266 0880; Plateia Solomou) 2266 3358; Plateia Eleftherias) 2266 3358; Plateia Eleftherias)

Mp p60; (Map ( % 2266 5814) % 2246 2650) operates numer- where you the village of . Tamassos’ main claim about 17kmsouthwest of next to Lefkosia known city kingdomis onasmallhillside The site of obscure this otherwise and little- iron, which we intend totradefor copper.’ eign portof Temese withacargo of gleaming son, Telemachus: ‘Weare boundforthefor- toOdysseus’ ThegoddessAthenasays ese. The Odyssey, Hmr etoe mentioned Homer ANCIENT TAMASSOS Troödos canbeheavy anddangerous. to onthemainhighways mer andthetraffic mended: theweathergets very hotinsum- mostly gentle gradients,butitisnot recom- gers of hitching; see p242 formore. bearinmindthedan- However, own wheels. ifyouhavepick upsomeoneyourself, your finditaninterestingyou might diversion to hitching. Localshitch fairlyregularly and be abletoget around,perhapsfitfully,by you have thetimeandpatienceyoushould yourowntransport here,you’ll need butif ellers, sowillbeof limited Generally, use. ers andschoolchildren, andnotcurioustrav- work- they’re basicallyscheduled toservice most of theMesaoria villages with Lefkosia, (often colourfulandold-fashioned) connect sites Whilepublicbuses listed inthissection. someof the tosee A carwillbenecessary &Around There Getting to unlockthebuildings. to beof anyinterest withthekeys to those tobeinagroup and monasteries, youneed asteries. Note thatforsomeof thechurches sites andasprinklingof churches andmon- there are acouple of ancientarchaeological the visitorwantingtoexplore theMesaoria, and theTroödosMassif tothesouth.For are the tothenorth (Girne)Range rangestwo mountain surroundingtheplain transforms intoagreen, fertile plain. The winter, theMesaoria, like mostof Cyprus, to therelentless sun.Butcomespringand months, exposed whenthelandistotally parched landscapeduringthesummer isasprawling, twomountains’) ‘between The plainof the Mesaoria (which means AROUND LEFKOSIA CY£0.75; Cycling inthearea of iseasybecause the h 9am-3pm Tue-Fri, 10am-3pmSat&Sun) 9am-3pm Tue-Fri, where itisreferred toasTem- Ancient Tamassos www.lonelyplanet.com

(admission (admission in ures thatmay once have buried here. been long sincespirited awaythe rich burial treas- mains of kings.Looters thecitadel’s have nondescript foundations. is littlemore itself citadel thanascattering of constitute thesite’s major attraction, as the were discovered.BC twotombs Todaythese two tombsdating backtothe6thcentury remains of beganin 1889,and thecitadel the Hellenistic period.Excavations of the andproduction of copperran wellinto BC, ment here dates fromatleastthe7thcentury ish) isderived. Acopper-producing settle- Around Lefkosia www.lonelyplanet.com of Cyprus(Kypros inGreek; K copper –themineralfromwhich thename endlesssupplyof to famewasitsseemingly Kapoura (Morfu) (5km) To Güzelyurt (12km) To Troödos (14km) To Kakopetria Dam F929 AROUND LEFKOSIA The tombs probably contained the re-The tombs probably contained B9 Ioannis Theodoros Agros Agio () Akçay Stavros tou Agiasmati Agios Xyliatos F OREST A DELFI (Kato Kopia) Alona Zümrütköy Marina Agia

Mt Papoutsa P I T S Y L I A I L Y S T I P (1554m) () Šahinler N ORTHE Orounda Palehori B9 C YPRUS Gayretköy (Avlona) Epifanios Agios Akaki Odou ı br ı Paleometoho s inTurk- AROUND LEFKOSIA••MonasteryofAgios Irakleidios Monastery Maheras Mt Kionia (1423m) Agios Irakleidios Trimithias Monastery of Agios Cyprus by Barnabas. The bishop has been The bishop hasbeen Cyprus byBarnabas. was later made one of the first bishops in St Paul andSt aroundCyprus. HeBarnabas Irakleidios wasborninTamassos and guided the Hittite Empire. ists suggest thatTamassos part of waseven at thetimeof zenith. Sometheor- thecitadel’s have linked toapossible Anatolianinfluence wood –afeature thatsomearchaeologists insuch awayastoimitate unusually carved where grave robbers broke in. Thewallsare A holeintheroof of thelarger tombshows Irakleidios sos isavisittothe nearby combinedwithanexcursion toTamas-Easily OFAGIOS IRAKLEIDIOS MONASTERY Politiko Tamassos (Alayköy) Ancient Skordokefalos B9

Pera Kampia ( h A1 groups 9am-noon Mon,Tue &Thu) E902 Agios Dometios Crossing M AHERS F OREST Pano M ESAORI Strovolos Kato Lakatamia Engomi 3miles 5km 0 0 Hotel Crossing Ledra Palace Monastery of Agios ofAgios Monastery (SOUTH NICOSIA) (8km); Varvara Agia LEFKOSIA Agios Mamas(8km) A1 Pera Horio To Lemesos Airport (11km) To Dali(3km); (54km) B1 To Larnaka Aglantzia Kornos To Ercan (30km)

. St

76 A1 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) Monastery It’s afairhike outtothesprawling ΜΟΝΗ MONASTERY MAHERAS 16th-century Gothicchurch of This isthesomewhatforgotten site of the AGIOS AT CHURCH AGIOS MAMAS the skullof StIrakleidios. reliquary oneof containing thebonesand eastern sideof thechurch youcanspota of frescoes tothe andicons.Onatable The church todayboaststheusualpan oply buildings date fromthelate 18thcentury. 5th centuryAD,butthecurrent monastic number of miracles, includingexorcisms. attributed withperforming a subsequently 77 grims may stay overnight.grims maystay Oneless spiritually is a small cafeteria in thegrounds, and pil- climate There asforspiritual enlightenment. Cypriots who comeasmuch for thecooler ing dates fromaround 1900. of theoriginalstructures; thecurrent build- and flourishedover time. Nothingremains The monastery around theicon developed a cave near thesite of the present monastery. ( phytos foundan icon guardedbyasword astery ( p110 ). In1148ahermitnamedNeo- founded inasimilarwaytotheKykkos Mon- the southwest.TheMaheras Monastery was onMtKionia(1423m)to radar installation Troödos Massif andundertheall-seeing in thefoothillsof theeastern spurof the a signforAgios Sozomenos. road about2kmbefore following Potamia, andgoingontoaminor,pavedPotamia), exit6(for ontheA1,taking from Lefkosia munal incidentsin1964. abandonedsincesomeintercom- has been village of Agios Sozomenos,anarea that The isolated ruinsare mud- inthedeserted andadmired.two aislescanbeeasilyseen cannot beentered, thearches, thenave, and thesitestyle and,although islocked and church wasbuiltinretrograde Lusignan ofhave aboutthem.The nostalgia a sense ers. Perhaps that’swhythebeautifularches first place;it’slike anexercise innonstart- arches werewhose finished inthe never maheras The originalchurch wasbuiltinthe The monastery isapopularouting for The church andvillage canbereached AROUND LEFKOSIA •• Agios Mamas ChurchatAgios AROUNDLEFKOSIA••Agios Sozomenos Mamas

ΤΟΥ SOZOMENOS

meansknife orswordinGreek) in ( h

ΜΑΧΑΙΡΑ 9am-noon Mon,Tue &Thu) Agios Mamas Agios , perched Maheras Maheras , as partof awidertouraroundCyprus. someof thevillagesto see of theMesaoria toursSo-called ‘safari’ often take travellers slow astheroadsare narrowandwinding. ley toanother. Thejourneycantherefore be valleys andravines, andcrossfromoneval- defined fan outhaphazardlyalongroughly lages, butkeep inmindthatroadstend to thearea’s isagoodwaytosee vil- saoria Renting acaranddrivingaroundthe Me- MESAORIA VILLAGES Maheras Monastery. the Skordokefalos picnicarea eastof the tuously slow. E902, whilevery pretty, iswindingandtor- since thealternate route viaPera andthe is bestapproached viaKlirouandFikardou, erence andsolemnity.Maheras Monastery grims. Visitsshould beconducted withrev- which willmostlyconsistof Cypriotpil- joinoneof groups, on howyoumight these locally orperhapsattheCTOinLefkosia of parishioners times.Ask onlyatcertain looms over acommemorative shrine. in 1957.Ahuge of blackstatue theheronow tracked downandkilledbyBritishsoldiers below themonastery, butwaseventually some EOKA leader hidoutinacave just ing the EOKA uprisingof 1955–59. Thefear- inspired visitorwas Grigoris Afxentios dur- (population 6) is close tothe Maheras(population 6) isclose is acool, get-away-from-it-all kindof place. (population 2620),25km south of Lefkosia, genic churches. Thevillage of bothhaveLefkosia, interesting andphoto- and where timemeanslittle. sip coffee and engage ingossipaworld while thelocalsand often thevillage priest the idyllic scenesare madeof. Visitors stopat thatpostcardsofcats onwalls,thestuff rural villea, ancientstonejars, pretty doors and coveredating scenes:oldhouses inbougain- photographers tosomeparticularly captiv- thecobbledbackstreetsstroll through leads here,sights Pera isnonethelesspretty. A from Tamassos. Whilethere are nospecific (population 1020),acoupleof kilometres One of themore popular villages is Drivers lookoutfor upthiswaymight The monastery isopenforvisitsbygroups The postcard-pretty village of The villages of kafeneio Peristerona (coffee shop)forrefreshments, (coffee (population2100), westof Orounda www.lonelyplanet.com (population 660) (population660) Lythrodontas Fikardou Pera

places alongtheroad.Many Lefkosians most villages inout-of-the-way andeven a dayoutinordertoescapethecityheat. Astromeritis andKakopetria) forpicnicsand the TroödosviamainB9road(through intheirhundredswhen Lefkosians storm onweekends option isparticularlyuseful but scenicrouteThis intothemountains. dos, viathePitsyliaregion, offering aslow reachesous waystothehigher of theTroö- architectural linkwiththepast. left inCyprusthatretain atleastatenuous is recommended sincethere are few places move. Still,ifyouare intheregion, avisit cum-restaurant whileawaitingthe next selves withsittingidlyatthevillage’s café- content(many onTroödos‘safaris’) them- nities are frustratinglyelusive. Mostvisitors hundred metres long,andphotoopportu- few peoplelive here permanently. there’sThat said, notalottoFikardouand villages.many modernTroödosmountain visual relief after thecementstructures of withwoodenbalconiesareperiod houses a in theeastern TroödosMassif. ItsOttoman- village villages inaclutch of well-preserved easily combined.Fikardouisthe‘official’ Monastery ( opposite ), and visitstobothare www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright theterms andconditions onoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake You willfindatavern orrestaurant in villages,From these roads leadinvari- The centralstripisnomore thanafew mains CY£5-7) 630) is widelyaround tised usually have theirfavourite haunts.Adver- come tothecountryeatonweekends and and, most importantly, shade. and, mostimportantly, this area have barbecueareas, chairs tables, Maheras Monastery. Allpicnicgroundsin aginative of selection andapretty solidCypriotstaples im- serves foothills andtheMesaoria. The restaurant commands agreat viewover theTroödos arelights andit visiblefromafaratnight Georgallidi region. totheMaheras Close Forest, the there isreally onlyoneplacethatserves accommodation intheMesaoria, although Skordokefalos up intheMaheras Forest southof Pera, at high linking VyzakiawiththeB9,oreven Kapoura Dam ated incoolandleafyspots.Trythe ant picnicsat picnic grounds,usuallysitu- phones, centralheatingandlogfires. roomsandhasacourtyard, self-contained upto14peoplein Itcansleep Lythrodontas. for upto5peopleCY£38) Drakou3l;twCY£20,ste Markou tourism/lythrodontas.htm; AROUND LEFKOSIA •• Mesaoria Villages AROUND LEFKOSIA••Mesaoria Agrotourist lodgingsare yourbestbetfor Around here, youcanhave somepleas- nearthevillage of name,or thesame onapicturesque backroad(F929) Katoï

, overlooking Its thevillage itself. ( % along the E902 that leads tothe alongtheE902thatleads

( 2265 5100;www.yourcyprus.com/agro % issituated inthevillage of 2285 2576; Xyliatou; 2285 2576;Agia Marina Agia Marina Agia mezedes . (population Xyliatos

Avli 78 LEFKOSIA (SOUTH NICOSIA) (SOUTH LEFKOSIA