Laïki Yitonia

Nicosia (Lefkosia)

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Meaning ‘Popular Neighbourhood’, Laïki Yitonia was restored after serving for many years as an area for painted ladies and dodgy merchants. This tiny southern part of the Old City is Nicosia’s only tourist area. That means it’s full of unremarkable restaurants with tacky water features where waiters try to lure you in with cheesy greetings to eat food that is often overpriced. However, it’s still pretty and pleasant enough for a short stroll.

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has an office here, and you can stock up on most maps and other tourist brochures free of charge.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • St. Hilarion Castle in Kyrenia, North Cyprus.

    St Hilarion Castle

    10.9 MILES

    The full fairy-tale outline of St Hilarion Castle only becomes apparent once you’re directly beneath it. The stone walls and half-ruined buildings blend…

  • North Cyprus, Kyrenia, Kyrenia Castle and Harbour

    Kyrenia Castle

    12.02 MILES

    If the grand fortifications of Kyrenia Castle could talk, they could sure tell some tales. The castle was first built by the Byzantines – possibly over…

  • Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia, Northern Cyprus.

    Selimiye Mosque

    0.45 MILES

    North Nicosia’s most prominent landmark (also clearly visible from the southern half of the city), the Selimiye Mosque is a beautiful mongrel of a…

  • Detail from the iconostasis (baroque wood carving), Church of St Lazarus (Agios Lazaros) (built in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 17th century), Larnaca, Cyprus.

    Agios Lazaros

    23.63 MILES

    This 9th-century church is dedicated to Lazarus of Bethany, whom Jesus is said to have resurrected four days after his death. The church itself is an…

  • 16th century Venetian walls of Nicosia, Cyprus; Shutterstock ID 132634124; Your name (First / Last): Brana V; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Nicosia destination page

    Venetian Walls

    0.58 MILES

    The Venetian walls form a border around the Old City and are so unusual that, once seen on a map, you’ll never forget the odd snowflake-like shape.

  • Church of Apostolos Varnavas

    Church of Apostolos Varnavas

    29.36 MILES

    This beautiful Orthodox church is dedicated to St Paul’s good friend Varnavas (Barnabas), who was born in Cyprus and carried out his missionary work here…

  • Buyuk Han (The Great Inn) Nicosia, North Cyprus; Shutterstock ID 54096925; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Büyük Han

    0.42 MILES

    The Büyük Han is Cyprus' best-preserved example of Ottoman caravanserai architecture. Built in 1572 by the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus, Lala Mustafa…

  • Zenobia ship wreck near Paphos, Cyprus ; Shutterstock ID 471124055; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 471124055

    Zenobia

    24.74 MILES

    For divers, the one reason to come to Larnaka is to explore the Zenobia, a Swedish-built cargo ship that sank just off the coast of Larnaka in 1980…

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Nearby Nicosia (Lefkosia) attractions

1. Leventis Municipal Museum

0.02 MILES

The best place in town to get to grips with Nicosia's rich and convoluted history. The permanent collection inside this handsome neoclassical mansion…

2. Church of Archangelos Michail

0.09 MILES

This domed church was built in 1695 and is thought to have replaced an earlier Gothic church on the same site. The exterior is built in Franco-Byzantine…

3. Shacolas Tower Observatory

0.1 MILES

Shacolas Tower Observatory provides a superb vantage point across the city and the mountain range beyond. Boards below each window point out and provide…

4. Cyprus Postal Museum

0.12 MILES

For the dedicated philatelist. Devoted to Cyprus' postal history, this museum holds a collection of stamps dating back to British colonial rule.

5. AG Leventis Gallery

0.18 MILES

Located just outside the Old City, this art museum features three collections displaying European paintings and sculpture from the 16th to the 20th…

6. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation

0.21 MILES

The highlight here is the beautifully curated Museum of George and Nefeli Giabra Pierides Collection on the mezzanine floor, which contains more than 600 …

7. Omeriye Mosque

0.24 MILES

Originally the Augustinian Church of St Mary, the Omeriye Mosque dates from the 14th century, with its tall minarets added after its conversion in 1571…

8. Bayraktar Mosque

0.24 MILES

This small mosque marks the spot where the Venetian walls were successfully breached by the Ottomans in 1570. The Ottoman bayraktar (standard bearer;…

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