Walking City Tour Nicosia North

Ledra Street Crossing Point

10 min

This checkpoint opened in 2008, with a huge positive impact on the quarters on both side of the Green Line.

The Arabahmet Mosque

30 min

The Arabahmet Mosque is situated in the Arabahmet Quarter, one of the historic and prestigious neighbourhoods within the walls. This quarter in the western part of the city of Nicosia used to be the centre of culture and business during the Ottoman and British eras. The residential buildings here reflect the architecture and tradition of those times.
Apart from the mosque, this quarter is now famous for its modern coffee houses, bars and restaurants on top of the city walls.

15 min

From the Venetian city walls we see the Ledra Palace Hotel. It opened in 1949, used to be the most luxurious hotel in Nicosia and is now the UN headquarter in the Buffer Zone.

The Samanbahce Quater

30 min

Situated not far from the Kyrenia Gate, this small neighbourhood consisted of 72 tiny courtyard houses and was the first Social Housing Project in Cyprus. All houses were built using traditional building materials according to the traditional Nicosia-House plan. This charming neighbourhood, with its long narrow streets full of flowers and sleepy cats today, reflects Nicosia's way of life at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Venetian Column

10 min

The Venetian Column is situated right in front of the North Nicosia High Courts. The court building is a typical example for British colonial architecture.

Buyuk Han

20 min

The Büyük Han is the most impressive monument from Ottoman times in Cyprus. At the end of the tour this is a good place for a drink or a lunch. Normally we end our tours here, but for guests who want we offer to walk them back to the checkpoint - its only 5 minutes away

Selimiye Camii

10 min

Selimiye Mosque, built in the 13th century as the Saint Sophia Cathedral, lay in the heart of Nicosia and was once the coronation cathedral of the Lusignan kings. This cathedral, converted into a mosque in the late 16 th century, is considered one of the island’s most beautiful examples of Gothic sacral architecture.
The cathedral/mosque is closed for renovation at the moment. We will see it from outside.

Bandabulya Municipal Market

15 min

Bandabulia was the first covered market built in 1932 during the British Period. Located right in the city’s old core, on today’s Green Line, Bandabuliya is the local market in the north part of Nicosia where you can find fresh fruits and vegetables and a wide range of goods, such as books, records, traditional sweets and souvenirs.