Nicosia district, from the capital to the Troodos

Nicosia district is far more than its capital. It’s the most populous of the six and has the island’s most varied interior, from the flat plain to the pine-covered Troodos. Here’s how it fits together and what I’d see, using CYSTAT figures and what UNESCO and the Spanish foreign ministry say. For an overview of all six, see the districts of Cyprus.

A district cut by the Green Line

Nicosia is one of three districts that lie partly in the area outside the government’s control. The UN line runs through the capital itself, and the northern half of the old town, Kythrea and Morphou, with its citrus plain, all lie to the north. CYSTAT’s census only covers the government side, where it counted 350,035 people in 2021, almost three quarters of them in urban areas. The provisional estimate for the end of 2024 is about 369,400.

The practical point for a visitor is that you can walk across the Green Line in the city centre. It’s all explained in North Nicosia.

The capital at the centre

Nicosia has most of the people and most of the museums. The urban area had about 269,900 residents at the end of 2024, spread over several municipalities, as Lefkosia municipality itself had only 56,479 in 2021. What I’d go for is inside the Venetian walls, with the Archbishop’s Palace, the Byzantine Museum and Ledra Street.

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The mountains, the other half

What I like most is that the district climbs into the Troodos. UNESCO puts nine of the ten painted churches of Troodos in it, with only Pelendri in Limassol district. They fall into three areas worth separating before you plan a day.

• The Solea valley, with Kakopetria and Galata, the easiest from the capital.
• The Marathasa valley, with Pedoulas, Moutoullas and Kalopanayiotis.
• The part of Pitsilia inside Nicosia district, with Lagoudera, Askas and Palaichori.

On the same slopes stands Kykkos Monastery. The monastery places the summit of Throni, at around 1,450 metres and home to Makarios’s tomb, in Nicosia district.

Machairas, Fikardou and the plain

Between the city and the mountains there’s a quieter third area. South of the plain rises the Machairas forest, with Machairas Monastery at 870 metres, according to the Troodos Development Company, and at its foot, among olive groves, Lythrodontas. Close by is Fikardou, which had 25 residents in 2021 and went on UNESCO’s tentative list in 2002. And on the plain, less than 20 km from the capital, are the ancient sites of Tamassos, by Politiko and Agios Irakleidios Convent, and Idalion, at Dali, one of the district’s larger places with 12,350 residents.

Out in the far north-west, cut off from the rest, is Tilliria, with Kato Pyrgos and its 919 residents in 2021.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Nicosia and pick one that fits your day.

How I’d plan it

Two days in the capital and two in the mountains at the very least. I’d give the first mountain day to Solea, with Panagia Asinou and the railway museum at Evrychou, sleeping in Kakopetria, and the second to Marathasa and Kykkos. Machairas and Fikardou fit into a morning from Nicosia. If you have a spare day, Pitsilia is the calmest of the lot. For beds in the capital, see Nicosia hotels.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Nicosia before you arrive rather than at the desk.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Nicosia on Booking.com and filter by area before price.