If you are interested in an overview of history as well as contemporary affairs, you will enjoy this introduction to Nicosia, the last European divided city after the reunification of Berlin.
Nicosia (its local name is Lefkosia) is the capital of Cyprus since the 11th Century AD. Although it remains a divided city since the 1974 Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island, Nicosia manages to combine its medieval and contemporary heritage. The line of partition is known as the Green Line.
The tour visits:
- Visit the Cyprus Archaeological Museum housing the most important collection of Cypriot antiquities and art treasures from Neolithic to Byzantine times (exhibits spanning 5,000 years of history).
- Venture into the older part of the city which is still encircled within the 16thCcentury Venetian Wall fortifications.
- Guided walking tour through a maze of old town streets known as "Laiki Geitonia". This 19th Century folk neighbourhood is now a pedestrian area which is bursting with shops, restaurants and galleries all lovingly restored as examples of Cypriot urban architecture of a bygone age.
- Safely view the no-man’s land that divides the city into north and south since 1974
