Living in Nicosia: the old town, suburbs and commuter villages

Nicosia as the capital: how the city is organised#

Nicosia (Lefkosia) is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus and the island's only large inland city. It holds the Presidential Palace, the House of Representatives, the ministries, the Supreme Court, the Central Bank and most embassies. The city is the centre of government, banking, law, accountancy and higher education on the island.

The city is divided. The United Nations buffer zone runs through the old town and across the plain, and the northern part of the city is not under the control of the Republic. This page covers only the government-controlled areas and gives no guidance on property in the north.

Greater Nicosia is a ring of separate municipalities around the walled old town. Each has its own council, which deals with building permits, refuse and local charges. Beyond them, a belt of commuter villages runs south and west across the Mesaoria plain towards the Troodos foothills. Nicosia has no coastline: the nearest beaches are on the Larnaca and Limassol coasts, reached by motorway.

The old town within the walls#

The Venetian walls enclose the historic centre in a ring of bastions, with a moat that is now mostly gardens, car parks and sports grounds. Inside, the streets are narrow and the buildings mixed: restored houses, workshops, churches, small shops and cafés around Ledra Street and Onasagorou Street, and the restored Laiki Geitonia quarter near Eleftheria Square.

The Ledra Street crossing point leads through the buffer zone to the northern part of the old town. Close to the buffer zone, some streets have empty or damaged buildings alongside renovated ones.

Living inside the walls means older buildings, limited parking and listed facades that restrict what owners may change. Restoration of a listed building needs consent from the planning authorities and can take time.

Central and inner suburbs#

Outside the walls, the modern centre grew south and west:

• Central Nicosia around Makarios Avenue and Stasikratous Street: offices, shops and apartment blocks, close to the ministries and the courts.
• Acropolis and Agioi Omologites: established residential districts south of the centre, mainly apartments and older houses.
• Lykavittos and Kaimakli: inner districts with older family houses; Kaimakli has a stock of traditional stone houses close to the buffer zone.
• Engomi and Agios Dometios: western municipalities along the main road west, mixing houses and apartments.
• Strovolos: a large municipality south of the centre, mostly houses and low apartment blocks, with schools and shopping streets.
• Aglantzia: the eastern municipality, home to the main University of Cyprus campus and the Athalassa national forest park.

Outer suburbs and commuter villages#

Further out, Lakatamia, Latsia and Geri form the southern suburbs, with newer houses and apartment blocks on former farmland and good road links to the Limassol motorway. Tseri, Dali, Pera Chorio and Nisou lie to the south-east, along the road towards Larnaca. To the west, Palaiometocho, Kokkinotrimithia and Deftera have grown as commuter villages for people working in the city.

Further into the district, villages in the Troodos foothills and valleys, such as those of the Solea valley around Kakopetria, are holiday and weekend places as much as homes; many residents commute only part of the week. Some western villages lie near the buffer zone, and land close to it needs careful checking.

This page does not rank areas. The choice depends on the workplace, the school run and the type of building a household wants.

Universities, schools and healthcare#

The University of Cyprus, the state university, has its main campus in Aglantzia, and the Open University of Cyprus is based in the capital. Several private universities also have campuses in Nicosia, so student rentals are common near them.

State schools teach in Greek under the national curriculum of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth. Nicosia has a large choice of private schools, teaching in English and other languages with foreign curricula and their own fees and admissions; the ministry keeps the register of private schools.

Healthcare runs mainly through the General Healthcare System (GESY), which beneficiaries join by registering with a personal doctor. Nicosia General Hospital and the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital, the public hospital for children and maternity care, serve the whole island for many specialist services, and private clinics are spread across the suburbs.

Getting around and commuting#

There is no railway in Cyprus, and driving is on the left. Motorways run from Nicosia south to Limassol and south-east to Larnaca, so both coastal towns are a commute for some residents. Larnaca International Airport is the nearest airport; Nicosia's old international airport lies disused inside the buffer zone.

Urban buses connect the old town with the suburbs, and intercity coaches run to Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and the free Famagusta area. Timetables are published on the government transport portal. Traffic into the centre is heavy at peak hours, and most households in the outer suburbs and villages rely on cars.

Property data for Nicosia#

Price and sales figures for Nicosia are on the network's market data site rather than this page. The Central Bank of Cyprus publishes a Residential Property Price Index for each district, built from bank valuation data.¹ The Department of Lands and Surveys publishes the number of contracts of sale deposited at each District Lands Office every month.²

The monthly Nicosia sales series is on Nicosia contracts of sale, and the district price index on Cyprus Residential Property Price Index.

The general buying steps are set out in how to buy property in Cyprus.