24 Hours in Nicosia with Poly Hadjigeorgiou

Text: Teo Hatzis
 

8:00 

Start your day by getting to know the glorious past of the city, going through the Famagusta Gate, the most important Venitian era gate of Nicosia, which today houses the Municipal Cultural Centre.  Then, have a cup of coffee in a little café in the Old Town and later pop in the Folk Art Museum of Cyprus, a space where the culture of the island is presented and preserved. 

9:00

Walk by the Faneromeni Highschool within the “walled city part” of Nicosia, which is located in one of the prettiest and oldest buildings of the capital: the Girls’ School of Faneromeni. This area is full of places where the island’s history was written and full of life: shops, kafeneia, restaurants, parks and squares, people sitting in their verandas, children playing in the streets, smells wafting from countless souvlaki places and merging with thousands of flowers make it an indescribable experience!

10:00

Stop at one of the tallest Nicosia buildings, Shacola Tower, and take in the whole city, viewing it from above with a telescope or binoculars. Upon return, make a stop at the Levendeio Municipal Museum of Nicosia, near Eleftherias Square, where one can see all the history of the city from prehistoric times until today!

12:00

Go for a walk in Ledras and Onasagorou streets. The little stores at this much frequented spot offer an intimate, amicable and special shopping experience and great service to their clients.

13:00

Revisit the past by going to the Cypriot Museum, the oldest and largest archaeology museum in Cyprus, that exhibits finds from the multitude of excavations that have taken place here.

14:30

Time for a break! Stop by the Pantopoleion in Vasileos Pavlou street and enjoy traditional dishes and the best orange pie of the island. The best souvlaki is made by Kyriakos in Aglantzia and a sublime ofto kleftiko by yet another Kyriakos in Pallouriotissa.

18:00 

This is the ideal time to tour the best boutiques in Stasikratous and Archiepiskopou Makariou streets. After shopping, go to Athalassa Avenue at the Center of Cypriot Handicrafts and buy traditional items and watch traditional artisans making working.

21:00

My personal all time favorites dinning places are Bottega Amaro, which serves great Italian cuisine and Gym – I recommend them unreservedly. Lovers of gourmet cuisine should go to Skinny Fox, and those in need of gluten-free dishes and Mediterranean specialties should head to Mouson.

24:00 

Enjoy your drinks at Aperitivo, one of the most popular places of Nicosia with a variety of flavors and loud music or the all time classic Mercedes Café, a sumptuous lounge space for drinks and dinning in the heart of the Old Town.

My city stands out because…

My city stands out for being the political, business and cultural centre of Cyprus, and despite being the only divided city in Europe it has the power to bring together all those who live there or visit Nicosia for a short time, over longer periods of time or even forever...