Nicosia: Green Line and Buffer Zone Guided Tour – Nicosia District, Cyprus

EXPERIENCE

Gain insights into the current situation in Nicosia’s Buffer Zone (Green Line) as you explore streets that are hard to discover without the experience of a local guide. You will see the Venetian walls and how they form a border around the old city, so unusual that once seen on a map will never be forgotten as a design synonymous with the unique shape of this ancient fortification.

Our meeting point is located in a central location in the west of Nicosia and close to the old city. We will meet at a convenient parking lot where facilities are available, just before the Ledra Palace Hotel Checkpoint. The main bus station is an 8-minute walk from our meeting point.

We shall commence our walk inside the buffer zone and then explore the south side of the city and follow the infamous “Green line” that cuts through the center, separating the city into southern and northern sections. This division has kept the two major communities of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots apart for more than four decades. Our journey begins at the Ledra Palace Hotel, known in its era as the largest and most majestic hotel in the capital.

You will witness life having evolved along either side of this schism, something once impossible to do until recent agreements between the two sides to open border crossings. We will explore Ledra Street located at the heart of the aforementioned walled city now, once again rekindled to one of the most popular pedestrian commercial streets. See abandoned buildings reclaimed by nature through decades of lost time and scarred by bullet holes, military outposts, and barricades.

We end our walk in the old quarter of the City by the Ledra Street checkpoint, where I will guide you if you want to explore the North side of Lefkosia.

HIGHLIGHTS

Explore the Ledra Palace Hotel, symbol of the divided city’s past and present
Visit the buffer zone, a unique and poignant reminder of the city’s division
Discover the Venetian walls, a fortifications dating back to the 16th century
Walk the vibrant Ledra Street and see the monumental checkpoint
Savor the best cheese pie in the oldest bakery in the city

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