Nicosia, Cyprus — The Venetian walls and Ledra Street in the old town

50 miles from Limassol port · 4 areas

Moving to Nicosia

The inland capital — professional, Cypriot, and the last divided city in Europe.

Nicosia is the only Cypriot city with no coast, and it is the more Cypriot for it. This is the capital: government, the university, the banks, the courts, and a walled Venetian old town bisected by the last dividing line in a European capital. Relatively few British retirees choose Nicosia, which is precisely why some people do — it offers a genuine city, an authentic Cypriot life and property that costs a fraction of the coastal equivalent.

Why British movers choose Nicosia

Nicosia is where you live if you work in Cypriot professional life, study, or simply want to live in a real city rather than a resort. It has the best museums, the most interesting food, the liveliest old town and the strongest sense of place. The costs of that are a genuinely fierce inland summer with no sea breeze, a forty-minute drive to the nearest beach, and a much smaller English-speaking expat social scene.

The property, and whether your furniture will fit

Apartments dominate in the city and inner suburbs, with detached houses in the outer suburbs of Strovolos, Lakatamia, Latsia and Aglandjia. Prices are markedly lower than Limassol for comparable space. Restored houses in the old town are characterful but present real access challenges for a full household.

Everyday life here

The island's largest hospitals including Nicosia General, the University of Cyprus, the best selection of private and international schools, and full commercial amenities. The summer heat inland is the principal adjustment for anyone arriving from Britain — July and August in Nicosia are considerably more punishing than on the coast.

Delivering to Nicosia

Nicosia is roughly fifty miles inland from Limassol port on good motorway, so the inland leg is straightforward. City access is generally fine in the suburbs, but the old town within the Venetian walls has very narrow streets where only a small vehicle can operate, and parking has to be arranged in advance. Apartment blocks in the suburbs commonly require lift bookings.

Areas