What a pleasant surprise Nicosia was. We arrived by bus from Larnaca and headed on foot to the House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios. Its a great walk through some of the streets of the old town, some lovely buildings, peeps into courtyards and a stop at the beautiful Kafenieo11 for a coffee in an imaginatively decorated courtyard, remiscent of the ruin bars of Budapest but with lemon trees and calm vibes.
The House of Hadjgeorgakis Kornesios was an absolute joy, a stunning ottoman mansion bui;t in 1793 saved from developers and opened as a museum in 1960, Kornesios a dragoman ended up being executed by the ottomans but thi his house and gardens complete with hannam remain and are fabulous. It was free to enter, we were the only visitors and were left free to roam.
Next stop was the Folk Art Museum housed in the old Archbishops palace part of which dates back to the 15th century. It’s well worth a visit. Its next door to both the Byzantine museum , closed for renovation on our visit and The National Struggle Museum ( uncomfortable viewing for a Brit!)
We spent less than 5 hours in (south) Nicosia, we could have spent a lot more. I would recommend a nights stay f you can find accommodation in the old town we enjoyed wandering the old town and would like to have visited more museums.
