Fun and entertainment Southern Nicosia

The oldest box in Nicosia, opened in 1968, is also the most gay friendly hotel. The restaurant looks pretty nice with a nice room and a French-Cypriot menu.

In the heart of the old town, on the north side, this pleasant café-bar with terrace is an important meeting place for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot campaigners for the reunification of the island. Its name comes from the ancient Greek οἱ πολλοί, literally "the many", pejoratively referring to "the plebs". The Turkish Cypriot owners frequently organize weekend concerts with artists from all over the country. All kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are served. Friendly staff, good music and low prices.

Already, we like the name of this slightly alternative café: "comme par enchantement" (Τα Καλά Καθούμενα). And its location isn't bad either, just off the Papadopoullou stoa, a covered passageway that connects Ledra Street to Faneromeni Square. The rather young clientele talk politics and play tavli (backgammon) while drinking beer, lemonada spitiki (homemade lemonade) or Turkish coffee (no espresso). Quiet atmosphere for reading or working. By the way, we've written quite a few pages of this guide here.

This "remote" café (Απόμερο) is one of the most charming in the old town. Nicosios come here for an elleniko ("Greek" coffee... Turkish-style) or a fresh orange juice accompanied by pastries prepared each morning: galaktoboureko (phyllo pastry and lemon custard), portokalopita (orange cake), spanakopita (spinach friand), etc. Pleasant terrace in a quiet, shady alley lined with little houses. And a tiny dining room, decorated with black-and-white photos and two tables on the mezzanine.

With its meticulous decor, swirling light shows and enormous sound system, this nightclub claims to be Nicosia's most modern and glamorous. No doubt, but you may not have the opportunity to verify this, as the security service is so intransigent: sneakers and T-shirts (in theory) forbidden, groups of boys rarely admitted, state of inebriation prohibitive, privileged access to Greek-speaking customers, etc. To get past the zealous security guards at the entrance, it's best to reserve a table on the website.

Opening in 2019, Sllip Club is renowned for its good Cypriot and foreign DJs(drum and bass, electronic music), its large central dance floor and its gay-friendly image. It is housed in the brutalist Zena complex built in 1966, which also houses a cinema. Named in honor of Cypriot "princess" Zena Kanther De Tyras (1927-2012), this vast building is currently the subject of a vague reconstruction project, so "Sllip" could soon be moved or closed.

The best-known aspect of Sufism, the ritual dance of the Mevlevi "whirling dervishes" (Semazenler, Whirling Dervishes) is called semâ töreni in Turkish. A local troupe gives tourists a glimpse of this dance in the northern part of the old town. Usually, a single dancer waits for customers in front of the Bedesten in the afternoon and dances for ten minutes in a nearby café, or sometimes at the Bedesten itself. A far cry from the spirit of this ecstatic dance, which can last for hours.

The oldest café-concert venue in greater Nicosia, opened in 1988, this "reckless" bar organizes rock, blues and folk evenings almost every day, with local Greek- and English-speaking bands (compositions and covers). It's located between two gyms, on a small street in Strovolos. The space is quite large, but also sometimes very smoky despite the anti-smoking legislation in force. Wide choice of beers (150) and whiskies (50), pool table, terrace, DJ on Sundays, helpful waiters for drinks.

Opened in 2009, this bar regularly hosts rock concerts with local bands. The sound is not too loud. Good, because it's very small. So you can enjoy a chat over a drink. A beer, for example, as the establishment is also a craft microbrewery. A wide selection of foreign craft and industrial beers is also on offer, including twelve on draught. Alternatively, you can opt for whiskies. Friendly staff with good advice on drinks. Small terrace overlooking the street.

This six-screen multiplex is the largest cinema in Cyprus. Located in Strovolos, it can be reached by bus^no. 1 from Solomos Square ("Makedonitissis-Amazonon" stop). The facilities are modern: wide screens, state-of-the-art sound system, comfortable armchairs, café-restaurant, etc. Mainly recent English-language films with Greek subtitles are shown. The Cypriot K-Cineplex group operates four other multiplexes in Larnaka, Limassol, Paphos and the Mall of Cyprus, south-east of Nicosia.

Located in Strovolos, near the Pedios river, this 400-seat concert hall is the largest in Cyprus for amplified music: rock, hip-hop, pop, metal... It's mainly Cypriot and Greek artists who perform here, like the Nicosian trio Monsieur Doumani, whose mix of rock and traditional music has been hailed by the international press. Since it opened in 2012, the venue has also regularly welcomed groups from elsewhere. It organizes several festivals, including a metal festival in April.

Several times a year in Nicosia-North, the prestigious Bedesten (former ^12th-century St. Nicholas Church) hosts classical music, jazz and opera concerts under its beautiful Gothic vaults. Enjoying good acoustics, performances are organized under the aegis of the KKTC DOB, the National Opera and Ballet Coordination Center (Devlet Opera ve Bale Koordinasyon Merkezi) of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Bedesten also hosts temporary exhibitions and occasional "whirling dervishes".

This beer bar enjoys a great location, on the edge of the Arabhamet district, on the Mula bastion (Zahra in Turkish) with a direct view of Ledra Palace and a Turkish Cypriot soccer pitch set in the moat. German, Turkish, Italian and American beers, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, Italian and French wines (not great), coffee, burgers, pizzas, cheese fries and more are served on the large tables inside or on the terrace. Nice atmosphere in summer evenings.

This café-tea room is also an art gallery. It's run by German-Cypriot artist Luna Rabbit, who sells her creations here (paintings, jewelry, home decor) and prepares a whole host of goodies: classic or vegan pastries, olive cake, coffees, lemonade, iced tea, hot chocolates with plant-based milk, and more. The place is superb: a beautiful Gothic vault, a shady courtyard, large volumes, designer furniture and little nooks with comfortable cushions. Perfect for a break near Bedesten and the Selimiye Mosque.

Housed in a former "textile workshop" (Υφαντουργειο), this handsome café with club chairs has become a "coworking" space. Practical for nomadic workers and vacationers who are "indispensable" to their business: you'll enjoy loft decor, a studious atmosphere, very high-speed Internet, printers, lockers with keys, a meeting room, a small shady courtyard, a catering area, a space to store bicycles... Various packages are on offer, including by the hour with a drink.

Born in 2013 in the old town, this establishment started out as a temporary experiment to make the best coffee in the world. Now it's a profitable little business. For each type of coffee, a dedicated machine: espresso, americano, cappuccino, etc. But the regulars' favorite is the cold drip, obtained using a spiral system worthy of a scientific laboratory. This process requires between 5 and 7 hours of dripping to obtain the equivalent of a small coffeepot.

This open-air cinema operates from mid-July to mid-September during the "Summer Screening Marathon" (Μαραθώνιος Θερινών Προβολών/Marathónios Therinon Provolon). A real pleasure to enjoy the evening breeze while eating popcorn under the stars! But as the program is rather "art et essai", some Serbian or Albanian films with Greek subtitles remain rather obscure. Fortunately, there are also quite a few French-language films.

This café-bar enjoys a shady corner in the pleasant Klokkari stoa, a covered passageway between the two main pedestrian streets Ledra and Onasagorou. The decor is pleasant, the musical program varied and all kinds of cocktails, coffees and pastries are served here at reasonable prices. In the heat of the day, we recommend house creations such as "sonak", a lemonade with mint, lime and narsharab (pomegranate juice concentrate), or "krups", a Turkish-style coffee topped with Chios mastic ice cream.

This large neoclassical-style theater (Δημοτικό Θέατρο Λευκωσίας/Dimotiko Theatro Lefkosias) was inaugurated in 1967 and completely renovated in 2019. Its modern 1,000-seat auditorium is used for National Theatre performances, concerts and dance shows. Between October and November, the building and the pleasant garden behind it host the island's most important cultural event, the Nicosia International Festival.