Nicosia has a plethora of museums through which the visitor can discover the tradition, culture and history of the city. Some of the most important museums in the Nicosia district are free, allowing the visitor to get to know even better the brightest capital of Europe!
The museums with free admission in the city of Nicosia:
The Cyprus Museum
Address: 1, Mouseiou street, Nicosia
Operating hours: Tuesday – Friday: 08:00 – 18:00, Saturday: 09:00 – 17:00, Sunday: 10:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 865 854
The Cyprus Museum is the most important and largest archaeological museum on the island. The Museum showcases the development of culture in Cyprus from the Neolithic Age to the Early Byzantine Period (7th century AD). The Museum’s collections include exhibits from excavations carried out throughout the island. A characteristic part of the Cypriot culture – with particularly important artistic, archaeological, and historical value – is the cruciform figurine of the Early Bronze Age pottery, while among the other remarkable exhibits, you will find the gold jewellery of the Late Bronze Age and the statue of Aphrodite of Solon from the 1st century BC.
Leventis Municipal Museum of Lefkosia (Nicosia)
Address: 17 Ippokratous street (Laiki Geitonia), Nicosia
Operating hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 16:30
Contact Number: +357 22 661 475
The Museum is in a complex of three traditional buildings very close to Eleftherias Square. It is the historical museum of Nicosia, through which the history of the city unfolds, from prehistoric times until today. It was founded in 1984 by the Municipality of Nicosia and the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation. In 1991 it was honoured with the “European Museum of the Year” award. The objects presented in the permanent exhibition spaces offer the visitor a journey in the history of Nicosia, starting from the formation of the area with its emergence from the foam of the sea about 1,800,000 years ago, the creation of the first settlements around 3900 BC to end up in recent years, in modern Nicosia. The museum has three spaces for periodic exhibitions, while educational programs, guided tours and other events are organized. Publications, copies of exhibits and other souvenirs are sold in the Museum store. Guide maps of the Museum in Greek, English, German, French and Italian are available free of charge. All information in the Museum’s exhibitions is displayed in Greek and English.
Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus – The House of Hatzigeorgakis Kornesios
Address: 20 Patriarchou Gregoriou street , Nicosia
Operating hours: Tuesday – Friday: 08:30 – 15:30, Saturday: 09:30 – 16:30
Contact Number: +357 22 305 316
The Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus used to be the home of the dragoman Hatzigeorgakis Kornesios and his family, who lived between 1793 and 1808. The dragoman was the interpreter between the Christian population and the Ottoman governor. The mansion is one of the most characteristic examples of Cypriot urban architecture of the 18th century and today is open to the public as a Museum. It is a large two-storey, stone house in the centre of old Nicosia. The museum was awarded with the Europa Nostra Prize in 1988.
The Museum on the History of Cypriot Coinage
Address: 90 Faneromenis street, Nicosia
Operating hours: weekdays: 10:00 – 19:00
Contact Number: +357 22 128 157
The Museum on the History of Cypriot Coinage was founded in 1995 and traces the development of the island’s coinage from the first coins minted during the 6th century BC to modern times.A collection of over 500 coins charts 2.600 years of turbulent Cypriot history and is divided into nine time periods (23 showcases), that offer an important source of information on Cyprus’ numismatic history.
Museum of George and Nefeli Giabra Pierides Collection
Address: 90 Faneromenis street, Nicosia
Operating hours: weekdays: 10:00 – 19:00
Contact Number: +357 22 128 157
The museum presents one of the most important private collections of Greek Mycenaean pottery on the island, including a unique anthropomorphic vessel, as well as the white slip and base ring style -two typical forms of pottery from the Late Bronze Age in Cyprus that made the island’s pottery famous the world over. The richest part of the collection consists of limestone sculptures from the 6th century to the Hellenistic period, whilst the museum also showcases clay figurines, coins, jewellery and copper pieces amongst its hundreds of exhibits. Thanks to the SPYRA Innovative Digital Archaeological Explorer, visitors can see a simulation of pieces they choose by inserting (imitation) fragments into the base of the machine, which then displays an image of how the exhibit would have looked, along with its relevant information.
Cyprus Police Museum
Address: Evangelou Floraki street, within the Police Headquarters building
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 808 793
The museum was originally founded in 1933 during British colonial times as a Criminal Museum by the British Chief of Police of the colonial government. A substantial part of the museum is dedicated to the history of the Cyprus Police Force, from the British period up to the present day. Visitors can see uniforms, arms, equipment and police vehicles, as well as musical instruments, photographs and documents of the Police Band. The Museum also houses objects and documents from the Second World War and the 1955-1959 National Liberation Struggle.
National Struggle Museum
Address: Archiepiskopou Kyprianou Square, Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 08:00 – 14:30
Contact Number: +357 22 305 878
Located in the square near the Archbishopric, the museum houses documents, photographs and other memorabilia from the 1955-1959 National Liberation Struggle against British Rule, and was founded after it ended, with new premises later opened in 2001.
The Pancyprian Gymnasium Museums
Address: 10-16 Agiou Ioannou and Theseos street (next to the Pancyprian Gymnasium), Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 15:30, Wednesday: 09:00 – 17:00, Saturday: 09:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 466 014
The Museums of the Pancyprian High School are a space of twelve rooms housed in the historic centre of Nicosia and present the history of the oldest Secondary School in Cyprus as well as many other aspects of Cypriot history and culture. The Museums consist of the School History Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Numismatic Collection and house collections of antique maps and old weaponry, an art gallery, the Natural History Collection and a variety of other exhibits. The collection is completed with a unique and impressive sample of Gothic sculpture in Cyprus.
Cyprus Postal Museum
Address: Department of Postal Services, 3B Agiou Savva street (Laïki Geitonia), Nicosia
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 15:00, Saturday: 09:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 304 711
The Cyprus Postal Museum is housed on the ground floor of an old two-storey mansion. It was founded in 1981 to exhibit the rich and diverse material of the island’s postal history, which started from the 15th century, when postal communications to-and-from Cyprus were organised for the first time during the Venetian period. The halls of the museum exhibit postage stamps and rich philatelic material in chronological order, including material from the period of British Rule. In particular, the oldest series of Cypriot stamps with the portrait of Queen Victoria of England, which are overprinted with the word ‘Cyprus’, as well as the first dedicated Cypriot series of 1928 that depicts historic sites and figures related to the island’s long history.
Water Museum
Address: 84, Athalassas Avenue, Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday 07:30-15:00
Contact Number: + 357 22698200
The Water Museum presents a complete picture of how Cypriots used to supply water, transport it and use it for their crops or households. The museum consists of 3 sections, the open water museum, the “old workshop” and the “old warehouse”.
The museums with free admission in Nicosia district:
Local Archaeological Museum of Ancient Idalion
Address: Dali
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 08:30 – 16:00
Contact Number: +357 22 444 818
The Local Museum of Ancient Idalion was founded in 2007 with the aim to promote the rich finds of the region of Idalion (Dali), and later to function as a Visitor Centre for the archaeological site in which it is located. The exhibits of the museum represent all the chronological phases of the history of Idalion and come from both the old and the more recent excavations of the area of the ancient city, from both settlements and cemeteries.
Cyprus Museum of Natural History (Latsia)
Address: Carlsberg Brewery grounds – Latsia area
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 08:30 – 13:00. It is necessary to book an appointment.
Contact Number: +357 22 585 834
Located within the grounds of the Carlsberg Brewery, the museum is the largest natural history exhibition of its kind on the island and was founded by ‘The Photos Photiades Charity, Scientific and Cultural Foundation’. Amongst its 2.500 or so exhibits are: embalmed mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects, along with rocks, minerals, semi precious stones, shells and fossils.
The Byzantine Museum of Holy Bishopric of Tamasos and Oreinis (Episkopeio)
Address: Stavros Stylianides Avenue, 2642 Episkopeio, Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 465 465
The Byzantine Museum of Holy Bishopric of Tamasos and Oreinis is situated inside the Bishopric Palace, in the community of Episkopeio, Lefkosia (Nicosia). In the Museum byzantine and post-byzantine artefacts are exhibited, dating from the 5th to the early 20th centuries. Among them you can find icons, liturgical objects, priestly habits, manuscripts, coins, ceramic and other religious objects, mostly coming from several communities of the bishopric region.
Byzantine Museum (Pedoulas)
Address: 10 Archangel Michael street, Pedoulas, Nicosia
Operation Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 16:00
Contact Number: +357 22953636
The Pedoulas Byzantine Museum has been operating since 1999 in the old primary school of the village and is located near the church of the Archangel Michael. Its collection consists mainly of icons and church utensils dating from the 12th to the 20th century and come from the six Byzantines and post-Byzantine temples of Pedoulas.
Folklore Museum (Pedoulas)
Address: 2 Vasou Hadjioannou street, Pedoulas, Nicosia
Operating Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 09:30 – 16:00
Contact Number: +35722952140
The Folklore Museum is in a central location of the village near the large church of the Holy Cross. In addition to traditional arts and crafts, the Museum presents the interior of the Cypriot traditional house, with its original furniture, utensils, and other household items, including local costumes.
Proto-industrial Laboratory (Agia Varvara)
Address: Agia Varvara
Operating hours: Wednesday and Saturday: 08:00 – 13:00
Contact Number: +357 22 521 715
The early industrial workshop of Agia Varvara combines a traditional house with the place of work to form an interesting museum that showcases daily life on the island in years past. The workshop uses the primitive equipment of the 1920s; flour mill, crushed wheat mill, barley mill and oil mill, which all worked with a single engine that distributed motion to the machines according to the owner’s needs through a combination of transmission shafts, wheels and belts. A wine press and loom were also used by the owner’s wife.
Ethnological Museum (Fikardou)
Address: Fikardou
Operating hours: 15 April – 30 October, Weekdays: 09:30 – 17:00/ 1η November – 14 April, Weekdays: 08:30 – 16:00
Contact Number: +357 22 634 731
The village of Fikardou has been declared an Ancient Monument, and carefully restored to preserve the 18th century houses with their remarkable woodwork and folk architecture. Two of these houses have been turned into museums, exhibiting rural items and depicting rural life in years past. The House of Katsinioros – which was named after its last owner – is a two-storey stone-built manor house with a steep-pitched wooden roof and many architectural features of the 16th century. Following the traditional arrangement of homes of this period, the upper floor functioned as the living area of the house, while the ground floor was used for the pressing of grapes, as well as for storing other agricultural produce and tools – all of which can be seen at the museum. The village received the “Europa Nostra” award in 1987.
Cyprus Railway Museum (Evrychou)
Address: Evrychou
Operating hours: 16/4 – 15/9 Monday – Sunday: 9.30 – 17.00/ 16/9 – 15/4
Monday – Sunday: 08:30 – 16:00
Contact Number: +357 22933010
The Museum of the Cyprus Railway is housed in the old Railway Station of Evrychou, in Troodos. The Cyprus Railway, which operated from 1905 to 1951, covered a route from Famagusta in the east to Morphou in the west passing through Nicosia. From Morphou the third section ended at the southern terminal of Evrychou. Evrychou Station is the only Railway Museum in Cyprus. The rooms display authentic documents, drawings, photographs, and objects related to the railways of Cyprus, as well as models of stations and rolling stock. At the back, the platform and part of the railway line have been built with authentic rails. Two Cypriot Railway wagons are displayed under a metal canopy in the courtyard.
Museum of Heroes (Geri)
Address: Iroon Avenue, Geri
Operating hours: Monday – Friday 4
Contact Number: + 357 22481755
The Geri Struggle Museum is in the central square of the Municipality and was created in honour of the heroes Iona Nikolaou, Kyriakos Kolokasis and Kyriakos Kakoullis. The Museum exhibits personal objects of the heroes, photographs, the original signatures of the inhabitants of Geri from the Referendum held for “Union” with Greece.
Museum of shoemaker Christos Chrysanthou (Spilia)
Address: Spilia
Operating hours: (arrangement of appointment by telephone)
Contact Number: +357 99 176 839
The museum of shoemaker Christos Chrysanthou is located in the mountainous village of Spilia and was founded in 2007 by Andreas Chrysanthou in honour of his father Christos – who lived to the ripe old age of 101, and was a shoemaker by trade, among other talents. Exhibits include the shoemaker’s bench – built in 1920 – with all associated tools for shoemaking, along with Singer machines and a ledger that dates back to 1933. Hanging on the wall are various shoe moulds, leathers and footwear.
«Linos» Museum (Kakopetria)
Address: Old Kakopetria – Linou street, Kakopetria, Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday 07:30 – 15:00, (arrangement of appointment by telephone)
Contact Number: +357 22922323
“Linos” Museum is housed in old Kakopetria. It consists of three thematic sections, the first is dedicated to wine, the second to bread and the last to oil. In the first room of the ground floor, where the vestibule is, there are mangers where the donkeys ate. In the main hall of Linos, there is a large tank in which all the production of grapes was placed. In the upstairs rooms, there is photographic material and films that present the history of the Museum, as well as images from the three thematic sections of the Museum.
Olive Mill Museum (Kakopetria)
Address: Old Kakopetria – Courtyard of Sotiros Church, Kakopetria, Nicosia
Operating hours: Monday – Friday 07:30-15:00
Contact Number: +357 22922323
The Museum is housed in the courtyard of the church of the Savior, in the old picturesque neighbourhood of Kakopetria. The old olive mill with the characteristic millstone on display today at the Museum is no longer operational.
Museum of Folk Art, Tradition and Heritage (Platanistasa)
Address: Archangelou Micahel, 2755 Platanistasa, Nicosia
Operating hours: (arrangement of appointment by telephone)
Contact Number: +357 22652090
In Platanistasa, in the area that today houses the Museum of Folk Tradition, there was a traditional olive mill. Specifically, it displays the works from olive harvest to the production of olive oil.
