Overview
Nicosia (Lefkoşa) is the largest city on Cyprus and the world's last divided capital, sitting inland on the Mesaoria plain. Ercan (ECN) is the airport serving the northern side of the city. Expect Venetian walls, Ottoman courtyards, Gothic churches turned mosques and a lively café culture, easily paired with the beaches around Kyrenia. Cheap flights to Nicosia are simplest to find outside the peak Turkish and UK holiday weeks.
Best time to fly to Nicosia
Spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) are ideal: warm days of 25–30°C, comfortable sightseeing and lower fares. Nicosia is inland with no sea breeze, so July and August routinely pass 38°C. Winters are mild, around 15°C by day with some rain, and tend to bring the lowest prices of the year. Use the price charts on this page to match your dates to the cheaper weeks.
Airlines and routes
No UK airline flies to Ercan, and for years every route connected through Turkey. Since 2024, AJet (part of the Turkish Airlines group) has operated direct flights from London Stansted to Ercan, with a flight time of about 4 hours 30 minutes. From Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh you will usually connect through Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, or via Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen or Ankara with Pegasus Airlines and AJet. Allow roughly 8 to 11 hours for a one-stop journey, depending on the layover. Some travellers instead take a direct flight to Larnaca and cross into northern Nicosia by road.
Things to do in Nicosia
The walled old town is small enough to explore on foot, straddling the UN buffer zone.
- Büyük Han: A restored 16th-century Ottoman inn built around a courtyard, now home to craft workshops and cafés.
- Selimiye Mosque: A soaring French Gothic cathedral, later converted with the addition of twin minarets.
- Venetian Walls: The star-shaped 16th-century ramparts, with eleven bastions, that still ring the centre.
- Ledra Street crossing: The pedestrian checkpoint where you can walk between the north and south of the city, passport in hand.
- Cyprus Museum: Just south of the line, holding the island's finest collection of archaeological finds.
At Ercan Airport (ECN)
Ercan sits about 25 km (15 miles) east of Nicosia, roughly a 30-minute drive. The Kıbhas shuttle coach runs to North Nicosia, Kyrenia and Famagusta in step with flight arrivals. Taxis wait outside the terminal and reach the centre in 30 to 40 minutes, and car hire desks are in the arrivals hall if you plan to head for the coast. There is no train.
Top tips for finding cheap flights to Nicosia
- Book connecting fares around 6 to 10 weeks ahead; direct Stansted flights can sell out earlier for summer travel.
- Fly midweek — Tuesday and Wednesday departures usually undercut weekend ones.
- Avoid Turkish national holidays and UK school holidays, when both legs of the journey fill up.
- Compare the direct Stansted service against a one-stop fare from your local airport, and check the When to book chart above.
Travel essentials
UK passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days, and entering as a tourist via Ercan is straightforward; make sure your passport is valid for the whole trip. Northern Nicosia uses the Turkish lira while the south uses the euro, so carry some of each if you plan to cross the line — sterling is not accepted in shops. No vaccinations are required and tap water is safe, though often heavily chlorinated. Bring a GHIC for the south and private travel insurance, as the GHIC is not valid in the north.
