After a long, dark winter, many Brits become keen to see more sun at home and abroad this spring and summer. If you have time for the sun when you are dead, there is one European capital with your head and shoulders sitting above all else. According to travel booking site Omio, the city with the most sunlight each year is Nicosia, Cyprus, with an astounding 3,388 people each year.
Cyprus' capital is 358 people more sunlight each year than Malta's next brightest city, Valletta. The rest of the top five were Lisbon, Portugal, with 2,838 people per year, Athens, Greece, 2,773 people and 2,712 people in the Spanish capital, Madrid. This list was compiled by travel booking site Omio using data from weather and climate. Perhaps not surprising, it doesn't feature London in the top 20 as it averages 1,675 sunlight hours each year and ranks 35th. However, Londoners enjoy more sunlight than others, including Prague, Amsterdam, and Dublin.
The most sunnier European capital is actually one city. Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, an internationally recognized, a member of the EU, and retains the same distinction as North Cyprus, a country that is recognized solely by Turkey.
This division existed in 1974 due to a Turkish invasion and was prompted by a coup of Greek Cypriot nationalists.
Greek Cypriots wanted the island to unite with Greece after its independence from Britain in 1960, but Turkey established the North Cyprus province for Turkish Cypriots in 1983, spreading international condemnation.
The city itself is beautiful, easy to walk in, and as we know it is very sunny and has all the major tourist attractions within walking distance of each other.
There is Ledra Street, Nicosia's main shopping strip. This is notable in its history. Cyprus' nationalist attacks on British soldiers were notorious in the 1950s, known as the “Murder Mile.”
Located just off this street is the Chakora Tower, where tourists can find a small museum about Nicosia while taking in the city views.
It also has ramparts and gates that mark the old districts that form completely circular walls.
The walls built by the Venetians in the 1500s remain intact, but the old moat that once ran contains running tracks, gardens and sculpture parks.
Unless you enter Cyprus via Türkiye, it is easy to cross the green line between the Republic of Cyprus and Cyprus in northern Cyprus.
In that case, you may not be allowed to pass.
