Fairytale Museum, Nicosia

The Fairytale Museum sits on a quiet backstreet behind Paphos Gate, inside the Venetian walls of Nicosia's old town. The museum opened on 23 February 2017 in a restored old house on Granikou Street, and it runs as a non-profit dedicated to preserving and sharing fairy tales, legends, myths and oral traditions, both from Cyprus and from further afield. It is a small, low-key stop rather than a major attraction, which is part of its charm for families walking the old town.

Inside, rooms are arranged around familiar stories, with rare and illustrated books, artwork inspired by fairy tales, and a dress-up corner where children can try on costumes. A reading nook, sometimes called the Fairytale Corner, is set up for storytelling sessions, and the museum runs a changing programme of themed exhibitions, author and illustrator events, and workshops for schools and families. Because the collection is compact, most visits run under an hour, which makes it an easy add-on to a longer walk through the old town.

Combine with the old town

The museum is a short walk from Nicosia Old Town's main sights, including the pedestrian Ledra Street and the Venetian bastions, so it pairs naturally with a morning or afternoon spent inside the walls. As a small, volunteer-run space with a limited weekly public schedule (commonly reported as Saturday mornings only), opening days and hours are far more restricted than the city's larger museums, so check the current schedule before making a special trip.

• Set in a restored house on Granikou Street, near Paphos Gate.
• Interactive rooms, a dress-up corner and a storytelling nook.
• Opening days are limited, so confirm hours before visiting.

Check the museum's own opening hours before setting out, since this is a small non-profit with a reduced weekly schedule, and combine the visit with a walk along Ledra Street and the old-town bastions.