Things to do and places to go in Paphos!
Paphos Harbour and Fort
Paphos harbour attracts visitors all year round. The quayside is lined with restaurants, tavernas and cafes, and the view is superb, with lots of colourful fishing boats bobbing in the harbour. The remains of a fort dating from 1391 can be seen at the end of the harbour area, and it can be reached via a small bridge over a moat and is worth a visit for the view from the top.
The harbour is also a good place to take a boat tour of the surrounding beaches and coastline.
Paphos Coastal Pathway
Imagine a backdrop of green hills on one side, a brilliant blue Mediterranean on the other and more than 7km of meandering coastal pathway that will set your heart racing. No, don’t think that we speak of an arduous journey facing you!
Stretching from Paphos’ Saint Georges Bay to the Kato Paphos historical harbour, it is a route of exceptional natural beauty that the Paphos district coastline is famous for. Sandy beaches, rugged coves, mini lagoons and idyllic azure pools pop up along the way inviting you to stay a while, relax and enjoy the scenery.
You can even catch up with history along the way! The path skirts by the famous Grivas landing point, the instigator breeding insurrection against the English in the seventies. Further along, the stranded shipwreck, a favourite with pub storytellers, claiming sightings of the drunken captain still roaming the ship.
Next, you will be passing an expansive Tomb of the Kings archaeological site, a Necropolis dating back to the 3rd century BC. The site is worth exploring, so pencil it in your ‘must do’ list.
Taking your bearings from the Lighthouse, you will be approaching the fabled Acropolis of Nea Paphos which supposedly was built on the rocky outcrop where the lighthouse stands now. Skirting the length of the peninsular you will be circumnavigating the old city walls in fact, which is still largely unexplored and contains many ancient treasures!
Finally, you turn east approaching what is known today as the Paphos Castle guarding the harbour. The square fort was built by the Lusignians in the 13th century replacing an earlier Byzantine castle which served as formidable protection for the port.
Whilst the route is nothing less than exciting there are stretches of it still not paved so be prepared to climb over some rocks here and there and wade through a sand dune along the way. The Cyprus CTO has fully completed the walkway between the castle and the Elysium Hotel due west (St Georges way), and the Amathus Hotel due east of the harbour.
Paphos Bird & Animal Park
Pafos bird park was opened in 2003 and is set in a beautiful location approx 12km from our apartment. It has a vast collection of birds including exotic parrots, hornbills, toucans, eagles, owls, peacocks, ornamental pheasants, water fowl and many more. The park is committed to the breeding and conservation of birds, animals and plant life of Cyprus and of the world and is well worth a visit. The park is open 365 days a year. For more information Click Here.
Tombs of the Kings
You will find the Tombs of the Kings 5 minutes from our apartment on the main Tombs of the Kings road to Paphos. The tombs are impressive enough to be worthy of kings. They are burial caves carved into the bedrock of the hill and decorated with Doric columns and capitals; they date from the 4th century BC.
Openig Hours: Mon - Fri from 7.30am till 5pm, Sat and Sun from 9am till 5pm.
You can freely walk about the place once inside, searching through the rooms of the tombs, with parts underground carved into the rock.
Aphrodites Rock (Petra tou Romiou)
Aphrodites Rock is located off the old Pafos-Limassol road where there are breathtaking views of the sea, and spectacular sunsets. Legend has it that this is the rock from which Aphrodite mythically arose from the foams in the sea.
Troodos Mountains
The Troodos mountains cover a large area in the centre of Cyprus with Mount Olympus being the highest point at 1952m. To see the whole of Troodos area would need at least a week. It is dotted with tiny traditional villages, forest paths, and ancient monasteries (most notably the Kykkos monastery with its Byzantine museum). The weather is noticeably cooler in the mountains, and you can even go skiing between January and March. On the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains you'll find Pano Platres which is close to the ski centre, but is also the ideal location if you want to do some walking. It's popular with Cypriots and tourist alike who enjoy the many nature trails of the area (caledonian waterfalls, mesapotamos trail, millomeris trail, artermis and krios potamos).
Houses of Dionysus and the Paphos Mosaics
These are a series of striking mosaic floors in a series of ancient Roman noblemen’s villas, dating from the third to fifth century AD, and are a must-see for visitors to Paphos. The site where the villas stood are still being excavated, and can be found about 300 metres from the Paphos harbour. The mosaics featuring mythological scenes are visible in the houses of Dionysus, Orpheus and Aion, and the Villa of Theseus. All were made of small cubes of marble and stone. In the House of Dionysus, for example, 5,985 square feet (556 sq metres) of floor space in 14 rooms are covered with the gorgeous mosaics.
Cyprus Wineries
The oldest named wine in world is the dessert wine Commandaria which comes from Cyprus. It may not be very well known for its wines, but they are are generally very good. There are many wineries in the Paphos region, many of which welcome visitors for tours and tastings.
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