Coral Bay

The best sand is the northern third, closest to the headland and the small chapel, where the shelving is gentlest and the rock shelf gives snorkellers something to look at. Sunbeds are €10 to €13 a pair, lifeguards work the summer season, and the free showers are by the central access ramp off the car park.

The headland closing the bay's southern end carries a fortified settlement from around 1200 BC, with a small museum designed by Andrea Bruno set into the ground. Ten minutes up from the beach, minimal entry fee, and the view back over the whole crescent is the photograph you actually want.

Drive or walk 20 minutes north past the Sea Caves signposts to the clifftop above the collapsed limestone arches. A kilometre further sits the Edro III, a cargo ship grounded in 2011 and still upright on the rocks. Sunset here beats the beach; take a torch for the walk back to the car.

Eight kilometres north on the coast road: a hilltop church, an early Christian basilica with mosaic floors, and a tiny fishing harbour below with two tavernas serving fish by the kilo at €55 to €65. The headland is the last easy parking before the Akamas track begins at Lara.

Twenty-five minutes north via Agios Georgios and a rough but passable track to the car park. The gorge narrows to a couple of metres between 30 m walls; the walk in and back is about 5 km. Go early, wear shoes you can wet, and skip it entirely after heavy rain — flash flooding is a real risk.

Ten minutes inland and uphill from the strip, the old village square around the restored springs has tavernas that still serve twenty-plate meze for €18 to €22 a head. Order the afelia and the grilled halloumi and let them keep bringing plates. Book on Friday and Saturday.

From Paphos Airport it is a 30-minute drive: the A6 to Paphos, then Poseidonos and the coast road north through Chlorakas and Kissonerga. Taxis cost €35 to €45. By bus, take the airport shuttle into Paphos, then route 615, which runs from the Kato Paphos harbour area up the coast to Coral Bay in about 35 to 40 minutes for €1.50; it runs frequently in summer with late evening services, and thins out considerably in winter. Inside Coral Bay everything is on one avenue and you walk it in ten minutes. For Agios Georgios, Avakas Gorge and Lara you need a car — the 616 covers only the local Peyia loop.

For sand, shelter and facilities, yes. The twin headlands block the westerly swell that makes Paphos town beaches choppy, the sand is fine and pale, and it is lifeguarded in season with a Blue Flag most years. Coral Bay is busier than Lara or the Akamas coves, but those need a 4x4 and have no facilities at all. For families it is the obvious choice.

Bus 615 down the coast road to Kato Paphos harbour takes about 35 minutes for €1.50, then bus 610 or a fifteen-minute uphill walk to Ktima, the upper town with the market and the municipal gardens. A taxi is €20 to €28. The last 615 runs late in July and August and much earlier in winter, so check the timetable at the stop.

The Avenue is, from June to September — bars run to around 1 or 2am with karaoke and screens, and the noise carries to balconies facing it. One street back it drops off fast, and the cliff hotels north towards Sea Caves are quiet. Out of season the strip half closes and the whole place is genuinely peaceful by ten.

Yes, and it starts closer than people expect. Agios Georgios is 8 km north and the Avakas Gorge car park about 25 minutes; beyond that the tarmac ends and the Lara Bay track requires a real 4x4 with appropriate insurance. Half-day jeep safaris booked on the Avenue run €50 to €70 and handle the driving for you.