Paphos
UNESCO mosaics, a harbour castle, rock tombs cut into the cliff, and the island's densest run of five-star seafront hotels.
Paphos harbour with the medieval castle and fishing boats under evening light
Why people stay in Paphos
Paphos is two towns stacked on a hill. Kato Paphos, at sea level, is the tourist half: the harbour with its squat medieval castle on the mole, the Archaeological Park behind it, and Poseidonos Avenue running east lined with the biggest concentration of four- and five-star beachfront hotels on the island. Ktima, the upper town 200 metres above, is where Cypriots actually live — the municipal market, Makarios Avenue, the old Ottoman quarter of Mouttallos and a slower, more honest set of coffee shops.
The archaeology is not a sideshow here, it is the reason the whole town is UNESCO-listed. The Archaeological Park sits directly behind the harbour and contains the House of Dionysos, the House of Theseus and the House of Aion, Roman villas whose floor mosaics are among the best preserved in the eastern Mediterranean. A kilometre north on the coast road, the Tombs of the Kings are Hellenistic rock-cut chambers with Doric columns carved out of solid stone, open to the wind and the sea. Both cost around €4.50 and both are punishing at midday.
At nine in the evening the harbour walk is packed and slightly touristy — waiters holding menus, boat trips advertised for the morning, fish priced by weight. Bar Street off Agiou Antoniou is the loud strip and it is unapologetically for the British package market, with karaoke and €4 pints. Go up to Ktima instead: Kennedy Square and the lanes around the market have proper tavernas where a meze is €18-24 and nobody is trying to sell you a boat trip. The two halves are ten minutes apart by car, twenty-five uphill on foot.
This is the strongest base on the island if what you want is a serious sea-facing hotel with grounds and a spa. Coral Bay, fifteen minutes north, has the best sandy swimming; the Akamas peninsula and Lara turtle beach start an hour beyond that. Skip Paphos if you want nightlife with locals in it, or if you are here in January and February, when a real proportion of Kato Paphos restaurants close and the town feels half-shuttered — though the walking weather is superb.
Poseidonos Avenue is the main event: a four-kilometre run of beachfront hotels east of the harbour, five-stars at €190-320 in high season and €110-160 in spring, most with direct beach access, and a flat 15-25 minute walk into the harbour. Tombs of the Kings Road, one street back, is the value line — good four-stars at €80-130 with the sea a five-minute walk away. Kato Paphos around Agiou Antoniou is cheap and central but the bar noise runs to 3am in summer; ask which side your room faces. Coral Bay, 12 km north, suits families who want real sand. Ktima has almost no hotels but a growing set of restored stone guesthouses at €70-110, and it is the choice if you want to live like a resident. Avoid anything advertised as "sea view" on the inland side of Tafon ton Vasileon — the view is a car park.
Things to do in Paphos
Entrance on the harbour road, two minutes from the castle. About €4.50. The House of Dionysos alone holds over 500 square metres of floor mosaic under a modern roof; the Odeon and the lighthouse hill are included. Allow two hours and go before 10am — there is no shade on the paths.
Tafon ton Vasileon Avenue, 2 km north of the harbour, reachable on foot along the coast path. Hellenistic burial chambers cut straight into the coastal rock, some with peristyle courtyards and Doric columns. Around €4.50, open until sunset in summer. Wear proper shoes; the ground is uneven limestone.
Twelve kilometres north via the E701, or bus 615 from Kato Paphos for €1.50. A 600-metre crescent of genuine soft sand between two headlands, lifeguarded in season, sunbeds around €5 a pair and a shallow entry that suits children. The nicest swimming within easy reach of Paphos.
Aphrodite's Rock, 25 km east on the B6 towards Limassol, about 25 minutes. There is a car park and a tunnel under the road to the pebble beach. Free. Late afternoon light is the point; the swimming is rough and the pebbles are hard on bare feet.
The covered market off Agoras Street in the upper town, open mornings Monday to Saturday. Halloumi, village bread, olives and lace, with cafes at the edges serving coffee for €2. Combine it with the lanes of Mouttallos immediately west, the old Ottoman quarter, which almost no visitor climbs to.
Ten kilometres north-east of Paphos near Tala, about twenty minutes by car. The twelfth-century Enkleistra is a cave complex the hermit Neophytos carved himself, its walls covered in original Byzantine frescoes. Small entry fee, closed for a couple of hours at lunch, and far quieter than the coastal sites.
What to see
Hotels in Paphos
No hotels are listed in Paphos yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Paphos
- Elysium 5★ · 4.8/5
- Ivi Mare Designed for Adults by Louis Hotels 5★ · 4.8/5
- King Jason Paphos Designed for Adults By Louis Hotels 4★ · 4.8/5
- Minthis Resort 5★ · 4.7/5
- Olympic Lagoon Resort Paphos 5★ · 4.7/5
- Alexander The Great Beach Hotel 4★ · 4.7/5
- Aphrodite Sands 4★ · 4.7/5
- Louis Paphos Breeze 4★ · 4.7/5
- Fitosinn Hotel 2★ · 4.7/5
- Azia Resort & Spa 5★ · 4.6/5
- Constantinou Bros Athena Royal Beach Hotel Adults Only 4★ · 4.6/5
- Elysia Park 4★ · 4.6/5
- Louis Ledra Beach 4★ · 4.6/5
- Sofianna Resort & Spa 4★ · 4.6/5
- Kiniras Traditional Hotel & Restaurant 3★ · 4.6/5
- Aliathon Ionian 4★ · 4.5/5
- Avanti Hotel 4★ · 4.5/5
- Louis Phaethon Beach 4★ · 4.5/5
- Adriana Holiday Resort 3★ · 4.5/5
- Aquamare Beach Hotel & Spa 4★ · 4.4/5
- Leonardo Cypria Bay 4★ · 4.4/5
- Atlantica Akteon 4★ · 4.3/5
- Mayfair Hotel 4★ · 4.3/5
- Roman Boutique Hotel 3★ · 4.3/5
Getting around Paphos
Paphos airport is 15 km east: bus 612 runs to Kato Paphos and 613 to the Karavella station in Ktima for €1.50, taking 25-35 minutes, and a taxi is €25-35. From Larnaca airport it is a 90-minute drive on the A1/A6, or the Kapnos coach for around €15. Locally, OSYPA buses cost €1.50 a single and €5 for a day pass; route 615 serves Coral Bay and route 611 works the Poseidonos hotel strip every 15-20 minutes in season. Kato Paphos to Ktima is a steep 25-minute walk uphill or a €7 taxi. You need a car for Akamas, Polis and Lara — buses do not go there usefully.
Questions about Paphos
Kato Paphos for the harbour, the archaeology and the beachfront hotels; that is where 95 percent of the rooms are. Ktima, the upper town, has a handful of stone guesthouses and a far more local feel, but you will drive or taxi down to the sea. Families and first-timers should stay low.
Partly. The archaeological sites, Coral Bay and the big hotels stay open, but a noticeable share of Kato Paphos restaurants and bars close from January to mid-March and Bar Street is dead. Daytime temperatures of 17-19C make it excellent for walking Akamas, poor for swimming.
You need a vehicle. Tarmac runs as far as the Baths of Aphrodite near Latchi, roughly an hour from Paphos; beyond that the track to Lara Bay is rough and most hire agreements forbid it. Take an organised 4x4 trip at €50-70, or approach from Polis Chrysochous by boat.
Coral Bay, 12 km north, for sand and shallow water. Faros/Geroskipou beach east of town is fine and less crowded. The town shoreline right by the harbour is rocky with platforms, good for a dip but not for children. Petra tou Romiou is photogenic and a bad swim.
