Paphos is on the south-west coast of Cyprus, that perennially sun-kissed island in the Mediterranean Sea. Paphos itself is a beautiful resort town with a restaurant and cafe-lined promenade that sweeps around the harbour.
There is no bad time to seek cheap flights to Paphos. Cyprus is a year-round destination. The dazzling sun of the summer months cools down by about ten degrees for the winter months, something happy British holidaymakers, expats and retirees know well.
Long before there were British travellers however, Cyprus, and Paphos in particular, was visited by the Romans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Venetians, Greeks and Richard the Lionheart.
The mosaics of Nea Paphos are Paphos's main cultural draw and the Tombs of the Kings, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is nearby. The town boasts other Roman mosaics, Byzantine icons and Ptolemaic tombs.
Most famously perhaps, this part of Cyprus is where Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, is said to have emerged from the briny surf. Petra tou Romiou (Aprhodite's Rock) is 25km (15 miles) east of Paphos and was a tourist draw with Greek pilgrims in ancient times. Today, to guarantee eternal love, couples should swim around the rocky outcrop.
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Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate — the sun shines almost year-round (340 days of sunshine per year), summers are long and dry and winters are mild.Temperatures are high in summer, reaching the 30s (Celsius) in July and August, but the sea breezes cool the coastal areas. Winter temperatures can be in the teens and 20s but rarely drop below 10 degrees. Winter is colder in the Troodos Mountains and brings some snow — it is possible to ski in the mountains in the morning and sunbathe on the beach in the afternoon.
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Peak Season:
The peak season is summer, especially June, July, and August. This is when most travellers step off their flights to Paphos.
The Troodos are also busy with skiers in winter.
Off Season:
Spring and autumn are great times to visit when it is warm enough to swim but not uncomfortably hot.
November to March is the rainy season but averages only eight or nine rainy days per month.
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Taxis offer transport to the city centre from outside the airport terminal and there is a regular bus service into town departing outside the terminal building.
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Buses run frequently, cover an extensive network, and are the cheapest form of transport in urban areas.
Taxis are plentiful, and private taxis operate 24 hours throughout Cyprus. They are generally cheap within town but more expensive than shared taxis between towns. Private taxis can be hailed or called, and the drivers are required by law to display and run a meter. Shared taxis carry four to seven passengers and are a cheap, fast, and comfortable way to travel between the main towns of Larnaca, Paphos, Nicosia, and Limassol.
If you are planning on driving, traffic travels on the left side of the road in Cyprus. The main roads are good, but secondary side roads can be narrow, winding, and unsurfaced.
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to enter the UN buffer zone at any place other than a designated crossing point. This area is heavily mined and militarised.
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- Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was born here. There is a trail. Aphrodite’s Cultural Route is a self-guided tour “in the footsteps of the goddess”, which takes in Petra Tou Romiou (or Aphrodite’s Rock), Aphrodite’s Bath, on the north coast of the Akamas peninsula and the ruins of her temple in the village of Kouklia.
- The Romans: the ruins of the Roman Governor's palace have beautiful mosaics. If this is not enough history for you, consider that in 45AD Saint Paul converted the first ruler - Governor Sergius Paulus - to Christianity and preached from this very place. The Pillar to which Saint Paul was allegedly tied and whipped, for spreading Christianity, is in Panagia Chrysopolitissa Church and Early Christian Basilica.
- Staying with churches, Paphos has several fine places of worship including Agia Paraskevi Byzantine Church, which dates from the 9th-15th centuries; Agios Georgios Basilica and the fountains of Pegeia and Panagia Limeniotissa Basilica, which was built in the 5th century, dedicated to Our Lady of the Harbour, and almost destroyed in the Arab raids in the 7th century.
- The entire town of Paphos is on the official Unesco list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.
- The Tombs of the Kings are underground tombs dating back to the 4th century BC. They are the final resting places of high officials rather than nobility, but they are spectacular. Carved out of solid rock, some are decorated with Doric pillars.
- The medieval fort in the harbour has a checkered past. It was originally a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour. It was rebuilt in the 13th century by the Lusignans, was taken apart by the Venetians in the 16th century and was finally rebuilt by the Ottomans after they captured the island.
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