The largest city and resort in western Cyprus, Paphos (spelled in Greek as Pafos) is one of the two main departure points, along with Larnaca, thanks to its international airport, Paphos PFO.
Hotels and accommodation - Paphos
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its rich ancient remains, but beach and swimming enthusiasts will also be in for a treat. In fact, Paphos and its surroundings are one of the best beach destinations in Cyprus.
Beaches and swimming
As the historic centre of Paphos lies about 1km from the sea, you can experience a wonderful swimming experience practically right in town with the natural backdrop of the rugged, very rocky coastline, without the hustle and bustle of the big city, which is literally just around the corner. Among the best beaches in town are:
- Venus Beach - A beautiful natural beach with a rocky shoreline, but the beach itself is covered in fine golden sand. The adjacent resort also offers sunbed and umbrella hire to the general public. The added value of the beach is the turquoise clear water and the peaceful environment (location on google.com/maps). Bus 615 runs here.
- Lighthouse Beach - The secluded spacious beach with fine white sand on the edge of town near the lighthouse is ideal for watching sunsets and a quiet day by the sea (location at google.com/maps). Bus 615 runs here.
- Kato Paphos - The southern part of town, known as Kato Paphos, is a hub of larger hotels and resorts and small town beaches separated by stone jetties. Some beaches are covered with fine light sand, others are artificially built on concrete surfaces shaded by palm trees. The resort of Kato Paphos is ideal for lovers of day and nightlife (its location on google.com/maps). Most of the public transport bus lines pass through Kato Papshos.
- Geroskipou Beach - Paphos' southernmost beach is also one of the longest and is completely public. There are no designated areas for hotels like the above beaches (location on google.com/maps). Buses 606 and 611 run here
Other very well-known beaches lie not far outside the city limits and we have prepared separate mini-guides for them: the beach of Coral Bay and the beach of Petra tou Romiou.
Sights and attractions
By far the most important sights in the whole of Cyprus, for which Paphos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are the numerous and well-preserved remains of Ancient Greece, for which we have also prepared a special mini-guide:
- Nea Pafos - The archaeological sites of the entire ancient city
- Tombs of the Kings - burial sites carved into the rock, which were used mainly in the Hellenistic and Romanesque periods
Other important monuments in Paphos include:
- The Venetian Fortress - a medieval castle protecting the entrance to the harbour, originally Byzantine, later rebuilt in the 16th century during the Venetian Republic, the entrance for 2,50 eur
- Church of Agioi Anargyroi - the largest church in Paphos and an important landmark of the city, built in a beautiful Byzantine style and dating from 1649, free admission
- TheGreco-Roman Theatre - an amphitheatre between the harbour and the Church of Agioi Anargyroi, free admission
Accommodation Paphos
The city of Paphos offers probably the largest concentration of accommodation in the whole of Cyprus. Private apartments can be purchased in low season from 35 eur per night for 2, while classic hotels from about 45 eur. In high season prices rise by up to 50%.
Paphos is also home to the largest number of beach resorts and luxury hotels in Cyprus, where prices per night in a double room start from around 125 eur in the summer.
- Cheap hotels around 70 EUR - Adamou Gardens, Veronica Hotel, Paphos Gardens Holiday Resort
- Best hotels in Paphos - Elysium, Aliathon Aegean, Helios Bay Hotel and Suites
Transportation
Public transport in Paphos is provided by about 15 frequent lines of the transport company OSYPA.
A single journey ticket costs 2 eur, a night ticket costs 3 eur and a day ticket costs 6,50 eur. You can buy a ticket in cash from the driver, or with a card at the ticket office at the bus station by the harbour (Harbour), or at the two main stations in the centre (Market and Karavella).
The busiest lines run once every 10-20 minutes. You will mainly use the following services:
- Harbour - centre: lines 603 (longer route - approx. 15 minutes), 610, 618 (shorter routes - approx. 10 minutes)
- Harbour - Tombs of the Kings - Coral Bay: 615
- Port - Kato Paphos beaches - Geroskipou beaches: 606, 611
- Centre - Kato Paphos beaches - Geroskipou beaches: 601,
A day ticket is also valid here for 15 eur for all public bus services in Cyprus, including long-distance.
The intercity bus service is easy to navigate. Public services here are operated by a single company, InterCity Buses, with its green buses. The following routes run from Laranka:
- Larnaca (timetable: intercity-buses.com/larnaca) - 7 eur one-way, 13 eur day ticket for the route
- Nicosia (timetable: intercity-buses.com/nicosia) - 7 eur one way, 13 eur full day ticket for the route
- Ayia Napa, Protaras (timetable: intercity-buses.com/ayia-napa) - 9 eur one-way, 14 eur day ticket for the route
- Limassol (timetable: intercity-buses.com/limassol) - 4 eur one-way, 7 eur day ticket for the route
- Polis Chrysochous - bus 645, ticket for 2 eur
The main bus station of Karavella is located at this place (location on en.mapy.cz).
Detailed information about buses or car rental can be found in the chapter Transport in Cyprus.
Parking in Paphos is relatively hassle-free. There are many free car parks in the city near major sights where it is best to stop. On the other hand, we do not recommend parking on the streets on a regular basis.
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