Is Paphos worth visiting? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say absolutely yes it is. Once a Brits-abroad haven- mentioned in the same thread as places like the Canary Islands or Mallorca– this ancient city is full of hidden gems. There’s plenty of activities on these Cypriot streets catering to the English holidaymaker (and that’s ok), but it turns out that there are way more things to do here then sit in a tourist bar and watch football.
The more ya know.
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Honesty is always the best policy, and so in the name of this policy I will tell you now: Paphos was a place that I wasn’t expecting to appreciate. Despite the fact that I was very much up for visiting the rest of Cyprus, the reputation of this little city is that it’s very much a second home for beer-swigging, fry-up-loving Brits.
It’s even earned itself the nickname ‘Little Britain.’
Now don’t get me wrong, whilst I do love a good fry up once in a blue moon, I’m not such a fan of a good fry-up when not in England. So Paphos had never really appealed to me. When my pals got married there this Summer, I was sooo excited about the wedding, and the sunshine, and the relaxing, but wasn’t expecting too much from Paphos itself.
Oh, how wrong I was! Whilst it’s true that there are areas of the city which do seem to have been taken over by Brits, there’s far more to this Cypriot city than first meets the eye. Parts of it are downright beautiful.
First, an introduction to Cyprus
Cyprus’ recent history is a mildly complicated one. So, briefly…
Back in the early 1900s when the Ottoman Empire (that’s modern day Turkey), ruled the roost around this part of the world, the Empire secretly gave control of Cyprus to Britain, in exchange for protection that they potentially needed from the Russians.
Obviously you can’t keep something like who’s in charge of an entire country secret for long. Add to that the complications of whether money is exchanging/not exchanging hands by various governments, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
In 1914, Britain declared that Cyprus was officially part of the British Empire.
The Turkish Cypriots wanted a separate Turkish State, and the Greek Cypriots (who made up the majority of the country), seemed rather up for a Union with Greece. The one thing that everyone did seem to be in agreement about was that they weren’t really up for the English being there at all. What a downright calamitous situation.
Finally after a great deal of commotion in the form of a whole load of Nationalist violence, in 1960 Cyprus finally got its independence from Britain. Thank goodness for that.
But. The Turkish Cypriots still wanted to be separate from the rest of the country, and so in 1974 the Turkish invaded Cyprus and captured the Northern part of the island nation, declaring it as its own state. To this day Cyprus is divided into two parts, with the Northern Turkish-ruled part of the country technically being an illegally-occupied part of Europe.
And confusingly, although culturally Cyprus is exceedingly similar to Greece, nowadays the two countries are in no political or formal way connected at all. Just FYI.
Related: Our Big Fat Greek Road Trip
Enough about the modern, what about ancient Paphos?
One of the reasons I changed my mind about whether Paphos is worth visiting, is its history and all the ancient myths and legends surrounding the city and the rest of the island. I love a good creation story- like the beginnings of Athens or the twin lakes of Sete Cidades, Paphos has a great one.
A few thousand years ago, the Greek goddess Aphrodite was believed to have risen out of the sea here. And that mythological event kick-started the cult of Aphrodite-worshipping not just in Cyprus but across the entire Greek world. (On a side note, whether or not that ever actually happened, I would love it if every town in the world had some kind of myth or legend surrounding its founding. The Ancient Greeks really did this well, didn’t they!?)
Aphrodite’s Rock is the specific point that the goddess of love is believed to have stepped out of the ocean, just along the coastline from the city. Worshipping of the Aphrodite continued until the Romans outlawed any ‘pagan’ behaviour in 391AD. And when those Romans arrived on the scene, they of course built a whole load of splendid Roman structures as well.
So pals- if you’re a lover of ancient things, there are a tonne of historical sights to see and things to do in Paphos. Temples, mosaics, villas, amphitheatres…you name it, Paphos has it. (The archaeological remains of it, at least.)
And so many of these historical places are in such good condition that Paphos is a UNESCO World Heritage city. So you see, whilst Brits may have started coming here for other reasons, the city is beginning to shed its reputation and become known for more than just cheap drinks and English-food-in-non-English weather.
A lowdown on the most well-known ancient sites in Paphos
One easily-accessible archaeological spot within Paphos is the site of St. Paul’s Pillar, where old St Paul was flogged by a Roman Emperor for preaching Christianity to the locals. In the same location are three separate churches all in varying stages of standing or ruin. Agia Kyriaki, which was built in 1500 AD and is still heroically standing proudly amongst the rubble, pillars and mosaics of the Panagia Chysopolitissa, a Christian Byzantine church which was ruined in the 7th century. And another Gothic Church- which was at one point converted to a mosque- and destroyed around the 16th century.
Maybe there are times when this place gets busier, but when we visited the site at sunset, the only thing you could hear in the whole area was the chirping of cicadas in the trees. Granted, the cicadas are actually pretty full on loud. But they create a far more peaceful atmosphere than pushing through a crowd of fellow tourists on the seafront, so I really appreciated it.
The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park is a massive site right next to the harbour containing the remains of the Ancient Greek and Roman city, including some amazingly preserved mosaics. And about 2km from Paphos is the Tomb of the Kings- a series of tombs carved into the rock dating from the 4th century BC. I mean, guys- the quantity and quality of ancientness around here is astonishing!
Entry to Kato Paphos Archaeological Park is €4.50, plus an extra €2.50 to see the Tomb of the Kings. In summer hours are 8.30am-7.30pm; winter hours are 8.30am-5pm.
Entry to St. Paul’s Pillar and the church ruins is free.
Paphos cats
If archaeology isn’t your thing, Paphos is worth visiting for the cats alone.
Get ready for another legend, loves! Once upon a time Cyprus was completely infested with snakes; so a lovely lass named Saint Helena shipped a couple of boatloads of Egyptian cats over to the island to hunt the snakes and rid the locals of this terrible plague. Whether or not that actually happened I guess we’ll never know, but Cyprus as a whole is famous for its cats, and we saw hundreds of them roaming the streets of Paphos.
And let me tell you- these beauties are just downright lovely! The population of stray cats in Cyprus completely outnumbers the population of humans. And although I didn’t spy any particularly bony looking creatures roaming Paphos, I’m sure that with over one and a half million cats now resident on the island, the welfare of these furry friends could potentially not be brilliant. We spotted piles of dry food that people had left out on the street in the early mornings and early evenings, so clearly although there’s a problem with neutering these guys, there are people who look out for them.
Sailing adventures in Paphos
My lovely pals had arranged a day on a boat for all the wedding guests, taking us from the harbour at Paphos round to a beach further down the coast. It was an absolutely beautiful day, filled with awesome food, jumping into the sea off the side of the boat (I’m not too good at that because of my strange mild fear of open water- but I did it anyway and lived to tell the tale).
Truth be told, the sea that day was rather on the choppy side so out of complete transparency I’m telling you now: if you get seasick, this might not be the trip for you. AWKWARD.
There are plenty of boat companies offering sailing trips out of Paphos harbour, and the most scenic take you to the Blue Lagoon and the Baths of Aphrodite.
What about that Brits-abroad area?
Let me reiterate- honesty is the best policy. The main strip of bars, pubs and clubs in Paphos is a confusing and not particularly classy location. However- I did find it an intriguing place to stroll down, despite the fact that nary a mosaic floor will you find around here. This area is more about the sticky floors that reek of stale alcohol.
In the daytime, the whole area is completely deserted, with shutters over the windows and not a soul to be seen, but at night the road is a hodge-podge of neon signage, with promoters trying to entice you in with free shots and cheap entry. A combination of the sounds of music, a mixture of English accents yelling over the music, and TV screens blasting out football matches spills out onto the street. It’s a bit overwhelming even on a quiet night.
Amongst all this there’s even a tiny church that wouldn’t have looked out of place in an isolated mountain village, standing quietly like a librarian in a nightclub, amongst all the flashing lights of the bars surrounding it. As a person who appreciated observing all kinds of locations, I genuinely didn’t mind this strange strip, however I fully appreciate that it probs isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Also, seeing this did explain why the Cypriots themselves might not be massive fans of this part of their country. Or of Brits being in it. Awkward.
Hitting the beach in Paphos
Paphos has a length of about 50km of beaches perfect for families, all with lifeguards present. These beaches range from the sandy to the mildly rocky, and most of the hotels up and down the seafront have their own private beach directly in front of them. Although of course it’s possible to find a public spot for swimming in too.
Paphos is also a great location for diving, and I spotted several gangs of divers-in-training hanging about in the water as we walked along the seafront at various moments throughout the days.
Take a trip to Paphos castle
Paphos Castle sits squarely at the far end of Paphos Harbour, and was originally built by the Byzantines to defend the harbour from possible attacks. Over time it was dismantled and rebuilt several times as various different civilisations came and went. In fact the English even rather disrespectfully utilised the historical monument as a place to store salt, but these days it’s one of the most well-known landmarks of the city.
Is this one of the ultimate best things to do in Paphos?? No, definitely not. But if you’re in the area then it deserves a peek.
Entry to Paphos Castle is €2.50. Summertime hours are 8.30am-7.30pm, winter hours are 8.30am-5pm
Eat Cypriot food
As a massive fan of Greek food, I knew that I would most certainly get on with the food in Cyprus as well. For the majority of our time in Cyprus, a pal and I stayed at an Airbnb, and therefore we ate lots of meals at ‘home.’
(FYI there was an additional night at the beachfront Annabelle Hotel, but that’s another story.)
Staying at the Annabelle, a 5 star Paphos Hotel
However we got out and about to several local restaurants to try some actual Cypriot-made food too. Halloumi was invented here in Cyprus, so it goes without saying that you should appreciate it while you’re here. Either as part of a meze (which is a BIG DEAL in this part of the world), or as an ingredient in another dish like makaronia tou fournou, which is very similar to lasagne. Stuffed vine leaves and vegetables goes down a treat, courgette and eggs (true story) is another traditional dish, and the Cypriot version of souvlaki is downright delicious.
As long as you head to a local tavern or restaurant away from the seafront, you basically can’t go wrong, folks!
So, is Paphos worth visiting?
Despite the fact that I was in Paphos as part of a wedding party, I actually would go back either alone or with friends. Of course it’s a great location for a holiday, but the island has so many other beautiful spots to visit, so it would also be a great (affordable) spot to base yourself while heading out and about across the rest of Cyprus. Or- base yourself somewhere else and then head into Paphos for a day just to have a wander around a few ancient monuments and beach cafes. Either way, there is more to this little city than first meets the eye.
Logistical Statisticals
- A taxi from Paphos airport to the centre of town takes around 20 minutes and should cost between €20-€25 depending on the time of day.
- There are also buses available between the two, for significantly less money!
- Bear in mind that Cyprus is technically closer to the Midde East than Europe, and the weather reflects this! I visited in August and walking anywhere for too long was quite the mission if you forgot to pack your water bottle.
- So- don’t forget your water bottle or your sun cream.
- Currency is euros.
- I loved the fact that we stayed in an Airbnb for most of the week as it was not only a much more affordable option, but it was proper cute! For around €40 a night we got way more than we would have got for that price in a budget hotel.
Great post 😁
Oh I would love to go to Cyprus one day!! Thanks for sharing this great post, I’m sure it’ll be helpful to loads of people including me if/when I visit! xx
Thankyou!! It’s such an interesting place, I’m desperate to go back and explore more of the island as we didn’t manage to get out of Paphos while we were there!