In and around Paphos

 

According to legend, Cyprus is the home of Aphrodites, the Greek Olympian goddess of love and beauty. She is said to have come out of the sea near Paphos, at the rocks known as Petra tou Romiou, and it was in Paphos that the worship of the goddess flourished, with her sanctuary at Kouklia and her baths near Lakki.

 

The town of Paphos was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 - the official site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is whc.unesco.org. Once the capital of Cyprus, today Paphos is a thriving town with the old and new overlapping. The Kato Paphos Archeological Site includes sites and monuments from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages.

The superb mosaic floors of four Roman villas form the centre of the complex, which also includes monuments such as the Asklipieion, the Odeion, the Agora, the “Saranta Kolones” Fortress, the “Limeniotissa” Ruins and the “Tomb of the Kings“.

The Paphos area is surrounded by a beautiful coastline, including ‘Turtle Bay’, a nesting place and hatchery for turtles. Inland lay superb monasteries and tranquil villages, while further afield are the Troodos mountains, which offer winter sports and skiing in the winter, and a cool sanctuary in pine forests in the winter. Nicosia (Lefkosia) offers the opportunity to visit the only capital city in Europe following the occupation of the northern part of the island by Turkey in 1974 - the border is patrolled by United Nations troops.

There are a wide range of other activties in the area - a variety of water sports, including diving and paragliding, several golf clubs, karting, a bird sanctuary, a water park, and many other attractions.

Within Paphos itself there are a variety of places to eat. The closest restaurant to the apartment is the Apomero. Other restaurants which I have visited this year include The Napoleon (where I had my first meal in Cyprus in 2002), Sunbow (very eccentric owner), Rimini, Da Vinci’s, Rose Corner and Demokritos (which has Greek music and dancing every night).

www.visitcyprus.com is the official website of the Cyprus Tourist Organisation and provides information on major attractions in Cyprus, complete with maps, updated calendar of events, downloadable photos, travel planning information and other useful information.