Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos is known for its tourist beaches and holiday package tours, in an area out of town, that is a family 2 week traditional holiday delight. But move away from that and into the town and you see something hugely different. It has a world famous Roman archaeological site that takes a few hours to go round. Impressive remains of an amphitheatre, wonderful mosaics, great museums and a setting overlooking the Med that doesn’t fail to impress. The waterfront with up market restaurants, a long palm fringed promenade and a small nearby sea fortress gives it a picturesque setting.
On my 7 day trip to Cyprus I also took in the following places.
Click on the link for each place to read my post on them.
I arrived in Larnaca and based myself here, then made day-trips out by car, to see each site.
site
Day trip to Paphos
I had come to realise that Cyprus was actually smaller than I thought. At first, when I decided to visit lots of locations, I thought it would involve great distances, but no, the island is eminently driveable. Roads are in good condition and there is even a major dual carriage highway along most of the south coast and from my base in Larnaca to the capital Nicosia.
I would not say that the roads in Northern Cyprus, under Turkish administration, are as well maintained from my experience however.
By driving, I could get to Paphos in under 1.5 hours – I used to commute in that time from my home to my Central London job in the past so it did not phase me at all.
I looked it up and there is a cheap public car park near where I wanted to explore in Paphos. On the Google map I could also see there was plenty of free street parking too.
I loaded up my water bottle, sunscreen (I knew I was going to be out in the open all the time today and off I set.
The drive was superb, Great vistas from the highway out to the Med to my left and rolling mountains to my right – yep, I did keep my eyes on the road but it was a struggle!
I arrived easily in Paphos following my trusty maps.me phone app and decided against street parking. As I had a hired car, I wanted to make extra sure nothing would happen to it. Not that there is any clear car crime in Cyprus, but just to be sure.
The site I wanted to visit had a free, ground-level, attractive car park next door that looked quite safe, so that’s where I parked.
A little history story about Paphos
Let’s just clear up something before we start.
There are actually two places called Paphos.
One – Old Paphos, Palaepaphos or Kouklia, is about 16 kilometres east of Modern-day Paphos, in the hills overlooking the coast. This is the site of the major Greek settlement that worshipped, in a cult following, the Greek Goddess Aphrodite – the Goddess of love and beauty. She was allegedly born in this area on the island.
Not much remains of the site now but there is an archaeological area here with a museum. My route actually passes by this area on my way from Larnaca but I could see nothing of it from the road.
Two – Paphos, New Paphos or Keta Paphos, is where the major archaeological site is that we will visit today. It is mainly well restored Roman ruins visible set to one side of the city, with a few more ruins scattered in places among the residential areas.
The name Paphos comes from a Greek legend person. A Cypriot King, who worshipped Aphrodite, sculptured a statue and such was its beauty he fell in love with it – weird I know but we are talking about Greek mythical legends here! The spirit of Aphrodite entered the statue and brought it to life, she was called Galatea. She bore the King a son called Paphos – there you have it!
Several guesses are made about who foundered the city of Paphos. The Old Paphos was largely destroyed in an earthquake around 72 AD.
Some say Agapenor, one of the leaders who secreted himself away inside the Trojan Horse in the famous Siege of Troy was the founder. After the battle, on returning home his ship was caught up in a storm and landed here in Cyprus. He founded a city here around 1269 BC and built the first Temple to Aphrodite here too.
Others say it was more likely founded around 320BC when, Nicocles, the King of Old Paphos moved his capital to here.
Either way, it’s old and generally founded by one of two ancient Greeks.
After the Romans, the city sustained itself but it never became an important centre. The small port thrived but constant raids by Arabs along all the coastal areas of Cyprus in the 600s BC took its toll. When Nicosia became the capital in the 900s AD, partially because it was an inland city and thus avoided the coastal raids, Paphos’s importance slumped.
In the 7th Century the castle fortress was built to protect the city and harbour but with it destruction by an earthquake and thus abandonment in 1222 the city once again was open to invasion. Even remodelling of the remaining seafront castle towers by the French in the 1300’s and the Ottoman Turks in the 1500’s whilst helping defend the city and its harbour did not bring great fortune.
It again failed to be anything other than another average coastal fishing town. No grand buildings were erected despite the defensive works and it remained under Turkish rule. The British arrived in 1878 but the exodus of people in search of better opportunities continued.
By the 1970’s, the Paphos area was the most underprivileged area of the island.
Then fortunes changed in a good way but through sad events in 1974.
The Turkish invaded the North of the island in 1974 and effectively cut off much of the tourism in that area. New tourist beaches etc were needed in the southern, mainly Greek-speaking areas, after the division of the island and Paphos received massive investment.
Hotels, bars, tourist amenities, roads, infrastructure including a new international airport (only the third one on the island) were built. Nicosia airport was eventually closed permanently and now Paphos is only one of two airports on the whole island.
In the 1980’s Paphos received more investment than any other area of the island – the tables had turned massively.
Today it is known for its beaches (although many are somewhat rocky), huge resorts and enormous tourist trade. Connected by an international airport for direct flights and a new major highway it is probably the most known tourist centre on the island – maybe Ayia Napa at the other end of the island is more famous amongst the hip, younger crowd though.
What gets forgotten though is that the city has on its doorstep – literally you can walk from the harbour promenade to its door is a few minutes – is a massive archaeological site. In 1980 it was entered onto the UNESCO World Heritage List – praise indeed!
The site has somewhat been encroached upon by the modern city before it was fully excavated. Several ancient sites lie just outside the site and actually in the city itself so has a weird juxtaposition of a big 2000 year old monument/site next to a 21st century block of apartments.
It reminded me somewhat of the same mish-mash that Carthage has, sitting next to the capital Tunis in Tunisia.
Anyhow, let’s go explore Paphos and the site.
By the way, before we start, there is no report on the beaches, hotels and bar life here – not for me – that can be found in any travel agent’s holiday brochure and no doubt better reported on than I can!
Paphos sea front
As I arrived at the sea front area and the adjacent car park, I realised that this area was a pretty sea promenade with a small harbour. It’s nicely pedestrianised with plentiful cafes and small hotels.
The area in front of the harbour was paved and well maintained and I decided to take a stroll along it just to see what was here.
I came across numerous eateries, small local shops, mainly catering for tourist needs. There were also private apartment blocks and small hotel/BnB style accommodations above the café lined streets.
The side streets are similar in style and it was quite a peaceful but spacious area to relax in. I noticed a couple of attractive looking cafes and internally kept a note of them in case I wanted some food and drink after my exploration of the adjacent archaeological site, before my return home to Larnaca by car.
The area has a small Marina and lots of day-trip cruises run from here on the harbour quay. There are themed boats too and the Nautilus-themed submarine boat caught my eye. Never did find out if it actually goes underwater.
There are pleasure boats that do trips along the coast and sundowners here. Vying for space on the quayside were a couple of craft that perform the trip to the nearby turtle sanctuary for nature viewings.
Further along is a statue of a girl set right against the concrete jetty’s edge, Unsure what it depicted I refrained from getting too close to it for pics. The waves were coming in fast and sending up surf and spray as they crashed into the jetty, creating a walled backdrop of sea water.
As I looked back from where I had come the sun was shining brightly into my eyes. I managed to get a shot of the line of palm trees that fronted the promenade, with the sun shaded by their foliage – not often I can get a photo whilst looking directly into the sun!
The entrance to the car park that I had parked in was easy to find, if at first you can’t work it out. A tall slender iron framed clock tower is right by the entrance road, you can’t miss it.
Paphos Castle
What we see today called the castle is actually one of the towers of the city’s defences as part of the fortress.
The fortress further inland that we will see later was the main edifice of the defended area – more on that later/
This tower was originally constructed by the Byzantines around 965 AD to defend the city and port area. In 1222 a massive earthquake destroyed the main fortress building and much of the defensive towers. The Lusignans (a French miliary group), rebuilt it in the late 13th century and added two other nearby towers, only ruins remain of these towers however.
These towers successfully defended the town against first the massive attack by the Genoese from Italy in 1373 and then the Mamluks (a military force from Eastern Europe/Middle East) in 1436.
Paphos grew despite the often attacks from outside and eventually succumbed to the Ottomans (Turks) in 1570. The tower was damaged in the attack but such was its construction that the damage was small and easily reconstructed, The Ottomans rebuilt it, keeping the original design which we see today. An Ottoman marble plaque over the main entrance states the rebuilding.
However, it was used mainly as a prison and barracks by the Ottomans.
And so it remained until the arrival of the British in 1878 who used it as a warehouse until 1935. It was declared an ancient monument in 1939 and underwent repairs. It was damaged in the 1953 earthquake but repaired. It was even shelled by Turkish forces in the 1974 attack (they invaded and held the north of the island).
Interestingly, we heard about how well constructed it was – well, even shelling by modern-day Turkish artillery inflicted little damage, such was its strength.
Today you can enter for a small fee and wander the rooms and battlements for great views out over the Med’ and the harbour area.
Paphos Archaeological Site
The Park includes sites and monuments from the 4th century BC to the Middle Ages, while most remains date to the Roman period. It is roughly 1 square kilometre in size and was excavated in 1965. It is still being excavated, although it is believed the most important finds have now been unearthed.
The intricate mosaic floors of four Roman villas (the Houses of Dionysus, Theseus, Aion and Orpheus) are the most widely known of the impressive finds. The mosaic floors depict various scenes from Greek Mythology.
The complex also includes other important monuments, such as the Temple of Asklepieio, the Odeon (a half circle amphitheatre), the Agora (open plaza), the Saranta Kolones (Forty Columns) Castle and the Limeniotissa (ruins of an Early Christian Basilica).
Set apart from this site is another section some 500 metres away with the Tombs of the Kings.
It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list since 1980. Click here for its website
Whilst not actually in the grounds of the official site there are several other buildings – bathhouses, churches and monuments – that date from the same period and are of historic importance also.
These are just outside the site down various streets and plots. They were once inside the actual historic city of Paphos but urbanisation grew up around them over the centuries.
In my review here I’m going to concentrate on just some of the areas, not all of them.
I love ruins and seeing the remains of beautiful buildings and trying to imagine what they would have looked like in their hey-day. However several of these ruins, were just that. Literally a low barrier and a few fallen columns. You would need a clever imagination to recreate anything from that.
The ones of importance have more visible remains, i.e. mosaics, rows of columns, arches and in the case of the Odeon, a tiered, theatre-like edifice that is still in use today.
So, here are my choices.
As you enter the site – fee is a modest 4.50 Euros – the remains of the Basilica is to the left – yep virtually nothing remains apart from a floorplan and a semi, subterranean arch, I moved on quickly.
I approached the House of Aion. This was an enclosed area i.e. a totally massive, protective, enclosed shed had been built over it to protect the remains from the elements. Inside are some wonderful mosaics and walls, apparently the best on the site. However, I only knew this from the big display board outside – it was closed for renovations …… damn and blast.
House of Theseus
Moving on to the next area you are present with raised walkways that carry you over the floors of the House of Theseus. Like all of the Houses they are named from the main depiction in the wonderful floor mosaics in each – so, the house did not belong to some bloke called Theseus but named after the mosaic depicting Theseus fighting the Minotaur.
The villa actually belonged to the Governor and has private and public areas, thus is enormous.
It is famous for the large circular floor mosaic found here and you look down on it from the overhead walkway.
The remains are extensive and you alternate between the overhead walkways and bare ground to walk between walls to get to the various important parts of the Villa.
A colonnaded walkway is impressively restored in one section and you can get up real close to the floors of the interior rooms but are not allowed to actually go inside them and walk on their delicate surfaces.
House of Dionysus
So, as you guessed, there is a mosaic of Dionysus here. He was the Greek God of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre – quite a crazy list for one God!
The Romans adopted him and called him Bacchus (Bacchanalian feasts were often a riot of drunken orgies and wild festivities in their times).
So, I think we can agree what this House liked!
It was built in the 2nd Century AD and abandoned after being semi-destroyed in the earthquake of the 4th Century AD.
The Mosaics here were actually not all wild. Many were mythical scenes, others hunting scenes and others just groups af people and creative designs filling the floorspace.
Again, there were walkways around the perimeter of the house so you could look down onto the mosaics in the floors below. The internal walls were long gone with just low stumps left of the walls now. This meant you could effectively see through where the wall would have been into the next room and see the mosaics there too.
A couple of walkways did traverse the house from one end to the other, so you could see the really central mosaics of this big 2,000 square meter Villa.
The mosaics were in an incredibly good sate of renovation. Their designs, whilst mainly of a cream and brown colour scheme, were amazingly complete. They looked as if they had been only recently created. I was impressed!
The lighting was not as bright as I would have liked, to see them in all their glory and the pics show this. I guess they have to keep the light lowish to avoid fading the colours from the lights.
Paphos Lighthouse
Whilst not ancient, having been built in 1880 by the British, it is a picturesque sight,
It is located in the archaeological site along with its outhouses and keeper’s house. It acted as a landfall marker for ships approaching Paphos harbour from Britain.
It is 20 metres tall but as it’s located on a hill on the site, it is actually 36 metres above sea-level.
It is still in use today and its beam of light can be seen 31 km away out at sea.
You’ll pass by this edifice on the way from the House of Dionysus to the next stop-off.
The Odeon
Across the way from the lighthouse sits the Odeon.
This semi-circular 12 rowed construction was built in the 2nd Century AD as part of the public works that also incorporated the nearby theatre and Agora.
It looks almost new. It is either is a very good condition despite its age or has been extensively renovated. It is certainly outstanding in design and size.
You can walk along its stepped rows and climb to the very top for a view over the site and down into the players’ stage area. It would have held around 1200 people and is still used today for festivals and music concerts.
Forty Columns Fortress
A short walk will take you to the ruins of the main fortress building.
Its name, Saranta Kolones translated as the Forty Columns Fortress. Why? Well apparently around forty columns were taken from the nearby agora when it was destroyed in the 2nd century earthquake and used to help build and decorate the fortress.
The Byzantines in the 7th Century were the original builders of the Fortress but it was heavily extended and fortified by the French Lusignans in the 12th Century.
Unfortunately, it was subsequently destroyed by an earthquake in 1222.
The Fortress had a three metre thick wall with four huge corner towers and another four intermediary towers along the joining walls and moat surrounding the castle. The moat, although now empty of water, is still there.
The square courtyard measured 35 metres long by 35 metres wide, with a tower at each corner. The main entrance was through a fifth, horseshoe-shaped tower on the east side.
Today it is an enchanting ruin but still with its high platform and several high walls still in places. A few archways (probably restored, I think), stand there still.
You can still get the feel of the size of the fortress and its shape but it is clear from the tumbled down massive stones that this edifice was well and truly knocked to the ground in the earthquake of 1222.
St Paul’s Column
Having left the site it was now a 7 minute walk to the next place I wanted to see.
This is a famously old church but it is also what happened next to the church that makes it famous.
I’ll try to make some sense of this as the site has been altered so much over the centuries it becomes confusing. Even at the site the plethora of columns mixed with buildings, ruins and weirdly indoor flooring and walls on the outside of a church also gives a jumbled-up appearance.
There are also outdoor monuments that probably attract more people than the ancient church for a very good reason.
So, let’s start at the earliest date for which this site lays fame.
Apparently, Paul, Barnabas and Mark – all apostles of Jesus Christ – came to Cyprus in around 45 AD, They started preaching Christianity and converting people to the faith, which attracted the attention of the Roman authorities.
Not liking what they were doing the authorities grabbed Paul, tied him to a pillar and gave him 39 lashes of a whip. The column he was tied to is still here next to the Church – that’s the one in the pic on the left (looks more like a white stump now) – and the white marble structure stands as a place of pilgrimage now.
The governor of the island was interested in what they were doing and why, especially by the main apostle Paul. Paul spoke with him and eventually converted him to Christianity. What is now modern Cyprus thus became the first country in the world to have a Christian leader (in the form of the Governor). Fun fact, eh?
Ayia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa
Now – the Church.
The first church or Basilica was built here in the 4th century. It was an elaborate seven aisle building and is believed to be one of the largest and oldest basilicas in Cyprus today. Its 4th and 5th Century mosaic floor still exist today on the site.
In the 6th Century the church was remodelled and decreased in size to 5 aisles. The other aisles and corinthian columns still exist outside the church’s exterior walls today.
A Byzantine church was built over this one in 1100 AD, a 14th Century Roman Catholic one then replaced it and finally a new Greek Orthodox one was built around 1500 AD which is the one we see today.
Just to make it even more confusing the church is today shared by the Anglican, Catholic and Greek Orthodox denominations on different days. I hope the worshippers all remember which day the church celebrates which Mass!
The interior is a fascinating melange of styles and eras. There are fabulous old mosaic floors which you can still walk on. It felt strange to be able to do that, but in reality, there is no other way to get around the church and it is totally permitted.
The walls are heavy raw blocks of granite and the vaulted ceilings look more like something out of a mediaeval castle than a church.
Many of the alcoves have dark wood, painted panels with an abundance of gold-painted, saintly iconography – mostly in the Orthodox style. The interior is quite small and seems to be a series of interconnecting large rooms rather than an open place of mass gathering that I would expect to see in a Christian Church.
Traditional, ordinary chairs are everywhere instead of rows of pews and it’s all topped off with a couple of glorious glass chandeliers – quite the mosh up of styles and eras! Click here to see the website of the Anglocan Chuch section
This was my final stopoff and my day was now done.
All that remained was for me to walk back to the car and drive nack to Larnaca for a well earned rest. My legs were telling me that I should stop and I really needed some rest after the long walkabout.
My thoughts on Paphos
I spent a day in Paphos, although in reality I arrived around 10:430am and left around 4pm. The short stay meant I did not get to the other small site of the Tombs of the Kings. I however was more than happy with what I saw.
I had no interest in the beach/tourist leisure areas of the city, which actually looked quite stylish and affluent from afar.
The day out in the sun with not much chance of shade was ok on a warm, but not hot day like today. I was glad the weather was mild as otherwise that amount of exposure to the sun could be draining – so be warned if you want to follow in my footsteps at the height of Summer.
The ruins were good and the Mosaics bowled me over – some of the best preserved I have ever seen. There is not an awful lot of buildings on the site and they are spread apart between large areas of open grassed land. The site is not like Pompeii in Italy or Ephesus in Turkey where the area is totally excavated and you are always among the buildings – or what’s left of them.
You do need a map as there is minimal signage to guide you and the areas to see are not always obvious or next to each other.
This makes a great day out for those history buffs or Roman architecture fans like me.
If that’s not your thing, then this is probably not for you, but do remember that you are missing out on one of the best archaeological sites in all of Cyprus.
Feb 2018
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As someone who loves mythological tales this was a great place to read about, I was enthralled in all the beautiful historical sites before even noticing how pretty Paphos was too. Those mosaics are stunning, and such an interesting defensivecastle too. Good to know it’s so easy to get around Cyprus because it seems like there’s a lot to see. What a unique looking place
The mosaics are some of the best I have seen anywhere in the world – huge and perfectly preserved, they were a delight. Next time I ‘d love to explore the tourist side of the town more, as the archaeological site is set to one side separately, as it did seem picturesque and stylish. Cyprus itself was a dream to travel around. You have the whole island accessible in a matter of hours to any place, with so much to see.
Who doesn’t love to see such ancient architecture? I would love to do this. Great tips shared in terms of needing a map, length of time to spend there and warning of the heat. It’s interesting to read there are 2 Paphos, I hadn’t realized that until after reading your article. I was intrigued by your comment of how the ruins are not the same as Pompeii in Italy, how are they different?
Than main difference are that Pompeii is mostly discovered now and you walk around it on flagstones and peer into buildings, some nearly still complete. Paphos is different in that there are large areas of grassland between sites as it is not fully excavated yet. The buildings are much less complete and everything is much more open to the elements
The two Paphos sites kept confusing me initially as often I couldn’t work our which one they were referring to when they called it simply “Paphos”.
Had no idea there where that many Roman archeological sites out there ! Looks like so much fun!
Yep, Cyprus was very big in Greek times and then the Romana kinda took over from them.
I love driving around places instead of public transport – it just gives a different feel of the area. The Paphos Archaeological Site would be awesome to explore! Looks so cool!
Driving around Cyprus ended up being the best option and was so easy to arrange and do. I actually enjoyed the freedom it gave me to see more of the country. Paphos was marvellous and again, made easy by being able to drive there and back in a day.
The excavation sites and ruins look all very well preserved and I’m impressed you managed to see all of this within a rather short day! I can totally feel the sun burning down on me if I had to do this in the summer, so it’s great you’re reminding people for their planning that the shade is non-existent. 4.50 EUR to see all of this, is a steal!
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Yes, the entrance fee was so cheap for all the history and experience I received. Cyprus can be vey hot in the Summer so sun protection and water is needed everytime. Luckily I was there at a cooler time but I certainly felt the heat and burn. I found Cyprus to generally be an inexpensive place to visit.
The Odeon, columns, castles, and that archeological site is simply amazing! To have all that in one location as well? Mind blowing and awesome!
Yes, it was good to have it mostly in one place (albeit a big place) for ease of access.
The mosaics in the House of Dionysus are fantastic. Based on your pictures, I’d have to agree that those look like the some of the best preserved I’ve seen. Just so stunning! It’s good you mention at the end how this is not like Pompeii because I was actually thinking it looked very similar, but now I know that’s not the case. Still, it would be well worth visiting to see these ruins.
The mosaics were stunning. I’ve not seen any that compare in their completeness and clarity. It was a pity that the lighting was somewhat subdued, presumably to protect them, as I’m sure they would have been even more stunning in clear light.
You certainly packed a huge amount of sightseeing into your day trip. The archaeological site is absolutely remarkable, especially those mosaics. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such clarity in the design as the ones in the House of Dionysus – the wild scenes depicted look highly appropriate in their debauchery! And the detail in the walkway mosaics is just astonishing. We love exploring ancient buildings and ruins – so we would most definitely avoid the beach and enjoy the archaeology.
The mosaics are certainly some of the best I have ever seen. They definitely rival the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia which is known as the best mosaic museum in all of Africa. See my post on Tunis for that. The mosaics were so clear and perfectly preserved that they looked like they were made only yesterday. I think you would love this place and hopefully get to see the mosaics house that was closed for renovation when I was there.
There is always more to explore for those who venture beyond the beaches and the usual sightseeing. And it’s great to see that those who venture beyond the obvious find these fabulous pearls of human history.
The mosaics in the house of Dionysus are absolutely marvelous.
Paphos is certainly a must-visit in Cyprus and it’s good to know that getting around the island is easy and that you can visit these sites without much hassle.
Before I decided to travel to Paphos I really didn’t know that all this historical architecture existed
With well-preserved ruins and an enthralling mythology to boot, one wonders why Cyprus is not doing so much in promoting its tourism. There are many things to discover diversity wise and acquaint oneself with Roman history and architecture. I certainly like to spend time inspecting the mosaics in the house of Dionysus! It will be a treat #flyingbaguette
Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/
Those mosaics were some of the best preserved I have seen and were a great draw to this historical site.
Cyprus looks like the perfect place to wander around dusty ruins. The mosaics are beautiful and remarkably intact. You packed a lot into your time there. Knowing so much can be done in a single day is good.
Lyn | http://www.ramblynjazz.com
I must admit I even surprise myself in how much I can pack into a day!