PAPHOS CYPRUS

PAPHOS (PAFOS)

The Paphos area is in the south west of Cyprus and is a perennially popular spot for both holidaymakers and foreign residents, particularly those from the UK. It’s easy to see why; there are great transport connections, the area is steeped in history and legend, it has a dramatic and beautiful coastline and is surrounded by some of the island’s best golf courses.

Paphos was originally a small fishing village and, until about 25 years ago, it was the least developed part of the island. In 1983, it became home to the island’s second international airport and the area quickly grew into a firm favourite with holidaymakers.

Since then, development has been carefully controlled ensuring that Paphos and the surrounding areas are still some of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of the island. The area strikes the perfect balance between meeting the needs of the tourist industry while still retaining its natural beauty and celebrating its historical splendour.

About Paphos

Paphos is both the name of the town and the name of the administrative district of which it’s a part. Take a look at the map of the island to see where Paphos town is in relation to the airport and other parts of Cyprus. Paphos was actually the capital of the island during Roman times and according to legend, the Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite rose out of the sea close to the town - a spot now marked by a rock and known locally as Petra tou Romiou. Many of Cyprus’ most outstanding archeological treasures can be found close to Paphos including the Tomb of the Kings and the Temple of Aphrodite.

The town itself is made up of two separate parts: Kato Paphos which is popular with holidaymakers and includes the harbour, luxury hotels and archeological sites and Ktima Paphos, the old town on the hill with its beautiful shops, museums and an outdoor market. Ktima Paphos is the main residential area. There are plenty of luxury housing developments in between the two, taking advantage of the breathtaking views. Many people choose holiday or permanent homes in one of the many surrounding villages or coastal locations. To the north of Paphos are villages like Tala which have stunning views of the Paphos coast and the Akamas Peninsula (poss link??), famous for its magnificent coastline, unique flora and fauna and beautiful pine forests. Tala village is perfectly situated close to friendly tavernas and coffee shops and the famous Tsada golf course. There are a number of new developments in this area. There are plenty of other popular villages close by, such as Peyia, now more of suburb of Paphos than a village, Droushia, Chloraka and Emba, to name but a few.

Getting to Paphos

Getting to Paphos is easy as it is home to the island’s second international airport which is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and a new terminal should be completed by the end of 2008. Paphos airport is the most popular tourist airport on the island and is served by a range of scheduled, charter and budget airlines, with more and more adding it to their destination list. The airport provides easy road access to popular Paphos resorts such as Coral Bay as well as Paphos town and onwards to Limassol. There are motorway links between all the main cities and the A6 connects Paphos to Limassol. A new motorway, the A7, is planned, which will link Paphos to the increasingly popular area around Polis, a coastal town north of Paphos and past the Akamas Peninsula. The road should be completed by 2009 and will be connected to the A6.

Airlines Flying to Paphos

Scheduled Airlines:

Cyprus Airways (Flights from Birmingham, London-Heathrow, Manchester)
Easyjet (Flights from London-Gatwick and Manchester (from end March 2008)
Flyglobespan (Flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh (from 1st April 2008), Glasgow and Durham Tees Valley).
Jet2 (Flights from Leed-Bradford begin May 2008)

Charter Airlines:

First Choice Airways (Flights from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Exeter, Glasgow, London-Gatwick and Manchester).
MyTravel (Flights from Birmingham, London-Gatwick and Manchester)
Thomas Cook Airlines (Flights from London-Luton, London-Gatwick and London-Stansted and a range of UK regional airports).
Thomsonfly (Flights from London-Luton, London-Gatwick and London-Stansted and a range of UK regional airports).
XL Airways (Flights from London-Gatwick, London-Stansted and a range of UK regional airports).

More information on Paphos coming soon….

Over the coming weeks, Cyprus Property World will be adding pages on night-life in Paphos, restaurants, more detail about activities in Paphos and more information about the historical and archeological delights of Paphos. If there’s anything we haven’t included that you’d like to know, please just drop us an email on info@cypruspropertyworld.com and we’ll try and answer your questions and include the information at a later date on the website.

Have fun in Paphos!