Paphos
[Snapshot lead for Paphos is brief. The city's defining salience (UNESCO World Heritage archaeological park, the Kato Paphos mosaics, Aphrodite's birthplace, package-tourism hub, PFO airport / Ryanair hub) is carried in the wikivoyage and Culture sections.]
Typical weather
1981–presentVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsWhat to do each season
2winter
mild, occasionally rainy; mean 11.2-20.2 °C across the range; December wettest at 2.8 mm/day; frost unknown; sea 16-19 °C
- Paphos Archaeological Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kato Paphos mosaics) — the city's defining visitor economy year-round
- Paphos's role as the winter-sun destination for northern-Europe package tourism activates
- the Tombs of the Kings (UNESCO) and the Paphos Castle carry indoor-and-outdoor cultural life
summer
hot, almost rainless; mean 24.3-27.1 °C, July mean max 31.4 °C; precip 0.1-0.2 mm/day in Jun-Sep; sea reaches 27-28 °C
- Coral Bay, the Blue Lagoon (Akamas peninsula) and the Aphrodite's Beach resort activate
- the package-tourism hotel strip at Kato Paphos at full capacity
- the ancient Odeon of Paphos hosts open-air performances
- Paphos International Airport (PFO) — Ryanair hub — at peak saturation
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Aphrodite Festival
- the Paphos Aphrodite Festival — opera at the harbour-side medieval castle
Paphos Carnival
- the Paphos Carnival parade
Paphos 2017 European Capital of Culture
- Paphos's one-off year as European Capital of Culture (with Aarhus) — infrastructure-and-legacy episode
On the record
source-trackedPaphos offers a wealth of choices to eat from world known Western KFC & McDonalds to five-star dining at Il Classico and Colosseum, and at many of the hotel restaurants.
If at all possible venture out a little into one of the villages surrounding Paphos town for not just authentic food but great atmosphere, either NE towards the mountains or should you want to travel a little further West call into Kathikas village.
Shopping in Paphos is a pleasurable experience, with its shops spread out from the numerous quality furniture stores on the road to Polis to the small independent tourist shops on the harbourside.
The small airport [PFO] serves mostly charter flights. Flights to Paphos are widely available from charter flight companies from many of the UK's regional airports, from Exeter in the South-west to Glasgow and Edinburgh in the North.
This can be one busy airport, particularly departures on Wednesdays.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.