The promontory behind the harbor area was originally within the walls of ancient Nea Paphos and, like many places in Cyprus, a parcel of land where successive rulers and invaders built on the remains of ancient settlements.
The star attraction here is the Paphos Archaeological Park, a grand site dotted with excavated Roman villas and their magnificent mosaic floors, many as bright and colorful as the day they were laid. In the House of Dionysus (God of Wine) no less than 34 different mosaics have been unearthed. Get there early in the summer for cooler temperatures and fewer crowds, and get out before the lunchtime heat.
Do you remember that picnic lunch? While queuing for a table at a harbor side restaurant, you can relax in the shade of the trees behind the city beach and eat that picnic. If the kids want to take a dip, Paphos beach is clean and has Blue Flag status too.
After lunch, stroll through the still-waiting-for-yours at the port restaurants and explore Fort Paphos, a sturdy miniature castle that protected the port entrance against Ottoman invaders, and then compare it to the ruins of Saranda Kolones, a Byzantine castle reduced to rubble. by an earthquake.
If the kids are interested in more history, it’s just a quick trip to the Tombs of the Nobles, a series of elaborate chambers and columns carved out of solid rock. Built as the final resting places for Paphos’ wealthy Greeks and Romans, the tombs are also cool when the rest of the countryside bakes in the afternoon sun. If history has turned into a desperate need for ice cream or some retail therapy, the city center is right up the street from the parking lot, if you can pass the rows of jewelers that sparkle and sparkle with golden treasures … .
Right at a time when other families’ spirits are wearing thin, you can leave the crowds behind and drive back to your rental villa, knowing you won’t have to fight for a poolside spot or worry about paying. for another round of drinks at the bar. With a private villa for rent in Paphos, you can relax by your own pool, drink cold beers straight from your own fridge, and perhaps cook a tasty barbecue under the stars. No set meal times, no sky-high bar bills, and best of all, no crowds.
No wonder the Romans also loved their villas in Paphos …