PAPHOS EXCURSIONS & PAPHOS CITY GUIDE IN CYPRUS

I visited Cyprus for a short weekend while I was traveling around Israel in March 2018. We only had two days and knew we wanted an adventure and to see both the beaches and the nature of Cyprus. We chose the West coast of South Cyprus’ main city to base ourselves in: Paphos! Paphos is known for its amazing beaches, cute little town, and its proximity to a TON of activities and excursions no matter your interest. Also: Paphos was voted the European Capital of Culture 2017 so you know it is a hot destination right now! Keep reading to find out all the things to do in Paphos city and one of the most popular Paphos excursions to take: an Akamas Peninsula Jeep Tour and all the amazing sites you see in this day tour!

Disclosure: This Paphos Excursions & Paphos City Guide may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As always, all opinions are my own and I would never post about something I have not personally used/verified.

I used EcoTour Adventures to help us plan an excursion for one of our full days in Cyprus. Andreas, the owner of EcoTour Adventures, was beyond easy to work with and quick to respond. He customized a private jeep tour for us catering to our personal interests and desires. I found their prices for a private tour (and also their group tour offerings) to be comparable and better to other tour companies and the customer service is fantastic. Don’t go to Paphos without checking out EcoTour Adventures offerings and booking through them!

Cyprus Packing & Travel Tips

• For everything you need to know about traveling to and visiting Cyprus head to my Cyprus Travel Guide.
• Airport: If you are visiting Paphos, I highly suggest flying into Paphos Airport. Its 10 minutes from the town. Larnaca is also a popular international airport but it’s a two hour drive from Paphos. We did the drive one way, and the Paphos airport was much easier!!!!
• Travel Insurance: Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world. We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

CYPRUS PACKING TIPS: Cyprus is one of the warmest locations in all of Europe year-round. In the summer, it is extremely hot! Especially if you are doing outdoor activities while visiting Cyprus (which you likely are) BE PREPARED and bring A LOT of sunscreen. I love this Sunbum sunscreen stick here that I always travel with since it fits in a small purse and is solid, and you can re-apply without needing a mirror. I also am obsessed with my S’well water bottle which keeps your water freezing cold for 24 hours – much needed in the heat and long hiking days. For all of my fave packing essentials I bring on any trip compiled together, head to my influencer page on Amazon for a complete list or my descriptive carry-on packing guide here!

How To Get To Paphos Cyprus

As I mentioned in my Cyprus travel blog guide, Cyprus is divided into two; the North occupied by Turkey and the South by the UN. There are two airports in South Cyprus: Larnaca International Airport (the biggest airport, code: LCA) and then a much smaller one in Paphos (Paphos International Airport, code: PFO)! There are plenty of airlines that fly to Paphos from all around Europe and the Middle East so if you are basing yourself in Paphos, definitely try to fly in and out of there as it’s only a ten minute drive to the Paphos town. We ended up flying into Paphos with Ryanair and then flying out of Larnaca with El Al Up since it was the latest flight out and we wanted to maximize our time. Larnaca International Airport is only an hour and a half drive from Paphos so it really isn’t TOO bad and is definitely doable if you can’t use Paphos Airport!

What To Do In Paphos Cyprus

Paphos is a tiny, tiny town situated on the West Coast of Cyprus right on the Mediterranean Sea – making way for some of the best sunsets over the water you will ever see in your life! There’s not SO much to do in the town of Cyprus – you really only need a few hours (like 2) to walk around the Paphos town and eat lunch outside at one of the many waterfront restaurants. Oh, and the beaches are pretty amazing! Most people come to Paphos to do an excursion around the country!

As I mentioned above, we chose to do the Akamas Peninsula Jeep Tour Excursion with EcoTour Adventures and could not have been happier with our choice. Below I outline all of the stops you can make and then some other Paphos day trips and excursions you can take, as well as what to do in the town of Paphos! If you want to book the Akamas tour, head here! Please note they have group tour options and private tours – we did a private tour so we could customize as we liked!

Paphos Excursions

Akamas Peninsula Jeep Tour

We purposely chose to stay in Paphos to do the Akamas Peninsula tour when I was doing my Cyprus planning. The Akamas Peninsula’s top spots are largely only accessible by jeep and we were up for the adventure and the drastic different types of locations we could see on a full-day tour. Andreas gave us tips on which places to go to and an ideal itinerary leading up to the trip. I would highly recommend Ecotour Adventures for any tour you choose when visiting Cyprus. The tour was beyond better than we had expected and Andreas, the owner, was fantastic, and he was our own tour guide! Below is the Akamas itinerary and a little about each stop!

Stop 1: Aphrodite’s Rock (Petra Tou Romiou)

Ok so *technically* Aphrodite’s Rock is NOT on the Akamas Peninsula BUT it’s SO close to Paphos (20 minute drive South) and one of the most famous mythological spots in the world that I couldn’t not visit it! Since we did a private tour, we were able to fully customize our tour and add the Rocks of Aphrodite to our destinations. It did not disappoint. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was said to have been born here. There is a myth that if you swim 3 times around the rocks it will bring eternal beauty and youth to you, however it is generally discouraged to swim here because of the rough waters in this area. This is a must-stop in my opinion when visiting Paphos and visiting Cyprus in general! TIP: Do NOT cross the highway from the parking lot across the street at the cafe. Walk down the stairs next to the cafe and walk in the underpass.

Stop 2: Cypriot Bakery in Polis, Cyprus

Our second stop was at the border of the Akamas Peninsula (about an hour and a half drive from Aphrodite’s Rock, only an hour drive from Paphos) at a well-known bakery in the small town of Polis, Cyprus. This was to pick up lunch and snacks for later since this would be our last time in civilization for a few hours. The baked goods here were so unreal we had such an issue picking out what to get! Ultimately we went with a lot of chocolate goods as well as sandwiches with Cyprus’ best known cheese, Halloumi! After this quick stop we were off into the Peninsula and onto the off-roading (and fun) part of the trip. After this you will not be on a real road for another four to five hours!

Stop 3: Baths of Aphrodite (Latchi)

This is one of the most famous places to see in all of Cyprus, but to me it was quite underwhelming. It is the first stop in the true Akamas Peninsula and is a natural cave where it is said that the mythological goddess of love, Aphrodite, used to take her baths. One of the many myths surrounding the Baths of Aphrodite is that if you bathe in them, you are restored of your fertility. However, it is now prohibited to swim in these baths. The Baths of Aphrodite can be reached by nature trails in the Akamas and is only a 2 minute walk from where you park the jeep!

Related Post: Cyprus Travel Guide

Stop 4: *Secret* Private Lagoon

Ok so this was probably our favorite stop of the whole trip! Andreas, our guide, brought us to his secret lagoon spot on the way to the popular Blue Lagoon. It is totally peaceful here with no one around and you just stare out into the perfect turquoise sea and watch the waves crash onto the rocks. Normally you could go for a swim here but the tide was way too high and the waves were insane. We were perfectly happy just looking out into the water (and taking lots of pictures)!

Stop 5: Blue Lagoon Cyprus

The famous Cyprus Blue Lagoon is another main stop on an Akamas Peninsula tour. This was underwhelming to us, to be honest, after visiting the private lagoon, but it was still beautiful nonetheless. It is known for its clear water here and there are usually Blue Lagoon boat tours running that you can take as well, but since we were there in the off season and it was rough in the water, there were no tours running at this time. During the summer I would definitely take a boat out here or lay on the beach and go in the water! This is usually the stop that you spend a bunch of time at relaxing.

Stop 6: Lara Bay

Lara Bay is another staple on an Akamas Peninsula tour. It may look like just another beach on the island upon arrival, however it is actually known for its turtle conservatory station! Here, you can learn about the endangered green turtles that hatch here. If you visit Cyprus in the summer, you will even get to see them during their hatching season! On the off season, you will see where their eggs are placed on the beach and learn more about them. If the weather holds up you can also swim on this beautiful beach.

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Stop 7: Avakas Gorge

Okay so this is one of the most popular stops on the Akamas Peninsula tours but since we added in Aphrodite’s Rock and the secret lagoon we were beyond tired by the time we got to the end that we ended up skipping this BUT I highly suggest it because the pictures look amazing! It’s about a 30 minute hike (an easy hike though) to get to the gorge from the parking lot nearby so just factor that in!

…And that’s the end of the Akamas Peninsula Tour! Overall it was a huge success of a day and one of the most fun, adventurous wild tours I have ever done. Off-roading in a jeep for 5 hours is no easy task and we had the best time that I couldn’t recommend this tour, or a variation of this tour, more! The Akamas Peninsula region is so beautiful with breathtaking views everywhere you look that you cannot go wrong with any of these stops. Check out some more pictures of the beautiful nature and wildlife surrounding the Akamas Peninsula.

Click on any of the stop names above to get more information on the destination!

Other Things to Do in Paphos City and Paphos Day Trips/Paphos Excursions

• Troodos Mountain Day Trip: Usually includes a wine tour and lots of nature hikes in the beautiful mountains. Another one of the most popular Paphos excursions. You can check out EcoTours Troodos Mountain tour here!
• Day Trip to Nicosia: The Cyprus capital and divided city of Nicosia is a must if you have more days in Cyprus.
• Cyprus Cities: Head to other main cities in South Cyprus like Limassol, Larnaca or the Ayia Napa beaches (big, young party scene)!
• Archaeological Park of Kato Paphos: Known for its amazing mosaics piece. Definitely a must-do when staying in Paphos.
• Tombs of the Kings: A UNESCO site right in Paphos
• Paphos Castle: Walk here along the water in Paphos (it’s right at the end) for amazing sunset views.
• Paphos Harbor and Port: Just get lost walking around Paphos waterfront promenade! It is so beautiful walking along the Mediterranean you cannot go wrong!

Find out more about all of these activities in Cyprus by clicking their names!

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Where To Eat In Paphos

The Paphos town as I mentioned is super small and cute and there are a ton of restaurants lining the Mediterranean Sea. Check out some of these restaurants that are well-known!

• The Pelican: We ate lunch here and sat here for around 3 hours just enjoying the outdoors and being on the sea drinking wine and eating lots of little plates! It is also known that you can see pelicans regularly walking around here (hence the name) but we weren’t so lucky!
• Theos: Theos is another one of the best restaurants in Paphos that I highly suggest!
• Suite 48: This restaurant is located directly next to Amphora hotel with a beautiful outdoor and indoor seating spot. We ate here the first night and loved it! Such good salad, mezzes and food all around!
• Mare Mare: Mare Mare is another great restaurant I highly recommend right along the Mediterranean Sea in Paphos!

Click the Paphos restaurant names above to find out more.

Bars In Paphos

• Mare Mare: Like I mentioned above, Mare Mare has one of the best views, which makes for a great bar spot as well!
• Baywatch Cocktail Bar: A fun bar in Paphos, a few blocks inland from the sea strip.
• Alea Cafe Lounge Bar: A fun lounge bar right along the waterfront.

Click the Paphos bar names above to find out more.

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Where To Stay In Paphos

I recommend staying at Amphora Hotel and Suites. I was obsessed with this hotel. Amphora was right on the Mediterranean and every room faces the sea with amazing balconies and views. The hotel was all modern and updated and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. The pools and pool bar are amazing and the location is perfection. Additionally, the hotel was beyond affordable coming in at less than $200 total for 2 nights for a Superior Double Room (note: we did go during off-season). This also included a free buffet breakfast which was huge and delicious. I can’t recommend Amphora enough!

Book Amphora Hotel and Suites here or search for other Paphos hotels below! Read reviews on Amphora Hotel on TripAdvisor here.

AIRBNB Paphos: Many people also choose to stay in Airbnb in Paphos. I personally chose the hotel route because we only had two quick nights there, but I suggest an Airbnb in Paphos if you are staying longer than a weekend! If you use my Airbnb link you get $40 off your first stay!

*Thanks to Ecotour Adventures for helping set up our private Akamas tour and customizing it to our desires in order to make this blog post possible! While I did receive discounts on my Paphos excursions through Ecotour Adventures, my review and experience with them is, as always, 100% personal and honest*

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Did I miss something in my Paphos Excursions and Paphos City Guide that you loved? Let me know in the comments for my next visit and check out my Cyprus Travel Blog for more tips and what to expect when visiting Cyprus!