Paphos: Explore This City On The Southwest Coast Of Cyprus

Paphos is a coastal city that's located in southwest Cyprus and is the capital of the Paphos district.

Initially, two places were known as Paphos, Kouklia, which was the old Paphos, and the New Paphos. Paphos city today lies 30 mi (50 km) west of Limassol and on the side of the Mediterranean coast.

The New Paphos and Ktima combined to form the modern Paphos. On the whole, Paphos is a great place to visit if you want to have a mix of history, beach, art, a tad bit of Egyptian culture, and great artistic buildings. 

Keep reading to know more about this city.

History And Culture

The best way to enjoy a city is to learn about its ancient history, art and culture. Exploring a city's rich heritage and the scenery is a great way to tour it. When it comes to Paphos, it has its own set of varied history. Let's know more about it.

Did you know that Paphos was the name given to two different ancient cities? One was the city in the southwest of Cyprus, known as Kouklia, which was one of the ancient classical and archaic towns. The other was a classical Romanian and Hellenistic city called Paphos.

The famous church situated near St. Paul's pillar is renowned for its artistic mosaic floor, which was constructed over Byzantine Basilica ruins. Parts of these mosaic floor remains together to this day. The church has a historical significance of the fact that St Paul was said to have suffered 39 lashings because he would preach Christianity.

The famous District Archaeological Museum has a grand collection of Cypriot antiquities from Paphos that date back to around 1700 AD, which was around the time of the Neolithic age. Paphos is famous for its Cypriot culture.

Near the Odeon is the Roman Agora, which represents the ancient city walls and is also situated in a building that is dedicated to the god of medicine, Asclepius.

There are mosaic floors even here and are regarded to be some of the finest ones in the entire region of the Eastern Mediterranean. These mosaic structures depict Greek mythological elements in them.

Paphos consists of several catacombs sites which go back to the start of the Christianity period. The famous Saint Solomoni Church is one of the testimonies of this fact.

Paphos is the capital of Western Cyprus and is a rather favorite spot for the tombs of kings. A famous fourth-century BC tombs site is set on quite a scenic point, and it is located on a cliff that is set high on a cliff.

One can see a dramatic view of the sparkling sea and the Byzantine castle. This place is said to be Aphrodite, the goddess of love's birthplace.

In 1980 UNESCO included Paphos in its World Heritage Site List for its splendid mosaics, religious importance, and awe-inspiring ancient architecture.

The old town Paphos was nominated for the European Capital of Culture in 2017. As a result of this nomination, the old town got quite a bit of do-over. The Municipal Market in Ktima now thus sells all the items that the citizens would require, such as jewelry, fruits, vegetables, and even pottery items!

Economy And Currency

World Bank has classified the economy of Cyprus as a high-income economy. In 2001, the economy was even included in the list of advanced economies of 2001 by the International Monetary Fund.

In 2008 Euro became the official currency after replacing the Cypriot pound of Cyprus and thus even Paphos as its the Southwestern Republic Of Cyprus. Know more facts about the economy and currency of Paphos below.

The 2012-2013 Cypriot financial crisis, which was one of the parts of the European debt crisis, dominated Paphos's economic affairs for a considerable amount of time.

The Cypriot government then reached a conversation with the Eurozone partners to split the Laiki Bank (Cyprus Popular Bank) into good and bad banks (The larger bank of Cyprus would absorb the good bank, and the bad bank would be wound down eventually).

In return, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank would give a €10 ($11.16) billion bailout.

Cypriot government was then required to implement some haircuts on insured and uninsured deposits.

There was a three to three-and-a-half-year recession in Paphos, but then, in 2015 entire Cyprus region returned to its usual growth 2015. In March 2016, Cyprus's three-year financial assistance program from the European Stability Mechanism was concluded successfully after the assistance of about €6.3 ($7.03) billion and €1 billion from the IMF.

Paphos and the Cyprus region were so self-sufficient that the other €2.7 ($1.12)billion of the ESM bailout was never sanctioned because the finances over three years seemed to have improved drastically.

After gaining independence in 1960 from the United Kingdom and Cyprus Region showed a consistent record in scaling its economic performance as stable and full employment conditions were achieved. Their modern economy with dynamic agricultural and industrial services along with advanced social and physical infrastructure was in contrast with the underdeveloped agrarian colonial economy.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Paphos and Cyprus became the source of investments from Eastern Europe and the Western side. Very recently, there was a good inflow of investments from the West into Asia through the Cyprus region.

Countries such as India and China benefitted from this. Even the Middle East and South America saw a good influx of investments through Cyprus.

Non-Europian businesses use Cyprus as their starting point for investing in Europe. Thus the business sector of Cyprus is always thriving and is growing rapidly as compared to the other sectors. The financial regulator of the Cyprus region CySEC and CIPA, have had a fundamental contribution to the economy's growth.

These institutions regulate several of the world's biggest brands in the retail force. They see this regulation as a good way to get an EU operating license and also understand the many different industry know-how.

A service-based, open, and free-market economy is what you could say are Paphos and Cyprus's economy. The Cypriots are one of the wealthiest and most prosperous in the entire Mediterranean region.

Did you know that in 2021 their GDP per capita exceeded $29,000 in nominal terms and, in terms of purchasing power parity, $42,000?

Their economy is often called the bridge between the West and East due to its geographical location. Their culture, good telecommunications, airline connections, and educated English-speaking population give them the required thrust to boost their economy.

Tourist Attractions In Paphos

According to Greek mythology, Paphos, the coastal city, is regarded as Aphrodite's birthplace, who is the goddess of love, and is greatly famous as one of the most attractive tourist places to visit in Cyprus. Paphos also has Cyprus's second-largest airport and is listed in UNESCO too.

With so much to explore, learn, and see, here is our exciting guide to every place you ought to visit to understand the city's fascinating historical sites and flawless Mediterranean beaches.

As this beach town is Aphrodite's birthplace, visit the mythical Aphrodite's Rock, also known as Petra Tou Romiou in Greek. This place is located between Limassol and Paphos.

The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park houses some of the fascinating tombs of many kings. The tombs were constructed as per the ancient Egyptian tradition and were carved out of a single solid rock during the Roman and Hellenistic periods.

These tombs are present in the underground section of the park.

The tombs resemble the houses in which the kings lived as, according to tradition, the tombs should be as close to the place in which the kings resided while they were alive. These underground burial chambers are similar to one found in Alexandria in the sense that they have similar peristyle atrium.

The size of the tombs and the Doric pillars will surely leave you awestruck with its design and architecture.

The Paphos archaeological park also has numerous other attractions, such as the House of Theseus and the House of Dionysos. Although these are sites that are in ruins, they are still known for their artistic mosaic work.

The Paphos Fort is another great destination to visit for its colorful history and its scenic location at the tip of the marina.

The Akamas Peninsula is a tourist spot located in the west of Cyprus, but you should visit it if you come to Paphos as it is the closest developed city to it. You might just need more than a day to explore this place, as its natural beauty would enthrall the hidden hiker in you.

The sandy bays and deep gorges are enough to make you spend the most of your time in the wild.

A relaxing boat ride in the Akamas Peninsula will also be a good choice to enjoy with your friends and family. A half-day boat trip to the Latchi harbor will be an enjoyable affair due to the many tourist attractions and resorts.

The logistics are well handled at the Paphos International Airport, which serves normal scheduled and charter flights. Several charter flight companies provide an ample number of flights to Paphos from many places, especially from the UK. Edinburgh, Exter, and Glasgow are very well connected to Paphos. So what are you waiting for? Book your tour to Paphos now!

FAQs

What is the history and culture of Paphos?

Paphos has been around since the neolithic period and is regarded as Aphrodite's birthplace. The Cypriot culture was quite prevalent in Paphos.

What language do they speak in Paphos?

Greek and Turkish are the official languages of Paphos.

What money is used in Paphos?

The Euro is the currency of Paphos.

Is Paphos expensive?

No, it isn't that expensive, as Paphos's living costs are estimated to be 47% less than that of New York's.

Is Paphos a good place to go?

Yes, absolutely! The Roman and Greek cultures will be a delight for you and your family.

Is Paphos Greek or Turkish?

Originally, Paphos was greek, although there was a Turkish invasion in the north of an island, and Paphos is on the south.

Is Paphos Cyprus Safe?

Yes, safety is not an issue in Paphos despite being close to countries facing a lot of terrorism issues.