Paphos

The Odeon Paphos (Πάφος, also Pafos) is a town at the southwestern tip of Cyprus, between the coast and the Troodos Mountains. Understand Paphos is renowned as the birthplace of Greek goddess Aphrodite. Modern-day Paphos is divided in two, with the upper section up the hill being the commercial center, and lower Kato Paphos containing the main archaeological points of interest, as well as most hotels and tavernas. The local municipality has made great efforts in recent years to improve the lower Kato Paphos area, which combines hotels, bars and restaurants along a coastal strip a few km long. There is a newly built front/'promenade' leading round to the marina and a long coastal path with amazing views - perfect for a morning or evening stroll. Get in The small "Paphos International Airport" (PFO) serves both charter and scheduled flights. Flights to Paphos are widely available from charter flight companies from many of the UK's regional airports, from Exeter in the Southwest to Glasgow and Edinburgh in the North. Many tour operators including First Choice, Thomson and Monarch fly regularly. Flights to Paphos are also available using the scheduled services from Easyjet and Ryanair. There are also direct flights from other European countries and from the Russian Federation. The new terminal is relatively spacious but some airlines use a system referred to by travellers as 'holding cages' out by the planes, where passengers may have to wait outside to board their aircraft. If the thought of the 'cages' puts you off then it is not far to the new Larnaca airport (LCA). There is now dual carriageway the whole way from Paphos to Larnaca, skirting Limassol. By car/taxi it takes around 1.5 hours. Bus services run from Paphos Airport to the 'tourist area' of Kato Paphos, approximately hourly in summer, for 1 euro; also to Limassol. There are also buses from the Paphos Karavella bus station to Larnaca airport (change near Limassol) and shared taxis (€5-10) run reasonably often. Get around Paphos is made up of two areas: a) the lower town or 'Kato Paphos', by the harbour and most of the tourist hotels and nightlife and b) the upper town ('Ktima Paphos') which is the main administrative, commercial and modern shopping town for the region of Paphos. The market is in the upper town. Both sections are small enough to navigate on foot, although many people take the bus to travel up the hill from the harbour area. Buses are also available to reach Coral Bay, Polis and other local villages. However, it is easier to use a vehicle (bike/quad/car) to travel further into the Troodos mountains, the Akamas peninsula or go off the beaten track to find small villages in the hills. It gets hot and humid in summer (33 deg C and 90% Humidity) between late June and early September, so air conditioning can be welcome in the car then. The rest of the year is relatively mild but there are sometimes colder spells in January & February. Official website of Paphos Cyprus region. See Paphos Archaeological Park houses a number of attractions, including the House of Dionysos and the House of Theseus, both ruins of large Roman villas famous for their mosaics. The Tombs of the Kings, whilst not actually the burial place of ancient royalty, is worthy of the name none the less. Within this area land are found the cave-cut tombs of high officials and rich citizens. Although all of the tombs have been plundered, what is left is still a very impressive impression of life (after-life?), back in the fourth century. The larger tombs in this "complex" are awesome, carved out of solid rock and with a view for the inhabitants that would make anyone among the living jealous! Paphos Fort, at the tip of the marina, is a squat box with a colourful history as a fort and prison under many administrators. The present incarnation was built by the Turks in 1586 and was last actively used by the British. Open daily to 6 PM (in summer.) Tala Village, found high up north west of Paphos, Tala is a pretty traditional village, now with a large expat population but with beautiful Agios Neophytos Monastery nearby and a good range of popular restaurants. Episkopi Environmental Centre, Episkopi Village (by local bus or car (or foot)). Episkopi Village is about 10 km NE of Paphos (not the one where British forces are based.) It is a small and interesting old village with winding streets and its renowned cliff face. Situated in the beautiful Ezouza Valley, it is at the lower end of a nature trail from Tsada/Minthis Hills Golf course. In 2013 the old primary school was transformed into an excellent Environmental Centre with films, displays and a garden to demonstrate the local flora and fauna. (34 37 39.73,32 31 23.69) edit Do Paphos Bird Park, [1]. A large animal park located north of Paphos. Tickets are 15.50 €/adult and 8.50 €/child  edit The Odeon, a classic Greek amphitheatre within the archaeological park, occasionally holds plays and musical performances. The Paphos Aphrodite Water Park is a large, impressive, and very nicely themed, water park. Plenty of slides to keep all ages amused, as well as lazy river rides, wave machines, and everything else you've come to expect from the best water parks. Walk the coastal path. There is an excellent, paved, coastal path from the Tombs of the Kings site to Geroskipou Beach. For those willing to walk on some slightly rougher ground it is possible to walk all the way from the Airport almost to Coral Bay, with only a few hundred metres along road. A beautiful walk to enjoy the sea breezes and, in spring, the flowers growing by the sea.  edit Buy Leather goods, Lace, Yeroskipou delights, Beware of stores selling copy DVDs these appear a bargain but are often poor quality and a waste of money. Also check the store's 'returns policy'. Some do not offer refunds or exchanges on faulty goods! Overall 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. There are 4 main supermarket companies in Paphos:- Orphanides, Papantoniou, Chris Cash & Carry (now Carrefour); Debenhams (rather like UK House of Fraser) Eat Paphos offers a wealth of choices to eat from world known Western KFC & McDonalds to 5 Star dining at iL Classico, Colosseum etc and at many of the hotel restaurants. There are limitless choices from Chinese to Mexican and from traditional Cypriot meze to Pizza/Pasta. You must try a traditional Cypriot meze but 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 where there are a multitude of traditional tavernas. Zaffron restaurant [2] - a very good restaurant with Italian, Greek menu. Situated near Venus beach hotel. The average bill for supper - 40 euros for 2 people with glass of wine. Drink Accompany any traditional cyprus dish with wine from the Nelion Winery, Vasilias Nikoklis inn offers a variety of local wines starting from Cyprus apperitif zivania, the Refreshing roze, the dry white wine the medium sweet white and red, the ofthalmo and the shiraz. Sleep Get out The Akamas Peninsula located in the far west of Cyprus. Paphos is the closest major city to this area of outstanding natural beauty. A day may not be enough to explore the deep gorges the wild landscape and the sandy bays. This is an area of great biodiversity and ecological significance. Home to 530 plant species, a third of the total for Cyprus, 126 of which are endemic to the island Cyprus. It remains largely unspoilt to date mainly thanks to its inaccessibility. The Diarizos river valley is an unspoiled paradise for birdwatchers and nature lovers. Drive through Nikoklia village towards the Troodos mountains and enjoy the views. Scenic little villages, family run inns and wineries. The Ezouza Valley, which can be reached by local bus, is similarly excellent for local birdwatchers and nature lovers. No need for a car; a good place for walking. See the item on Episkopi Environmental Centre above. Explore Paphos If you want to explore Paphos and see as much as possible there is no better way to do than to use Pafos Treasure Hunt. Pafos Treasure Hunt is a free iPhone app which can be downloaded fro free at http://www.pafostreasurehunt.com/down.... Pafos Treasure Hunt is a fun, educational game, suitable for the whole family, enabling its users to learn about the history of Paphos in an original and entertaining way, while also they get to win great gifts on the spot. Visitors in Paphos get the chance to visit 14 spots including archaeological sites, museums, creative workshops and experience Cypriot traditional crafts using their iPhone. When they check-in at a place they immediately win points and achievements. Points earned are accumulated and once they earn enough points they automatically win a gift and get a chance to enter a competition to win a 3-night stay for two at a hotel in Pafos. During the game users get a chance to visit local traditional crafts shops, learn more about the craft and by checking-in they also win a surprise gift. This game will give you facts you will not find elsewhere, help you get to the location by using interactive maps, but also gives you the opportunity to win great gifts on the spot and enter a competition to win a bigger prize. All points on the app are accessible by public transport and the application facilitates the bus route information for each point. The app is available in English, Greek, and Russian. Also the application allows treasure hunters to share their progress with friends and family via social networking sites – Facebook and Twitter. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!