This is an updated version to our 2018 post What to do in the Paphos area
Welcome to Paphos!
We are very happy to share with you a list of recommended locations to visit, including great restaurants and special locations we love. All locations indicated in this list have been personally vetted by us. We do not add a location to this list unless we have been there ourselves and think it is worth recommending.
The Cypriot food is very similar to Greek food although not identical. Some of the restaurants in the Paphos area are closed during the winter but we found that the good ones are usually open all year.
Below you can find a list of recommended locations, trips and restaurants. All recommended sites are located within reasonable driving time from our villas and thus covers mainly the West side of Cyprus. We keep updating this page with new locations we continue to discover in this amazing island…
The Sea Caves and Coral Bay areas
A few minutes’ drive from our villas you can find many recommended locations and restaurants
- Church St. George – visit the old church and the nearby fishermen harbour – https://goo.gl/maps/ZADf99urodrzJVft6
- Sea Caves lookout – This location is a good vista for the beautiful sea caves area – https://goo.gl/maps/7keXsnosXVJmXbv17
- Corallia beach (Laourou Beach) – A nice beach to spend the day in the sun. Corallia beach is the smaller of the two bays of “coral bay” – https://goo.gl/maps/XLAhFik3abwgv1so9
- Coral bay beach – This beach is in the bigger bay of the “Coral Bay” area – https://goo.gl/maps/EskVrFApCwK57H7L7
- Coral Bay strip – The main tourist hub of Coral Bay. Full of many restaurants and pubs. The map is marked by an exciting Japanese restaurant by the end of the street – https://g.page/SamisenJapaneseRestaurant?share
- Philippos supermarket – The main supermarket of the coral bay area. Here you can find anything you need – https://goo.gl/maps/jXYr21iMdagiaKrW7
- Peyia village centre – Peyia village is located on the mountain side above Coral Bay. The authentic village centre offers many recommended restaurants (among others, try Peyia Tavern and The Old Cinema) – https://goo.gl/maps/cgsPgEaqqxHsZBRq5
- Savvas Grill (local Tavern) – Located in Peyia village, this place offers good Cypriot food with traditional live music and dancing on Fridays during the tourist season. Highly recommended for an evening of fun! Make reservations in advance – https://goo.gl/maps/PtVoE2aER7FdrHP96
- Cap St. Georges – A club house on the beach, for the more sophisticated customer. You can stop there to eat or just for coffee by the sea – https://goo.gl/maps/B6ih5h7uVySS8ZqZ8
- Oniro by the sea – This restaurant is truly a must-visit but not must eat. Try their special cocktails or their Freddo Cappuccino (cold coffee) Located next to the sea caves shipwreck, the restaurant is open between March and October, make reservation in advance https://goo.gl/maps/CcU2dywvkwQSnTRH9
- Yialos fish restaurant – A simple tasty family fish restaurant by the water – https://g.page/YialosTavernByTheSea?share
- Porto Antico restaurant – A recommended place for dinner by the water. Great service and food – https://goo.gl/maps/aaPCAyro58e7hXdf7
- The Sunset tavern – A family tavern in the St. George area. Good Cypriot food at reasonable prices – https://g.page/sunsetrestaurantcy?share
The Akamas national park and the Polis area
Our villas are located a very short drive from the Akamas national park. North of the Akamas is the town of Polis and its surrounding villages, both are highly recommended locations to visit
- The Akamas Peninsula National Park – A wild national park area. The best way to see the park itself is by hiking or renting a 4×4 or a baggy for the day – https://goo.gl/maps/N3UhiLAzuP1eXfZR6. You can rent a buggy for the day near the Petrolina gas station of Coral Bay.
- The Avakas Gorge – A highly recommended easy hike into the middle of the gorge and back should take no more than one hour – https://goo.gl/maps/yDSYAm13AZ5xiZeQ9
- Viklari restaurant – Overlooking the sea and the Avakas gorge, this place is a great choice for fresh Cypriot food while visiting the Avakas area. Make reservations – https://goo.gl/maps/EFa9W9kEmHvWMt4Y8
- Lara beach – A wild sandy beach – https://goo.gl/maps/egbSE7UkYuAj99kD7. At Lara beach the sea turtles come to lay their eggs. Check for hatching times on the net.
- The baths of Aphrodite – A nice little place to visit while in the Latchi area. Don’t miss a short walk by the high cliffs nearby – https://goo.gl/maps/kdz7pFLLLCg35snD7
- Longer hikes in the Akamas park – https://goo.gl/maps/jdNKoLdmfHTP6cGW8
- The Latchi marina – From the marina we recommend taking a cruise of about 3 hours to the blue lagoon between June and October – https://goo.gl/maps/o1Pkr7PQ2VSiB13x7. Combine the cruise with a great fish and sea food restaurants on the marina. One of the recommended restaurants is – https://goo.gl/maps/m5m7A4pfNzvLN1un8
- Droushia cheese factory – On the way back from Latchi to Paphos, you can stop at the Droushia cheese factory – Not on Sundays – https://goo.gl/maps/PmsZE43TCBW6MDmH9
- Kritou Tera waterfalls – on the way to Polis or on the way back, you can take an hour to visit these charming little waterfalls – https://goo.gl/maps/VdhNX5BPBfSaMwS56
Paphos city and coast
Our villas are located just 15-20 minutes’ drive from Paphos city. Before our recommended lists – here is the link to the official site of the city of Paphos where you can find many recommended locations – https://www.visitpafos.org.cy/pafos-region/
- Tombs of the kings archaeology park – If you like archaeology, this park is world class – https://goo.gl/maps/2ppwtAQBWufBterh9
- Tombs of the kings Mall – This is the biggest and best mall in Paphos – https://goo.gl/maps/tmC9WYEExPaVQ3UP8
- Paphos old harbour and promenade – A Paphos tourist hub. Take a short walk on the promenade by the water toward Paphos castle and enjoy the restaurants, boats and sites – https://goo.gl/maps/g1FSWSqeU5whxWw37
- Bar street – Nice place to visit in the evenings. Walk between the bars and restaurants – https://goo.gl/maps/HUtSnmkvQa4kGCrK6
- Paphos water park – Highly recommended for spending a great day with the kids – https://goo.gl/maps/YENpFWGX2Z3s1GHh7
- Lighthouse beach – Nice beach to spend a day in the sun – https://goo.gl/maps/dRTtCRGH1usdTVCQ8
- Agios Neophytos Monastery – take half an hour to walk around the old monastery in the cave and the new one built near it, and watch the view of the town and sea below them – https://goo.gl/maps/Gb7FGzLLHmYvY2k47. If you like cats, just below the monastery there is a cat shelter that you must see, they have about 900 different cats – https://goo.gl/maps/f1JwRMjeZCRvtC8Y8
A few recommended Paphos restaurants
- Muse – Great place in mid Paphos for good European food and fantastic view of Paphos – https://goo.gl/maps/aJB9af4YohCsDLvi9
- Κουτουρού Καφενείο Ουζερί – Wonderful place for a special tapas meal in mid Paphos. Cyprus food with a twist you should try. Their Haloumi cheese in honey is a must try. Close in the afternoon. – https://g.page/koutourou?share. Here is an article on the place – https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/01/17/restaurant-review-koutourou-ouzeri-paphos
- The Lodge – If you are looking for great meat, this is the place. This South African restaurant offers great grill options. Their spare ribs are the best in town!!
- King Fisher – a good fish restaurant located on Tombs of the kings street – https://goo.gl/maps/SXNUDBxQvmSyVkpXA
- Namaste – Indian street food restaurant one of the best in Paphos. Make reservation. https://goo.gl/maps/Yo7itkfm6nJ4seCD7
- Estia Tavern – Owned by Yanis, with great Greek style food. Just moved to a new location. https://goo.gl/maps/84knVbSvy9yk1exe6
Recommended locations just East of Paphos
- Petra Tou Romiou / Rock of Aphrodite – Mythology say Aphrodite was born here. A beautiful beach with great boulders. Worth going – not far from the Paphos airport – https://goo.gl/maps/hUB7t24Mzyg2kEV66
- Pissouri village – A beautiful village on a hill by the beach. Worth walking around the village center and maybe eating in one of the many tavernas – https://goo.gl/maps/U4SnLZxza8db4gav8
Recommended locations in the mountains above Paphos
- Kika’s garden – a great breakfast location in the mountain above Paphos. Call to book in advance – https://g.page/kikasgarden?share
- Sofia’s traditional house – In the mountains, not far from Paphos, you can visit this restaurant / museum, where you can meet Sofia and her husband. They serve good Cypriot food and show their traditional house – https://goo.gl/maps/ZGA2Vxjckcpxxj3MA
- Letymbou Tavern – Recommended tavern in the mountains above Paphos – https://goo.gl/maps/H7TeJZ5VGsfc7whg7
Paphos forest and the Western Troodos mountains
Some say that the most impressive area of Cyprus are the Troodos mountains (we agree!!). You can reach the mountains with just a short drive from our villas, but we recommend taking a full day to discover them properly and take your time driving between the charming mountain villages.
- Cedar valley – Drive via Cider Valley rode and see these beautiful unique trees – https://goo.gl/maps/yesvGupGe7nemEdY7
- Kykkos monastery – Visit the gold room and the Makarios grave site –https://goo.gl/maps/zxPduk7xY2LoHxqk7
- MOUFFLONS wild sheep enclosure – https://goo.gl/maps/GjPLNfafnkJdCfYC8
- Ancient stone bridges – Visit the old Venetian bridges in the mountains, for example the Tzelefos bridge – https://goo.gl/maps/WYhDqPmBBbaodfrD8
- Omodos village – Walk through the charming village streets, find a nice place to seat for a coffee and just enjoy the atmosphere – https://goo.gl/maps/XZ3tff9b4Ka9RY8AA
- Oenou yi winery – A newly built winery just outside of Omodos village. You can enjoy their recommended restaurant or a wine tasting, or just walk to see the view from their veranda. – https://g.page/oenouyiktimavassiliades?share
- Milomeris Waterfalls – Take a short walk to the waterfalls, just outside of Pano Platres. The map shows the location of the parking lot, just a few minute walk down to the falls and back – https://goo.gl/maps/RkmbsshRFmoeWjay5
- Sparti Rope Adventure Park – If you are with kids, this is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Located just below Pano Platers – https://g.page/parkSPARTI?share
- Kaladonia waterfalls Trail – The trail goes up by the steam. It takes about half an hour walk to reach the beautiful waterfalls, and is worth the walk in our opinion – https://goo.gl/maps/D5niLnfr58Fix8Wp9
- Ski Club – The top of the Troodos mountains gets snow every winter and even offers a small ski club with a few short ski trails. Highly recommended as a first-time ski school – https://goo.gl/maps/97kHr2XFFXh2TKuz8
- Kakopetria village – This is a beautiful old village. Walk up the old main street with their little museums telling the story of village life. Visit the old water mill, a great restaurant to eat a fresh trout – https://goo.gl/maps/DPPG6fKd3LmtSHMRA
- Kalopanayiotis village – Part of this beautiful old village was transformed into a high-class spa hotel and restaurant. Take an hour to walk around and see the view, their restaurant offers great food – https://goo.gl/maps/cU8GoB3A4ybz4u817
- Symposio restaurant – Highly recommended place to have lunch MEZE. All products are from the fields around. They are open only until 15:30 and you probably need to reserve a place. Send our regards to Nikos the owner from Alice in Peyia – https://goo.gl/maps/DEr4G38EGa3PksiQ6
