Unravel Paphos’ Mythical Sites on Aphrodite’s Island: Cyprus

The Travelling Dane

1 year ago

If you think Cyprus is only for lounging by the beach, you’re wrong! Cyprus is popular for its beaches and climate, but for the cultural traveller, the history is unique. Most holiday goers stay at the eastern part of the island for the best beaches. But for a cultural traveller, head west to Paphos. Don’t worry, they also have dreamy beaches – you’ll find some at the end of the post.

Unplanned, Cyprus also fulfilled a bucketlist adventure for me.

Muse, tell me the things done by golden Aphrodite, the one from Cyprus, who arouses sweet desire for gods and who subdues the races of mortal humans...

Homer

I always like to travel to new places, see new World Heritage Sites and eat good local food. Cyprus has all that. A country of it’s own, but also part Turkish and part Greek. A summer island that has more to offer than expected and you’ll have it almost entirely to yourself!

WHAT TO SEE NEAR PAPHOS

Paphos is a city on the western part of Cyprus. The city was built in 4th century by the last king. When the Turks occupied a part of the island in 1974, Paphos was bombed. You’ll met many British tourists, since Cyprus was also British. Hence they drive on the wrong side of the road… A small part of the island is actually still British territory.

But I’m interested in the ancient island – the home of the myth of Aphrodite. Paphos (or Pafos) is home to the goddess of Aphrodite and make one of my family’s favourite ingredients and also European Capital of Cultural in 2017. It has a small airport, but we just drove from Lanarca.

WHAT TO DO IN PAPHOS

So while it’s not the largest city in the world, there are quite a lot to see compared to it’s small size. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paphos covers Kouklia, Nea Paphos and the Tombs of the Kings. The villas, palaces, theatres, fortresses and tombs gives the site exceptional architectural and historic value.

Beginning with the most important attraction:

Sanctuary of Aphrodite

Close to paphos harbour, you’ll find Palaipafos (Kouklia): home of Aphrodite. Cyprus was a place of worship beginning 8000 years ago. The Temple of Aphrodite itself dates from the 12th century BCE, and is one of the oldest Mycenaean settlements. Aphrodite was originally a local fertility goddess, but thanks to Homer she became widely celebrated as a symbol of love and beauty. The Romans called her Venus.

The site also has a very small museum. We were the only ones and it seemed like we were a nuisance. The museum includes a very important item. Peculiar to Paphos was the aniconic worship of Aphrodite and this means that she was represented by a black-green stone as symbol of fertility. More recognisable is a lovely bare-butted mosaic of the goddess Leda!

Being a history lover and especially Greek Antiquity being at the site where the mythical legend of Aphrodite began did influenced me a lot despite only some few ruins remain. Unfortunately, the stifling 40 degrees made it a short visit.

The entrance is 4,5 euro. Notice the Byzantine church just next to the sanctuary. After you’ve enjoyed the old stones, it’s time to cool off. Luckily, just nearby is the same place where the goddess of love arise from the sea.

Petra tou Romiou:
Aphrodite's Rock

Aphrodite’s Rock is a big rock on a beach close to the sanctuary. Traditionally, the rock is seen as the birthplace of Aphrodite. Aphrodite was also worshipped as a goddess of the sea being sea born herself.

Allegedly, it’s good luck to swim around the stone 3 times and a popular place for newlyweds. I got all the kids and marriage partners I need so I just enjoyed the water.

I don’t really travel for sun and beaches, but when they are right there I enjoy them. You will not be the only swimmer, but it’s nothing compared to an Italian beach in August.

Tafoi ton Vasileon:
Tombs of the Kings

If you follow my travels, you know I’m intrigued by dark tourism spots. And since I work in site of royal tombs, this obviously is an attraction for me. Despite the name Tombs of the Kings – alas, the ruins are not royal tombs. They are however still tombs of wealthy citizens and high officials.

Many of the tombs resemble houses as it was custom in Alexandria. In fact, many of the burial traditions goes all the way back to Homer for instance the body being covered in oil and linnen and being publicly exposed in a procession.

I don’t know if it was the hot (still 40 degrees) weather, but only a hand full of visitors were here. I don’t get it. The tombs date from Hellenstici times to Prolemaic.

The entrance fee is only 2,5 Euro. Even though the lone tower is tiny, I always support small cultural sites. You can easily walk the entire area but in scorching hot summer remember a hat or an umbrella. You can buy a guide but there are excellent and informative audio guides by QR-codes.

(Although this isn’t really royal tombs, a Danish king is actually buried in Paphos. King Erik Emune was on his way to the Holy Land, when he died and was buried in the old church. The queen made it to Jerusalem where she is buried – a place, I have of course also visited.)

Nea Paphos: Ancient Paphos

Nea Paphos means the city of Aphrodite. It’s a decent size site. The ruins are not among the most impressive in the world, but something else is: the mosaics. OMG I can’t remember seeing so many well preserved mosaics -not even in Pompeii. You can also explore the change of style since the cover a longer period.

A Bucket List Surprise

Now, let me tell you of a lifelong dream coming true. By coincidence. Leaving the archaeological park, we saw a banner with an ad. Usually, I avoid ads, but this I luckily checked out. It was for the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama. As a traveller, I’m always extremely well prepared, but this had evaded my attention. Even better: the play was “Elektra” – one of the better tragedies with a woman as the protagonist. We bought 2 tickets, hurried back to the hotel and the kid, stuffed some food inside us and him (delicious of course) changed and drove back. Bring a cushion for the stone-cold bench and just timetravel back to ancient Greece and enjoy a great story. For only 12 euro, I had an experience of a lifetime and something I’ve dreamed of: seeing an ancient tragedy in an ancient theatre.

Don’t miss such an opportunity if you get one. Many ancient theatres has shows but you gotta see and old tragedy. Nothing beats a good old “I-killed-my-father-and-married-my-mother-story”

Paphos Fortress

The fort has an erratic history. had a A byzantine fort rebuilt in 14th century. Then it was destroyed by the Venetians. Then rebuilt by the Ottomans in the 16th century. Continuing it’s variable life, in the 18 and 1900s, the British used the fortress as a prison and a salt storage. Now, only the tower remains.

The entrance fee is only 2,5 Euro. Even though the lone tower is tiny, I always support small cultural sites.

Neary is also a Foinikos Templar Knights village, but it doesn’t come highly recommended. We skipped it.

Avakas Gorge Trail

Hiking is not my biggest interest. But I managed to drag my husband AND our son out here. Unfortunately, it was so hot it was dangerous to hike, so we didn’t get to do as much of the trail as I wanted. But as the gorge got more and more narrow and you had to walk almost in the stream, it was truly gorgeous.

The Avakas Gorge Trail is located in the Avakas gorge alongside the Avgas river inside Pegeia forest with the end of the trail located inside the gorge. The limestone rocks get higher and higher as you enter and in the end the trail is in the stream. The route through has thick vegetation and inside the gorge it’s shady and cool.

Look out for the Pistacio tree (!) and if you’re lucky you might see a fox, an owl or a frog.

Don’t repeat our mistake and park at the parking lot. It was actually walking from the parking lot to the beginning of the trail that was the most exposed and hardest in the heat and made us giving up on doing the entire hike and turning the experience into one my son still dislikes. See if you can drive down even though I’m not sure it’s allowed. So stupid! Remember water and avoid the heat.

Shipwrecks

For some reason Cyprus has a few shipwrecks and for some reason it it’s very photogenic. Especially, when you don’t think about any eventual oil spill. One wreck was just outside our hotel: Shipwreck MV Demetrios II. There are also wrecks under water if you’re into diving. The Edro III Shipwreck was right by a really nice cafe: Onario by the sea perfect for the sunset.

The latter is also close some sea caves which we didn’t explore further.

Beaches near Paphos

The beaches near Paphos are not sandy or palmy, but pebble and stone beaches. Perfect to keep the crowds away. Need I say more?

Okay, I will say that near the tombs are Venus Beach that makes for a fine quick dip near the large hotel. North of Chloraka, you’ll find pebbly and secluded beaches some without a sunburned person in sight. If you want a sunbed an a few more people go to Lara Bay and Coral Bay – it’s the 2 of my images with parasols.

WHERE TO EAT, SLEEP AND DRINK IN PAPHOS

Our hotel was located a bit outside Paphos city, so unfortunately we also had lunch and dinner at the hotel. But we did get our son out on a few occasions and one place in particular is a must go. And of course, the local delicacy, that was one of the main reasons we got our son to come: halloumi.

Halloumi is a salty cheese perfect for the grill. We call it “knirkeost” (squeaky cheese). Order it with every meal anytime of day. Needless to say, it’s the world’s best halloumi.

A popular place by the harbour front in Paphos is Pelican Fish. Order the sea food platter and a glass of local wine Tsangarides or Xynistei?

When in Cyprus, grilled meat is the thing. Stepping away from the harbour and right next to a building plot for the new busstation is Hondros Paphos.

The best place we went was a large family restaurant near Akamas gorge. Viklari Peyia is located high up with views of the sea while sitting in the shade underneath the vines. The restaurant only has one thing: grill pork or beef with salad and bread. Arrive early or book well in advance as this is extremely popular. We just ordered one of each and it was delicious. Not for vegetarians.

Travelling with my son, we always get a nice hotel. He doesn’t like to travel at all and prefer to stay at the hotel. So to lure him and to make sure we don’t get too frustrated staying a lot at the hotel, we prioritize sea view, pool, his own room and room service. Hence we often stay at luxury hotels and resorts. I’m hoping to eventually try some apartments or heritage places instead, but for now it works.

Louis Paphos Breeze

Located too far outside Paphos city to walk. But right by the water with own small beach and a shipwreck.

Minimalistic design in spacious rooms. Lovely silent AC. Get rooms facing the water, since the pool is noisy. Best with large kids. Excellent service.

You can probably find a cheaper hotel than this 4-starred, but this is okay value for money.

This hotel is really nice and quiet and you can find it here, but if you need to get to the city on foot, I would recommend staying closer to the city. (affiliated link: you pay the same, I get some of the profit for travelling)

For exploring more on the island of Cyprus, you can follow the Antiquity Cultural Route going from the “oldest settlements to grand architectural feats”.

If you’re craving another sunny island, try 6 Summer Islands in Europe for the Cultural Traveller and Summer Like a Local on Eastern Crete, Greece!

Are you planning a summer trip?

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