We chose Paphos in Cyprus mostly because it was nearer to the airport than Limassol.

Turns out this was a good choice. Limassol is bigger and flashier and it has a beautiful seafront but Paphos is much more interesting.

It has The Katos Paphos archaeological park as well as the tomb of the Kings. Then there is  the harbour and the old town to walk around with many little restaurants and cafes.

On a day of thundery showers after hiding next to the harbour toilets for some time we braved the weather and went to the Katos Paphos Park.

 

The most prized items are the amazing mosaics from four villas, the houses of Dionysos, Aion, Theseus, and Orpheus.

 

Watch the video about the ingenious method they use to renovate the mosaics before you see them  but don’t bother with the vending machines. None of them worked and judging by the kick marks on them this is a regular thing. The site is large and very open but there are shelters to spend some time in the shade. You can walk for hours, its nice to go up to the lighthouse and to see the views over the sea. As usual we got very lost and couldn’t find everything. We also got extremely wet during another thunderstorm where the only shelter nearby was the sparsest tree ever. Eventually when we got back to the visitor centre they explained how to find the famous St Paul’s Pillar. Here Cypriot tradition says Saint Paul was flogged while tied to the pillar.

 

The Tomb of the kings is an underground burial complex a little out of town. You can walk along the coastal path from the harbour but the bus going to Coral Bay takes you there easily. There were no kings buried in this site that was excavated in the 1970’s and 80’s but these impressive tombs were carved out of solid rock for high ranking officials.

 

 

Some even have Doric columns and you can freely wander down into them with little regard for health and safety, several of them seemed a little hazardous but we went ahead anyway!