Hot Beach Regions in Cyprus

Posted by Jude Buttle on Monday, October 13, 2008

Paphos

Known as the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, Paphos is a charismatic city full of archaeological sites and Roman ruins. It's also blessed with spectacular beaches.

How To Travel

Paphos has a small international airport, which is about 10 miles from the city and serves mostly charter flights. Connections to Paphos are widely available from many regional airports in the UK and other European destinations.

The airport has regular shuttles that depart soon after scheduled arrivals and there are plenty of taxis on standby just outside the terminal.

There are numerous local bus routes between most destinations in and outside Paphos, operated by Alepa, which is inexpensive, regular and generally reliable.

Must See Beaches

Coral Bay

Coral Bay is to the north of Paphos and is a 600 metre crescent of soft white sand that is caressed by calm glassy waters.

The beach is very busy during the peak period of June through to August, where you will regularly see banana boat rides, jet skis and diving.

The beach is a family-friendly area and also has some top-notch hotels nearby, as well as a fine selection of bars and restaurants.

Coral Bay is a great base for exploring the pristine coastline to the north, where a jigsaw of coves and inlets hide some of the best (and most isolated) beaches on the island.

Geroskipou Beach

Geroskipou Beach is in the coastal town of Geroskipou in the east of Paphos and has sugar-white sands and crystal clear waters.

Geroskipou beach, which has been awarded the voluntary eco-label - Blue Flag of Europe, is a popular strip of sand for water sports and beach activities such as football and volleyball.

Pissouri

Pissouri has shingle sand and clean, clear waters. Known as a safe beach, Pissouri, although popular, rarely feels overcrowded.

Water sports are available in the summer from a number of suppliers and include jet skis and water skiing. There is also a small diving school for those that wish to learn to scuba dive. The coastline is also a regular nesting place for Green and Loggerhead turtles, who come ashore to lay their eggs (which are then protected by volunteers) between June and August.

Out of the Sun

A former capital of Cyprus, Paphos is the fastest growing city on the island and is the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, lust and beauty, Aphrodite.

The legendary story goes that the city was named after its founder, Paphos, the son of Pygmalion and Galatea, who married after Aphrodite made Pygmalion's beautiful ivory statue of a woman (Galatea) come alive.

Nowadays this charming west coast region has two sides; the more modern and residential upper part is the Ktima section of the city, and the historical half is known as Kato Paphos, where you will find the harbour, fish tavernas and souvenir shops, surrounded by significant archaeological sites.

UNESCO was so impressed with the history and ancient sites of the town that they added Paphos to its World Cultural Heritage List in 1980.

Amongst the treasures unearthed are the remarkable Roman mosaics in the Houses of Dionysus, Orpheus and Aion at Paphos Archaeological Park and the 2,000-year-old Tombs of the Kings, carved out of sandstone.

Other places of interest include the 10^th Century Byzantine church, Ayia Paraskevi, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Byzantine Museum and the District Archaeological Museum, with its collection of Cypriot antiquities dating from the Neolithic Age to 1700 AD.

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Photos by Leonid Mamchenkov, greenacre8 and valentinapowers

No Derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build upon the photo images.

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