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Attractions
- Paphos
Tombs of the Kings
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There are actually no kings buried here. Rather the
site known as the Tombs of the Kings, one mile (two km)
northwest of Paphos harbour towards Coral Bay, was the final
resting place of about 100 Ptolemaic aristocrats who lived and
died in the city between 3 BC and 3 AD. The tombs are
impressive, carved out of solid rock, some featuring Doric
pillars and frescoed walls. Archaeological excavations
are ongoing at the site, which also features a church known as
Paleoekklisia, which sports traces of Byzantine frescoes.
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Telephone:
2630 6295; Opening time: Daily 8am to 5pm (until 7.30pm in
summer); Admission: C£0.75
The Mosaics of Paphos
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Ramoc
Mosaic, Paphos © Cyprus Tourism
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The striking mosaic floors in a series of ancient Roman
noblemen’s villas, dating from the third to fifth
century AD, are a must-see for visitors to Paphos. The site where
the villas are still being excavated can be found about 300 metres
from the Paphos harbour. The mosaics featuring mythological scenes
are visible in the houses of Dionysus, Orpheus and Aion, and the
Villa of Theseus. All were constructed of small cubes of marble and stone,
called tesserae, with glass paste added to widen the range of
colour. In the House of Dionysus, for example, 5,985 square feet
(556 sq metres) of floor space in 14 rooms are covered with the
gorgeous mosaics.
Acropolis
Near the modern Paphos lighthouse is sited a complex of
ancient buildings, including a Roman Odeon, built in the 2nd century
AD, which has been restored and is now used for summer orchestral
and stage performances. The Odeon was the focus of the ancient city
centre, of which some ruins still remain in the area. South of the
Odeon are the remnants of the Roman Temple of Asclepius, the God of
Medicine, and north of the lighthouse are the ruins of the
ancient town walls.
Address:
Kyriakou Nikolaou Street; Telephone: 2630 6217; Opening
time: Daily 8am to 5pm (until 7.30pm in summer); Admission:
C£1.50
Catacombs
A large pistachio tree marks the entrance to the
underground catacombs of Agia Solomoni in Kato Paphos. The tree is a
strange sight, festooned as it usually is with pieces of cloth tied
onto it by the faithful as offerings, in the hope that this sacred
tree will cure various ailments. The catacombs themselves were
carved into Fabrica hill, below the ancient Roman city wall, in the 4th
century BC, and later became chapels for the early Christians.
The underground chapels feature some interesting frescoes and
graffiti left by 13th-century Crusaders, and there are numerous
legends and stories attached to the patron saint Ayia Solomoni.
Visitors are advised to take a torch along to explore the catacombs.
Address:
Agio Pavlou Street
Pafos Mediaeval Fort
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Pafos
- Harbour area
June-August
Daily:
10:00-18:00
September-May
Daily:
10:00-17:00
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
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Originally
a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour, it was rebuilt by the
Lusignans in the 13th century, dismantled by the Venetians in 1570
and rebuilt by the Ottomans after they captured the island in the
16th century.
Pafos District Archaeological Museum
Griva
Digeni 43,
Tel: 357 26
30 62 15
All the year
round
Monday-Friday:
09:00-17:00
Saturday:
10:00-13:00
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
Attractive collection of Cypriot antiquities
from the Pafos area, dating from the Neolithic age to 1700 AD
Museum of the Mycenaean Colonisation of
Cyprus
Maa-Paleokastro (Coral Bay area)
Monday-Saturday:
10:00-16:00
Sunday
closed
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
This is an area which accommodated the first
ancient (Mycenaean) Greeks, who emigrated to Cyprus at around 1200
BC after the fall of the Mycenaean Kingdoms in mainland Greece. This
is a very important site of Cyprus because this is where Hellenism
on the island originated.
The
little museum with its unusual architecture is the work of Andrea
Bruno, Professor at the University of Turin and one of Europe's
greatest architects. The Museum depicts colonisation of Cyprus by
the Mycenaean Greeks
Byzantine Museum
Adjoined
to the Bishopric
(near Ag.
Theodoros Church),
5 Andrea
Ioannou Str., Pafos
Tel: 357 26
93 13 93
April-October
Monday-Friday:
09:00-17:00
Saturday:
09:00-13:00
November-March
Monday-Friday:
09:00-16:00
Saturday:
09:00-13:00
Entrance
fees: C£1,00
An
attractive collection of objects from the Byzantine period,
including Byzantine icons from the 7th to 18th centuries, and the
oldest icon found yet in Cyprus of 7th or 8th century
Ethnographical Museum
1
Exo Vrisis Str.
Tel: 357 26
93 20 10
Monday-
Saturday: 09:30-17:00
Sunday:
10:00-12:00
Entrance
fees: C£1,50
Interesting
private collection of objects from the Neolithic Age to the present
day
Attractions – from Paphos to
Limassol
Archaeological site at Agios Georgios, Pegeia
Agios
Georgios, Pegeia village
Monday-Saturday:
10:00-16:00
Sunday
closed
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
Sanctuary of Aphrodite, Palaipafos Museum, Mediaeval Manor
Kouklia
village, 14 km (9 miles) east of Pafos
Tel: 357 26
43 21 80
Daily:
09:00-16:00
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
Palaipafos,
Old Pafos, was one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the
ancient Greek world, and once city-kingdom of Cyprus. Here stood the
famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, the most amcient remains of which
date back to the 12th century BC. The glorious days of the sanctuary
lasted till the 3rd-4th century. The museum, housed in the Lusignan
Manor, contains many interesting finds from the area, and
excavations continue on the site of the sanctuary, the city and the
necropolis
Sanctuary of Apollo Ylatis
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Episkopi,
3 km (1,8 miles) west of Kourion
Tel: 357 25
99 10 49
Daily:
09:00-17:00
(June -
August 09:00-19:30 )
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
Apollo
Ylatis, God of the Woodland, was the protector of the city of
Kourion. The cult of Apollo was celebrated here from the 8th
century BC to the 4th century AD. The southwest side of the
temple has been restored and excavations have also revealed
other structures of this important sanctuary such
as the bath complex, the pilgrim halls, the palaistra and a holy
precinct.
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Kourion, Archaelogical Site
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Episkopi,
19 km (11,5 miles) west of Lemesos (Limassol)
Tel:
357 25 99 10 48
Daily
: 08:00-17:00
(June
- August 08:00-19:30 )
Entrance
fees: C£1,00
An
important ancient city-kingdom, and one of the most
spectacular archaeological sites on the island where
excavations still bring new treasures to light. The
magnificent Graeco-Roman Theatre was originally built in the 2nd
century BC and is now fully restored and used for
musical and theatrical performances. The House of Eustolios,
originally a private Roman villa, became a public recreation centre
during the Early Christian period. It consists of a complex of baths
and a number of rooms with beautiful 5th century AD mosaic floors.
The Early Christian basilica dated to the 5th century, was probably
the Cathedral of Kourion with a baptistery attached to the north
face. The House of Achilles and the House of the Gladiators have
beautiful mosaic floors. The Nymphaeum, dedicated to the water
nymphs, is an elegant Roman structure. The Stadium lies 1km to the
west on the right side of the road to Pafos and is dated to the 2nd
century AD.
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Kolossi Mediaeval Castle
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Kolossi
14 km
(9 miles) west of Lemesos (Limassol)
Tel:
357 25 93 49 07
Daily:
09:00 -17:00
(June-August:
09:00-19:30)
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
A
fine example of military architecture, originally constructed
in the 13th century and subsequently rebuilt in its present
form in the middle of the 15th century. After the fall of Acre
in 1291, it served as the Grand Commandery
of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In the 14th
century it came, for a few years, under the domain of the Knights
Templar. Nearby are the ruins of a sugar mill dating to the 14th
century.
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Mediaeval Castle Lemesos
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It
was inside this 14th-century fortress that Richard the
Lionheart, having shipwrecked in Cyprus on his way to the
Crusades, married Berengaria of Navarre. It houses the
Mediaeval Museum, with fascinating exhibits of armour, cannons
and other relics related to the Crusades. Visitors can climb a
wooden staircase to the rooftop for a panoramic view.
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Amathous Archaeological Site
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11
km (7 miles) east of Lemesos centre
Daily:
09:00-17:00
(June
- August: 09:00 -19:30 )
Entrance
fees: C£0,75
One
of the ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus where, according to
mythology, Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne to be taken care
of after his battle with the Minotaur. A very important cult
of Aphrodite-Astarte flourished here. Excavations have
revealed parts of the Acropolis and Agora areas, as well as
part of the
upper and lower city. The remains including five early Christian
Basilicas date from the Archaic, Roman and Christian periods.
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Attractions
– Troodos
Kykkos
Monastery
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Kykkos Monastery
The monastery
is located 12km after Pedoulas village in Troodos mountain
area.
Museum of
Kykkos Monastery
Tel: 357 22
94 27 36
The Monastery
And Museum of Kykkos Monastery are daily open
November-May:
10:00-16:00
June-October:
10:00-18:00
Entrance
fees: £1.50, £1.00 for groups
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The
most famous and richest monastery in Cyprus. Founded in 1100 and
dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it possesses one of the three
surviving icons ascribed to Saint Luke. The icon, covered in silver
gilt and enclosed in a shrine of tortoiseshell and mother-of -pearl,
stands at the front of the iconostasis. The first President of
Cyprus, Archibishop Makarios III served here as a novice. At his own
wish he was buried at Throni, 3 km west of the Monastery, and not
far form his native village of Panagia. Religious fairs are held at
Kykkos on the 15th August and 8th September.
The Museum of
Kykkos, www.kykkos-museum.cy.net,
houses an important collection of consecrated vessels and Cypriot
antiquities.
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For details of Maps and Cyprus Guides, along with other books
follow the link below:
Maps & Guides
CYPRUS
WEATHER
For
information on the Cyprus weather in Paphos click on the
picture below.
PROPERTY ADDRESS
Maisonette 4, Block B, Elpiniki Complex, 63, Griva Degeni, Emba,
Paphos, Cyprus.
CURRENCY CONVERTER
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Places to visit links
Paphos Bird Park
Donkey Sanctuary
Paphos
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areas of interest
Limassol
areas of interest
Nicosia
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