1 destination · 10 things to do
Cyprus
Cyprus’s south-west coast packs three thousand years of myth and history, pine-covered mountains and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean into an easy hour’s drive. Paphos, the island’s Roman capital, sits on top of its own past: the Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, holds Roman villas whose mosaic floors still show the gods of Greek mythology, and just up the coast the rock-cut Tombs of the Kings were carved for the city’s aristocrats. Along the shore road east, the sea stacks of Petra tou Romiou mark the spot where Aphrodite is said to have risen from the foam, and the clifftop ruins of Kourion look down over the bay. Limassol, the island’s lively second city, pairs a medieval castle and old port with a long seafront promenade, a smart marina and wine villages in the hills behind. From either base you can head into the Troodos mountains for stone villages, monasteries and wineries, or out to the wild Akamas peninsula, where jeep tracks lead to gorges and boats drop anchor in the turquoise Blue Lagoon. This guide shows what to book, what each experience is really like in the cooler months as well as summer, how to split your days between Paphos and Limassol, and where to stay, from a sea-view five-star to a family-run hotel in Paphos old town.
