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Paphos
The charming coastal town of Paphos in the southwest corner of Cyprus has the distinction of being the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
It is no surprise then that the city was once the capital of the island in the Greek and Roman period, as proven by the ruins of the Governor’s palace. Today, the town of Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.
In the ancient times, there were two locations defined as Paphos—the Old and New Paphos. Today, the inhabited city is New Paphos with an upper section up the hill leading up to the city’s commercial center, with the lower Kato Paphos housing the city’s gems of archaeology, as well as its quaint hotels and local tavernas.
The Paphos Archaeological Park in particular is housed in the lower Kato Paphos area, where a casual stroll will bring you back into the time of the classics as one looks at the famous Roman villas with their magnificent inlays of mosaics called the House of Theseus and Dionysos. Guests are invited to visit the Odeon, the classic Greek amphitheatre within the archaeological park, which holds performances in season.
From the 4th Century, the Tombs of the Kings, while ertswhile not where the ancient royalty are located, is the burial site of the famous officials in Cyprus as they are readied for the world of the afterlife. Its complex burial complex constructed out of solid rock is a breathtaking artifice to the genius of the ancient Cypriots.
While the Paphos Fort located at the end of the marina by the water is a famous emabttlement used as a prison by Turkish hands in the 14th Century.
