Aliathon Holiday Village Official Blog

Top 5 Attractions around Paphos

Whether you are a family or a couple, if you seek for adventure or for nice promenades and sightseeing, Paphos is the right place to visit. 
The surrounding areas of Aliathon Holiday Village, offer guests a variety of activities and excursions to explore the city, and are all within close proximity to the hotel. We chose to present to you the 5 top attractions of Paphos .

1. Aphrodite’s Rock

We are not famous as the Island of Love for no reason. Paphos is the birth place of Aphrodite the goddess of Love. The Cypriot legend claims that Aphrodite was born and rose near a rock off what's now called Aphrodite's Beach. Waves breaking over the rock create pillars of foam that islanders say that look’s like the goddess herself. It is also called Petra Tou Romiou which means 'Rock of the Greek' and comes from the story of the Byzantine frontier guard who used to throw rocks in the sea to destroy Arab ships during a raid by the Saracens on Cyprus.

2. The Tomb of the Kings

Called "monumental" and "magnificent" one of the most important tourism attractions and reasons for the site's World Heritage listing, the remains of ancient tombs, fortresses and palaces have made the whole town a Unesco World Heritage Site. Tomb of the Kings is the resting place of 100 Ptolemaic aristocrats who died in Paphos between 3 B.C. and 3 A.D. They're unique in Cyprus because of their peristyle court structure, influenced by Egyptian architecture. The fact that the site is undergoing excavations continuously makes it an exciting place to visit.

 3.  Akamas peninsula

The Akamas peninsula is located at the northwest part of Cyprus with an area of 230 square kilometers.. It is undeveloped and wild- a protected area of juniper and pine forests, rocky gorges and wild beaches, a perfect place to explore on foot, by bike or by 4x4. Indeed the European Environment Agency noted that it was one of only 22 areas of endemism in Europe. The most popular attractions include the Bath of Adonis and Aphrodite, the Avakas gorge where you may be able to see the wild goats, the boat trip from Latchi  harbour to snorkel in the crystalline waters of the Blue Lagoon and the Lara Beach where you can swim with the sea turtles.

4.  Troodos Mountains

A good reason to escape the summer heat for a while is to explore the amazing Troodos Mountains where nature has been particularly generous to them. In Byzantine times Troodos Mountains were the centre for religious arts as the monks and other ordinary folk built and decorated unique churches and monasteries. You can gaze the shimmering silver icon of Saint Luke at the famous Kykkos Monastery or you can visit the unique Byzantine architecture of the UNESCO-listed painted churches.  You can also fall in love with the small traditional villages around the mountains clinging to terraced hill slopes  with the colourful doors,  the small cafes and the local people that will be more than happy to welcome you. 

5.  The Paphos Castle

By finishing your beautiful walk at the Paphos harbour you will meet the Paphos castle.It was originally built as a Byzantine fortress to protect the harbor from any kind of invasion, and then it was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13^th century.In1570 was once again destroyed from the Venecians but the Ottoman's expanded, reinforced and restored the castle to its old glory. If you enter the castle you will observe that it has few windows although the view from the top is superb.The fort is noted in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites and avery year held a lot of important and cultural events of Cyprus.

                                                         Enjoy your adventure or relaxation..

                                              Either way, we look forward to welcoming you to Paphos...