Visitor Attractions in Paphos
Paphos in Cyprus is one of the most popular tourist destinations because of the diverse visitor attractions they have all around town. UNESCO even added Paphos in their World Cultural Heritage List to prove that it is indeed rich in history and culture.
There are a lot of visitor attractions you can’t afford to miss while you’re in Paphos. The whole town is like an open museum for everyone to see. The Castle of Paphos, strategically located at the harbor, was originally built as a Byzantine fort to protect the harbor. It is still around today and attracts thousands of tourists each year. Another visitor attraction is the one called Tombs of the Kings where you’ll see the underground columns and burial sites built in ancient times that have withstand the challenges of wear and tear throughout the centuries.
Through archaeological exploration, they have unearthed ancient treasures such as the Houses of Dionysus, Theseus, and Aion which are amazingly preserved even after sixteen centuries of being under the soil. These unearthed ancient buildings have remarkable mosaics which depicts the ancient Paphos people’s love for arts. When St. Paul arrived in Cyprus, he was lashed and imprisoned in Paphos and his famous Pillar is still around today.
photo credit: Mika Hiironniemi
The ancient Odeon Theater, where various entertainment productions were held in the past, is preserved to its original glory. Not far from Odeon are the remains of the ancient city walls, the Roman Agora or the ancient central square, and a building built for Asclepius, the god of medicine.
You can also visit the modern museums such as the Byzantine Museum and the District Archaeological Museum. They have a huge collection of historical artifacts which are found all around Paphos dating from the Neolithic Age up to the 17th century. There are some ancient elite villas built sometime during the third and fifth century which have mosaic floors that are said to be the finest art in the Eastern Mediterranean. The mosaic arts depict scenes from the Greek mythology.
Another attraction in Paphos is the famous rock of Aphrodite where, according to legend, the goddess was born after emerging from the sea. Paphos has been known to be the birthplace of the goddess of love and beauty and the devotees to the goddess have built Aphrodite’s vast temple in the ancient kingdom of Old Paphos site. The ruins still remain one of the most popular visitor attractions in Paphos. In the ancient times, it has been regarded as one of the most important pilgrimage places of Aphrodite.
Paphos is also home to the many catacombs in the early Christian period. The most famous of them is St. Solomoni Church, which used to be a Christian catacomb, because it still retains some of the 12th century frescoes and a sacred tree at its entrance is believed to cure any diseases for those who choose to hang any personal offerings on its branches.
As you can see, there are a lot of places you can visit in Paphos. A lot of which belong to the ancient times and most of them have withstand the different challenges of many centuries passed.
