The Ultimate Travel Guide to Visiting Paphos in Winter | AD

Cyprus is a well-known Winter sun destination for many reasons.  This sunny country has warmer temperatures right through the Winter period so it’s a great choice, but where in Cyprus can you visit that has everything for a good Winter trip?  Paphos in Winter answers this question for you.  It has it all; busy enough that it still has restaurants and bars open out of season, a modern and beautiful marina, tons of cultural places to visit year-round, amazing places to stay and much more.  Paphos has so much to see and do that you can easily spend a week here without even thinking of hiring a car to visit the surrounding areas.  So here is my ultimate travel guide to visiting Paphos in Winter:

Getting to Pathos

The great thing about Paphos in Winter is that there are still regular flights available year-round, so you can fly out at your own convenience.  Jet2holidays has regular flights from London Stansted, which is a great option for most people coming from London and the South of England, and it was one of the Jet2 flights to Paphos that I took to visit this amazing city.  The flight itself was one of the most comfortable European flights I’ve ever been on, with lots of legroom, comfortable seats and a smooth journey which passed incredibly fast, I couldn’t really ask for more!  I would definitely use Jet2holidays again when travelling to Cyprus or anywhere else in Europe.

Upon arrival at Paphos International Airport, the transfer to the hotel couldn’t have been quicker or easier.  We were given a private taxi directly to the hotel, one way, and a coach on the way back.  In both instances, the transfers were fast (under 30 minutes) and comfortable with minimal waiting.  It really took a lot of the stress away from the travelling part of the holiday and allowed us to relax right from the start.  Alternatively, if you’re flying into Larnaca but planning to stay in Paphos, Daytrip offers a private transfer service that’s ideal for winter travel — no need to worry about bus schedules or navigating unfamiliar roads. You can get picked up right at the airport and enjoy a comfortable ride across the island with a local driver, making it a stress-free journey.

Where to stay

As Paphos is a popular Cypriot destination, there are plenty of places to stay even outside of the Summer season.  As I’d booked a package holiday to Paphos our accommodation was included and what a hotel it was!  Booking with Jet2holidays we had chosen the Almyra hotel which is honestly one of the best hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure to stay in.  Not only is the whole hotel stunning with every detail carefully thought out and every request catered for, but the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming.  There are a total of five freshwater swimming pools; one of the outdoor pools is heated and there’s also an indoor heated pool, meaning that even in Winter we could go for a dip, an activity that really helps me to relax.  It also gave me the opportunity to swim in my first ever infinity pool, so that’s something ticked off the bucket list!  The breakfast was included in our stay and this is the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever tried.  There were hot, fresh items cooked to order, a huge variety of foods from around the world and most impressively, an array of local Paphos and Cypriot delicacies to try.

The rooms themselves were comfortable, clean and had everything I needed for a relaxing stay.  Being able to wake up in the morning and take a coffee sitting on my private balcony in a soft robe while listening to the sound of the ocean really makes for a great way to start the day.  If this isn’t relaxing enough check out the on-property spa which has a large variety of treatments available to help you unwind.

If you are visiting with children, there’s a kids club, playground and kids pool for them to enjoy while you relax in one of the many stunning seated areas and hammocks that look out onto the ocean or why not stroll through the eight acres of landscaped gardens.  The Almyra is a design-led hotel that has something for everyone with a true taste of modern luxury, no matter how you like to take your holiday.  The location is also great, not only is it situated on the seafront but it is only a short, oceanfront walk to the main hub of Paphos.  We explored everywhere we wanted to on foot this trip due to the hotel’s fantastic location.

Things to do

The great thing about Paphos in Winter is that if you are looking for a holiday that isn’t just sunbathing or reading a book by the pool the city has loads of important cultural and historical sites to visit and explore.  Here are a few of my favourites that we discovered:

Kato Paphos Archaeological Park

This amazingly preserved piece of history is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that covers a huge part of the city, and it’s a place you could easily spend the day exploring.  This incredible collection of archaeological finds covers a large range of ancient history from the Stone Age to the Byzantine era, including prehistoric temples, huge underground tombs and incredibly preserved decorative floor tiles.  We downloaded the free app (the wifi across this large site is excellent) and picked the highlight tour to show us the main sights.  This took us several hours, and there is still plenty more to see if you want to spend longer there.  The entrance fee is just €4.50 and includes routes for people with accessibility needs.

Medieval Castle of Paphos

Located just outside the Archaeological Park is the medieval castle of Paphos.  Originally built in the Byzantine period to protect Paphos harbour, it’s now a must-visit for anyone coming to the city.  The shape and surrounding moat give it an almost whimsical feel so it’s great for your Instagram shot and there’s a small art exhibition inside.  It costs just €2.50 to enter and you can climb up to the top for some great views across the harbour and beyond.

Tomb of the Kings

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tomb of the Kings, is an archaeological site containing incredibly well-preserved underground tombs dating as far back as the 4th century.  There are eight tombs in total and it’s hard to believe these were carved out of solid rock, they still contain such majesty despite most artefacts being stolen from the site over time.  The entrance fee is just €2.50.

Panagia Chrysopolitissa Church

Built in the 13th century, the Church grounds contain some incredibly well-preserved mosaics and columns from early centuries, and the raised walkways around the Church allow you to see them from a great vantage point.  Located in the same place is Saint Paul’s Pillar, where it is said Saint Paul was sentenced to 39 lashes for evangelising Christianity in Paphos.  Entrance to the area is free of charge.

The Hellenistic

Built in 300 BC, these impressively intact remains of a Roman amphitheatre were a place I just had to visit as a certified theatre geek.  It is free to visit and you get great views from the top, not just of the amphitheatre but the whole city.  The entrance is free of charge.

St Solomon’s Catacombs

This small underground catacomb is free for all visitors and has a small, chapel-like area set up for those wanting to pray or leave gifts to the deceased.  The wishing tree by the entrance is adorned with hundreds of pieces of colourful cloth, which is quite a sight to see.

Paphos Old Town

High on the hill, the cobbled Paphos Old Town is a great place to take in the ancient architecture, colourful buildings, local markets and contrasting modern artworks.  There’s also a host of museums to visit in this part of the city and it’s a great place to get food, speaking of which…

Food and Drink

There are plenty of must-try foods to eat while in Cyprus and Paphos has them all!  As it is such a big tourist destination in the Summer, there are plenty of restaurants that stay open in Winter for you to try.  From world foods to local treats, there’s something for everyone and plenty of bakeries and gift shops to stock up on unusual items.  Upon arrival at the Almyra Hotel, we tried out the first local delicacy, Karidaki Glyko, a little heard of sweet treat that instantly became a favourite of mine.  It consists of a whole walnut soaked in syrup until it’s totally soft along with cinnamon and cloves, resulting in a sweet, Christmassy tasting treat.

On to savoury dishes, and I can’t recommend highly enough trying a traditional Cypriot meze if you want to sample local food, it’s a bit of everything, but make sure you come hungry as there sure is a lot of it!  The meze we tried had at least 12 dishes and they were all delicious. It’s a great way of finding out which new flavours you really love.  Make sure you also try the other traditional dishes such as Afelia (pork marinated in wine) and Koupepia (stuffed vine leaves).  Whatever you are after you can find something to satisfy you in Paphos.

That’s just a few of the highlights of visiting Paphos in Winter, and I hope you consider it for your next Winter sun trip.  If you have any more tips for visiting Cyprus, why not leave them in the comments?

This press trip was paid for by Jet2, all words and opinions are my own.  Also contains sponsored links