A popular holiday resort, this once sleepy fishing village with a charming harbour at its centre by Pafos Fort, is also the location of the island's second international airport. It is home to spectacular beach front hotels, gives way to fabulous countryside and is a must for history and archaeology buffs since, in Hellenistic and Roman times, it was the capital of Cyprus. Is it any wonder that UNESCO added the whole town to its World Heritage list.



  Nearby Lempa village is the site of a faithfully reconstructed chalcolithic settlement. While the famous Enclosure at Ayios Neophytos Monastery, carved out the mountain by the hermit himself, has some of the finest Byzantine frescoes of the 12th and 15th centuries. If you've got a sweet tooth don't miss the 'loukoumi' of Yeroskipou, 4km from Paphos.



  Dramatic coastline and banana plantations are characteristic of the picturesque area surrounding Paphos which eventually gives way to the nature trails of the unspoilt Akamas Peninsula. The Akamas area is a natural wilderness packed with diverse features in vegetation, wildlife, geology, landscapes and coasts, and with a rich historical and cultural heritage. It's also a safe haven for the endangered Greenback sea turtle.