Paphos

Paphos sits on the southwest coast of Cyprus and works as the natural base for a history-led trip. The whole town centre, together with the nearby ruins, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, recognised for its layered Greek, Roman and early Christian past. A modern resort district spreads up the hill in Ktima (upper Paphos), while the older quarter of Kato Paphos runs down to a small harbour ringed by tavernas and a medieval castle.

The headline site is the Paphos Archaeological Park in Kato Paphos, where the floors of grand Roman villas survive as detailed mosaics of mythological scenes. A short walk north, the Tombs of the Kings is a rock-cut necropolis carved into the coastal stone, its underground chambers styled like houses for the dead. Outside town, Aphrodite's Rock marks the legendary birthplace of the goddess on the road toward Limassol.

What to do

• Walk the mosaics of the archaeological park, then continue to the Tombs of the Kings.
• Swim and snorkel at Coral Bay, the main sandy beach north of town.
• Drive into the Akamas for the turtle-nesting sands of Lara Beach and the Avakas Gorge walk.
• Eat fresh fish around the harbour below the castle in the evening.

Paphos has its own airport (PFO) just east of town, which keeps transfers short. The coast here is rockier than the southeast, but you still get good swimming at Coral Bay and a string of small coves. The town suits couples, families and first-time visitors who want culture and beach time in one place, at a slower pace than the eastern resorts.

From here it is an easy run north to Polis and Latchi and the Akamas peninsula, or east along the motorway to Limassol and the Roman city of Kourion. Inland, the painted churches and wine villages of the Troodos Mountains are within a day trip.