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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Cyprus: Pafos

Pafos harbour
Pretty little Pafos harbour

As a place to start and finish our tour of Cyprus, Pafos was an excellent choice, quite a relief as I'd only bought flights to Pafos because everywhere else was sold out. Pafos seems to have managed a balance between package tourism and historical interest that you simply don't find in places like Larnaka and Agia Napa, and because of this it's a great introduction to Cyprus.

Magical Mosaics

A Roman mosaic
Just one of the amazing Roman mosaics on Pafos' headland

Out on the headland just behind the harbour, Pafos has its very own World Heritage site, and it's absolutely stunning. Even compared to the much-touted Kourion, which the guidebooks tend to gush over in more lavish detail, the ancient site of Nea Pafos is amazing, and I vastly preferred it to Cyprus's other archaeological treats.

The ruins of Pafos
The mosaics peep out from the ruins
A mosaic of the first bathing of Theseus
A mosaic of the first bathing of Theseus; that's him on the left