Why hire a car in Paphos
Paphos sits on Cyprus's south-west coast and is the island's most historical resort town — the UNESCO-listed Tombs of the Kings, the Roman mosaics at the Paphos Archaeological Park and the medieval Paphos Castle are all within walking distance of the harbour. But Cyprus rewards drivers more than almost any other Eastern Mediterranean island. The country is small enough to cross in under two hours, yet varied enough to justify a week of driving: mountain villages, Crusader castles, remote beaches and the divided capital Nicosia are all within easy reach of a Paphos base.
The Akamas Peninsula, north-west of Paphos, is the wildest corner of Cyprus — a national park with no through roads, blue lagoons accessible only by boat or a track from Latchi, and the Baths of Aphrodite at the peninsula's tip. The Troodos Mountains are an hour inland, with Byzantine monasteries and painted churches scattered through cool cedar forests. Limassol, with its buzzing marina and old city, is 70 km east along the coast road. Paphos Airport (PFO) is just 15 km from the town, so collecting a car on arrival and heading straight to a resort or mountain village is the obvious move.
