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Car Hire Paphos City

The city of Paphos on the southwest coast of Cyprus was the capital of the island in Roman times, and dates from 1400 BC. Legend has it that Paphos is built on the spot where the Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, was born. The city also has many connections and relics from early Christianity. Paphos lost out to Larnaca as a major port in the Middle Ages and experienced a decline during the British colonial period when development of this part of the island came to a standstill.

Paphos is now growing on the strength of tourism and government investment in infrastructure such as roads and the international airport. Investments in construction of hotels, apartments and villas in Paphos has also been prevalent in recent years.

Paphos town is a popular seaside resort with a population of around 39,500. The Ktima section of the city is the main residential area, while Kato Paphos is the playground of holidaymakers, built around the medieval port with its numerous luxury hotels, tavernas and entertainment venues.

Paphos enjoys fine weather forecast nearly all year round. The climate is typically Mediterranean but may become extremely hot during mid-July through August. This, in itself, is not a problem but throw in a high humidity forecast, and during mid-afternoon the weather may become uncomfortable.

The Mosaics of Paphos is a selection of striking mosaic floors in a series of ancient Roman noblemen’s villas, dating from the third to fifth century AD, are a must-see for visitors to Paphos. The site where the villas are still being excavated can be found at the end of Kyriakou Nikolaou Street, about 300 metres from the Paphos harbour.

Upper Paphos commands a superb view of the coastline and the harbour of Lower Paphos is ringed by tavernas famous for their fish dishes. Paphos is a place of historic and archaeological interest along with the District Museum and the castle overlooking the harbour.