Paphos Harbour

Paphos, the island’s capital for six centuries, is an open-air museum. It is so rich in treasures that the whole town has added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

Then you stroll along the coastal promenade to the little harbor with its medieval fort, a testament to Cyprus’s checkered history. Nowadays, it is a magnificent venue for an opera festival held there every summer. You then enter the archaeological park and admire the exquisite floor mosaics of the villas dating back to the Roman period and considered among the best in the eastern Mediterranean. You then cross St Paul’s Avenue to the area known as St Paul’s Pillar. Tradition has it that it where the apostle was tied and flogged before converting the Roman governor to Christianity. Moving up the road ahead lays the Agia Solomoni Catacomb Church, believed to have once been the synagogue of Roman Paphos. Its huge terebinth tree outside is, covered with knotted handkerchiefs as offerings from the faithful.

A short distance away are the impressive underground Tombs of the Kings, carved out of solid rock and decorated with Doric pillars.