After the Limassol Marathon: Paphos

The Route: Limassol → Paphos → Paphos Airport or back to Limassol Logistics: Intercity bus, about 1 hr 15 min, single fare €5 or return €9 at the time of writing. The bus ends at Pervola-Karavella, not at the harbour, so a taxi or local bus covers the last leg. Some departures have a special stop pattern, so check whether yours starts at the New Port. Marathon Month: April Duration: 2 nights

Limassol New Port ──(about 1 hr 15 min, Intercity)──> Paphos Pervola-Karavella ──(taxi)──> Kato Paphos harbour
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        └───────────────────(bus back, or Paphos Airport by taxi)────────────────────────────────┘

Paphos is the shortest of the longer trips from Limassol, and the bus is the easy part. The reward is a compact harbour district where the castle, the mosaics and the church of Panagia Chrysopolitissa all stand on level ground within a short walk of each other.

April in Paphos: the sea is still cool and the harbour is quiet before the summer crowds. In most years the days are mild enough for a long stroll on the front, though conditions vary and the wind off the sea can feel sharp when you are standing still.

Take a morning Intercity bus on Monday 5 April. The journey takes about 1 hr 15 min and finishes at Pervola-Karavella. The bus does not reach the harbour, so a taxi is the simplest way to arrive with luggage. Check intercity-buses.com for current departures and the stop pattern.

Monday: the harbour

Monday is for orientation and rest. Kato Paphos, the lower town, sits on the water, and the castle stands at the harbour mouth. Walk the front in short stretches. Do not try to see everything on the first afternoon.

Tuesday: the mosaics

The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park holds the Roman mosaics and opens daily from 08:30 to 17:00 in early April, with entry about €4.50. Opening hours change on 16 April, after this stay. Staff can advise on wheelchair access, which is partial. The ground is exposed and there is a lot of standing, so choose one or two mosaic houses and leave the rest. Panagia Chrysopolitissa and St Paul's Pillar are a short walk away and free to enter.

For a hotel, Anemi Hotel & Suites, at Iasonos 1 in inland Kato Paphos, advertises a walk of about 600 metres to the castle and harbour, though you should ask the hotel for the exact entrance. Pyramos Hotel, at 4 Ayias Anastasias, is the budget alternative. Annabelle, at 10 Poseidonos Avenue on the lower seafront, has its own Italian restaurant, Mediterraneo, which serves lunch from 12:00 to 17:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:30, with dinner by reservation. Ta Pinakia, on Kennedy Square in the upper town, serves daily from 12:00 to 23:00 and lists cabbage dumplings with beef and rice and a vegetable moussaka. The dining room is on the first floor, so check access and take a taxi up from the harbour.

Wednesday: back

Wednesday can be a short harbour morning before you leave. Book luggage handling and an airport transfer separately. A city bus should not be assumed to reach Paphos Airport. If you return to Limassol by Intercity, allow time for the taxi back to the bus stop.