Detailed review by Praskipark
Praskipark
Warsaw, Poland95%
The castle and the harbour front are probably the most two dominant sights in Paphos town and are very close to each other so rather than write about each seperately I have chosen to stick both attractions together.
The castle which was built by the Turks in 1592, overlooks the fishing harbour. Nearby lies a heap of stones left over from the earlier fortifications which the Venetians destroyed in 1570 as they had too few soldiers to maintain a permanent guard. Although not the most beautiful castle I have ever visited, it is quite a dominating structure and is worth a stroll around the fortifications if just to get views of the harbour and the promenade which is always busy from morning to night.
The best times to visit the castle are early morning and just as the sun is going down in the early evening. The colours and shadows of the castle walls reflecting on to the boats and blue waters of the sea is a very picturesque sight.
(The castle is open Monday - Friday - 7.30 until 2.30pm, Thursday also 3-6pm, weekends 10am - 5pm)
To the northwest of the harbour lay the centre of the Roman town. In 1962 a farmer ploughing his field chanced upon an ancient mosaic. Since then archaelogists have ucovered further mosaics in this vicinity and these now rank among the most significant and finest sights of historic interest in Cyprus. Even if you do not find ancient ruins particularly appealing you ought not to overlook these fascinating scenes from ancient mythology. The tiny blocks of stone were probably made in Alexandria in the 3rd and 4th centuries and were shipped to Paphos before being assembled. They really are beautiful and so well preserved. UNESCO has acclaimed the mosaics as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
I am not going to describe every mosaic in detail as I know archaelogy isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you are interested then I suggest you take a look at the mosaics in;
1) The House of Dionysos ( the God of Wine) - mosaics here depict several liasions such as Zeus and Ganymede, as well as Narcissus and his mirror image.
2) House of Theseus - Pictures of the heroic victor slaying the minotaur
3) House of Orpheus - here you will see scenes of Orpheus charming the wild animals with his music and wrestling Hercules with a lion.
Harbour Front
Like most harbour fronts the one in Paphos is no different - it is bustling, full of colour and excitement. There are several shops selling rather bizarre and kitch souvenirs ranging from traditional souvenirs like woven goods and Lefkra lace, clay pottery and engraved copper vessels or brass plates All these are very reasonably priced. Soujoukko which are strings of nuts dipped in grape juice, are popular with youngsters, as are glyko, fruit soaked in syrup, while commandaria, a sweet wine, which is often appreciated by older people. Shopping in Cyprus follows the European practice, so haggling over marked prices is not often acceptable.
Intermingled with shops are cafes and fish restaurants. Some restaurants you can actually go into the kitchen and choose your own fish. Although Cypriots are laid back they are however, tenacious when trying to get you to enter restaurants to eat. So be aware that you may feel hassled and sometimes I even find this tiring at times.
To the north east of the lighthouse you can stroll along the top of the old city wall and from the City Gate a ramp carved out of the rock leads down to the beach.
Paphos Castle and harbour Front8
