Paphos, also referred to as Pafos, is a beautiful seaside city located in southwest
Cyprus, along the Mediterranean Coast. Paphos serves as the capital city of the District of Paphos and has an intricate road network as well as air transports to serve the city. The city is home to beautiful and unique masterpieces over from its ancient times, including remains and ruins to that effect - a feature that has won its title as the UNESCO world heritage site.
Visitors like to tour the remains of the ancient culture of Paphos, featured in the tomb ruins, remains of fortresses, and the showcased artwork in the museums of Paphos. The Tomb of Kings that date back into the fourth century BC, the twelfth-century catacombs in the Agia Solomon Church, the iconic Agia Paraskevi with its stunning five domes, and the Aphrodite Rock of mystical goddess tales are but some of the best tourist attraction spots in Paphos.
The city of Paphos experiences a subtropical semi-arid climate that is Köppen classified as BSh. The weather is characteristic of hot, humid, and dry summers and mild, tolerable but rainy winters. Spring and autumn are mild, both with pleasant weather, without the extremes of the previous seasons.
Winter extends from
December through
February and is mainly characterized by low-temperature ranges and moderately rainy days. During the day, the temperature ranges between 17.3°C (63.1°F) and 19.2°C (66.6°F), and at night it drops to 7.5°C (45.5°F) and10.3°C (50.5°F). Snowfall has significantly reduced in the past years because of global warming and is now a rare occurrence in Paphos.
The rainiest month, December, falls in winter, with the highest rain gauge collection of 94.1mm (3.7") from nine rainy days.
January is also wet, but measures only 80.3mm (3.2") in precipitation from ten rainy days. Winter remains mild and pleasant with up to six and a half hours of sunshine per day.
During summer, from
May to
September, Paphos becomes very warm, and the rains dry out considerably. The daytimes have highs of between 25.1°C (77.2°F) and 30.7°C (87.3°F), while the nights experience temperature ranges between 15.3°C (59.5°F) and 21.3°C (70.3°F). Sweltering days are rare, but occasionally Paphos is hit by heatwaves that are more common in
July and
August. The heatwaves are as a result of the Sahara Desert's hot air masses drifting over Cyprus.
Summer is dry, with some days going by without a raindrop, like in August when the precipitation is 0mm (0") and rainy days are 0 too.
Spring is mild, with a daily mean temperature of 15.1°C (59.2°F). The weather remains pleasant throughout, and most days have up to eight hours of warm sunshine. This is a great time to experience the magical blossom beauty in Paphos. Autumn is also mild and has a daily mean temperature of 17.6°C (63.7°F). The beauty of the fall is duly seen, and better felt in
October.
Paphos is home to lovely beaches and numerous archaeological sites. The city can be toured at any time during the year, but most of its visitors love to tour the city during summer, from
June to September. This period has the warmest days and minimal rainfall - a perfect time to visit the museums or indulge in the numerous water activities.
In August or September, Paphos celebrates the Aphrodite Festival amid organized outdoor operas and colorful decorations.