Paphos or Ayia Napa in May. The main resorts of Cyprus and the best beaches. Why is it important to rent a car in Cyprus?

Cyprus is popular among travelers all over the world. But there are many resorts there, how to determine the best one? Paphos, Larnaca, Protaras or Ayia Napa: what to choose to make your vacation a success? Let's try to look at the two most popular resorts - Paphos and Ayia Napa - from different angles. Despite numerous positive reviews about both places, they are still different from each other. And if you learn more about them, it will help you plan your vacation wisely.

Location and climate

Attractions

There are much fewer archaeological sites in Ayia Napa than in the Paphos area, but they are also present. Take, for example, the Makronisos tombs, located next to the beach of the same name. Excavations are still underway there, but tourists can visit these ancient tombs.

In Paphos, you can make a whole list of interesting antiquities:

• Church of Panagia Christopolitissa,
• Archaeological Park,
• Paphos Castle,
• Catacombs of Saint Solomonia.

And these are just archaeological sites! And there are also museums and temples, visited daily by hundreds of tourists. So in terms of the excursion program, Paphos wins over Ayia Napa.

Entertainment and beaches

If you want non-stop fun, then between Paphos and Ayia Napa, choose the latter resort. This does not mean that there are no nightclubs and discos in Paphos, but there are clearly more of them in Ayia Napa. It’s not for nothing that this resort is considered a youth holiday destination.

If we consider other entertainment, there is plenty of it at both resorts. Both Ayia Napa and Paphos have water and amusement parks. There are also beautiful places where you can admire the natural landscapes: bays, cliffs, wild beaches.

In terms of hotel comfort, these two resorts can easily compete. There are inexpensive hotels, and there are luxury hotel complexes. Paphos is traditionally considered a more expensive resort, but this mainly applies to high-level hotels. Prices in restaurants, tour agencies and shops in Paphos and Ayia Napa are quite comparable.


All beaches in Cyprus are municipal. They have good infrastructure, equipped with rescue stations, many are marked with the Blue Flag. One has only to note that in Ayia Napa most of the beaches are sandy, while in Paphos they are pebble. And for many tourists this becomes an important selection criterion. Some vacationers find sandy beaches more comfortable. And in this parameter, Paphos is slightly inferior to Ayia Napa.

Where should we go?

You can't go wrong if you fly to any resort in Cyprus! Limassol or Ayia Napa, Protaras or Paphos - all of them will not leave tourists indifferent. Of course, each resort is unique in terms of its attractions or picturesque bays. But at each of them you will find: sun and sea, high-level service and interesting excursions, hospitable locals and famous Cypriot cuisine. Choose the hotel you like and start planning your vacation in Cyprus!

In addition, the distance between Paphos and Ayia Napa is 200 km, so if you do not want to explore the island of Aphrodite in full, there is no point in racking up the kilometers. I will try to help those who have doubts or those who are going to Cyprus for the first time with their choice.

Paphos or Ayia Napa

If very briefly, then

• Paphos is a rich excursion life, history and a little sea
• Ayia Napa – 90% beach holiday and travel along the coast and very few excursions

All you have to do is choose what you want most, so as not to waste extra money and time on empty trips. Below I will dwell in more detail on Paphos, Ayia Napa and their surroundings. On their pros and cons. In order not to upset those who want both, I will say that with any choice you can dose the sea and excursions yourself in any proportion. I'll just give guidelines.

Pathos, pros and cons

About the disadvantages of Paphos

Paphos has its own airport, but it does not serve many international destinations. Therefore, most flights land in Larnaca, and from there it is much further to Paphos than to Limassol or Ayia Napa. The solution to the problem is to rent a car.

Paphos has far fewer good beaches compared to Ayia Napa. The most famous and coolest is the beach Coral Bay, but it is located quite far from the Paphos embankment. If you want to live near a beautiful beach, book accommodation near Coral Bay .

The second option to live near a decent beach suitable for swimming is to choose hotels on the coast east of Paphos, to the left of the embankment when looking at the sea. There are good, but quite expensive options there.

The beaches are mostly rocky; near expensive hotels on the shore there are artificial small bays with dark brown and golden sand.

Pros of Paphos

There is a promenade and plenty of sea-view establishments where you can spend an evening. And this is the main difference from Ayia Napa, which is essentially a tourist village with hotels and apartments.

In the very Paphos many more attractions than in Ayia Napa and this is his strong point. There is something to do during non-beach time.

And in Paphos and in Ayia Napa there is a long walking path along the sea. There is approximate parity here, although Paphos is better suited for walking and more lively - good opportunities for cycling.

IN Ayia Napa There are plenty of city restaurants, but Paphos and the surrounding area will be cooler in this regard. And if you are vacationing in Ayia Napa, then you can have a good and inexpensive lunch with a sea view in Larnaca or Zygi village near Larnaca.

Both a plus and a minus at the same time Ayia Napa can be considered a vibrant nightlife which peaks in July-August. If you are a party animal, you definitely need to come here!

Let's sum it up: Paphos vs Ayia Napa

If you are going to Cyprus for good beaches, nightlife with one, maximum two excursions, Ayia Napa is for you. If you are a party animal and a clubber, Ayia Napa is for you. Ayia Napa is a place about the sea and beaches, bars and clubs! Ayia Napa is for the young at heart and lovers of beach activities and boat trips. If you prefer a family vacation with beach priority, but are not ready to overpay, Protaras is for you. It is very close to Ayia Napa, which can be reached for a couple of euros by bus. Protaras has a long, well-equipped and beautiful promenade along the sea, which stretches all the way to Cape Greco, a dozen good cozy beaches, the long city Sunrise Beach and the iconic Fig Tree Bay.

If you love active recreation and despise beach chairs and sea activities, if your priority is active recreation - cycling, ATV rides and wild nature with minimal time at sea - you should go to Paphos or Polis. If you want to immerse yourself in local life and color, visit wineries and see ancient history to understand Cyprus more, you’re in Pathos or Policy.

At the same time, Paphos also has several beautiful beaches, so you won’t be deprived of the sea. And you can spend beautiful evenings on the embankment in one of the restaurants with your beloved.

If you want to take a ride to Troodos mountains, see ancient monasteries and villages - choose Paphos, it’s closer and more convenient to get to from here and you can do it in one day.

Is it possible to combine all this in one vacation? It’s easy, just do a minimum of planning week in Paphos and surroundings and the second week or at least Spend 3-4 days in Ayia Napa. Then you will put a bold and beautiful end to your vacation, remember and love Cyprus, and just like us, you will come every year. Use Larnaca only for transit and transfer from/to the airport; there is nothing to do there for more than half a day.

Is there some more Limassol, but this is something between the two locations described above; I would not recommend it to those who decided to try a holiday in Cyprus for the first time. The main advantage of Limassol is its equidistance from almost all places in Cyprus; it is perfect for traveling around the island if you live in one place.

Why is it important to rent a car in Cyprus?

I still think that traveling around Cyprus by public transport is masochistic, and frequent use of taxis is quite difficult financially.

Moreover, a car in Cyprus is not a luxury, but an affordable means of transportation, from 8 Euros in the low season and from 15 Euros in the high season, there are options without a deposit and always a meager advance payment.

We find such correct wheels on the website MyRentacar– the main players in the local car rental market are gathered here under one roof. Tested - ideal for a traveler, use it, recommend it.

Guys, help! My friend and I are going to Cyprus for the first time. Until I went to the forum I was sure that I wanted to go to Ayia Napa. We chose Ayia Napa because we want entertainment too (we were in Spain in Loret de Mae - we liked it), but then I read that the Tour to Ayia Napa has the disadvantage that you won’t see Cyprus, it’s worse with excursions. And I really want to see Cyprus... What about excursions from Ayia Napa? Or should I still choose Limassol? And another question, there is a desire to rent a car and see the sights on your own, but how difficult is the traffic in Cyprus? How narrow are the roads? We are both blondes ;-)

1) Excursions from Ayia Napa are good. These are good everywhere - see the size of the island. It is almost five times smaller than Moscow. region
2) If you want to take a car, take it. Rights are desirable. Driving on the left, steering wheel on the right.
3) The roads are wide asphalt. The signs are convenient and clearly visible. In English and Greek.
4) Greeks love blondes.

How to compare a city and a town? Do you live in Moscow or St. Petersburg? When are you planning to go to Cyprus, in season? Some young people live there according to a schedule: getting up at lunch - a beach full of hanging out with peers - a night club. And so the entire vacation period - everyone has the right to their own type of vacation, no questions asked. Are you going to this mode? Do you like to go shopping on vacation to get in the mood?

Hello Lawyer. Thanks for the answer. I’m also a lawyer, by the way :-) I live in Krasnoyarsk. We are flying to Cyprus on June 9th. From rest I want: the sea; beach; see Cyprus: monuments and historical sites; and in the evenings - cafes; nightclubs - yes, but definitely not every day. On vacation, I like to rent a car myself, because you can see a lot of things and not depend on anyone (I myself have traveled a lot by car in Spain and the Canary Islands), although if the traffic is very difficult, then it’s hard for me. In the Canary Islands, for example, there were very narrow roads to the mountains and I felt very uneasy. Group excursions are not excluded. I really like to go shopping for mood :-) and buy something too, but sometimes on a good vacation it’s a pity to waste time on this.

Quote: Cypriots are NOT Greeks
Calypso, judge for yourself
Napa is a village with a good sea, nightlife and lack of shopping. For a lazy holiday. But, if you take a car, you can easily see the island and get to the necessary shops
Lim, this is a city. As a metropolitan resident in the past, it would be wonderful for me to go on vacation from city to city. Although this is what attracts many people to Lima. There are also discos there, the beaches are worse, but again, you need to know the places)))

Hello Callipso. You see, on vacation I am NOT interested in youth discos and beaches filled with teenagers. On vacation I prefer to live without any plan, so my vacation spot should have a theater and a cinema, good sports clubs, restaurants with local flavor, places for quiet walks and large shopping centers. All this is in Limassol and all this is accessible on foot and by city bus, well, it will be very lazy - I’ll take a taxi. There is no similar presence of all sorts of different things in one place, as in Limassol, in Cyprus.

Lawyer, thanks for the answer! I understand :-) Fortunately (or unfortunately :-)) I, too, have not been interested in youth discos for a long time... If I went alone, I would choose Limassol based on your recommendations, but now I’m going with a friend who is younger than me and In this regard, there is also a need for a budget option. If you like Cyprus, which I really hope you will, then next time you will definitely go to Limassol. Thank you.

Well, Limassol really is a city, and not of any particular beauty, frankly, but it’s convenient for moving around without a car, by bus, there are shops if you need them, although it’s much better in Nicosia, the promenade is gorgeous, you can easily walk along it at any time of the day and not the feeling of a crowd, in general, even in the season, it didn’t seem to me that the beaches were all just so crowded with people, only in the center, and in the Amathus area there were somehow no crowds, by the way, there are clubs and bars in the tourist zone, all crowded with young people in the summer, so and Limassol is quite youthful for those who need it. Who said that Napa is so much cheaper than Limassol? Maybe in Lima there is simply less choice of inexpensive hotels, especially of a good standard, the lack of them is felt very acutely.

Quote:

As for the car, rent and don’t hesitate. The roads are smooth and wide. Yes, driving on the left takes some getting used to, but it's not a problem. They drive in Cyprus very carefully and politely. Rental cars have numbers that differ in color from regular cars, so they are immediately visible and some mistakes are forgiven :-)
We lived in Ayia Napa, in the morning we got into the car and drove along the coast, choosing nice beaches and coves. We especially liked Governor's Beach, it has black sand and white rocks - very unusual and beautiful. It’s easy to get to both Paphos and Nicosia (if you’re shopping, then it’s probably better to do it in the capital :-))
All excursions are available from Ayia Napa, if you like group tours.
Limassol is a big city
and in Ayia Napa I got up in the morning, 5 minutes and already on the beach
Based on my impressions, I will say that I really liked Ayia Napa for its intimacy and walking distance to everything. By the way, the party place where the nightlife is in full swing is in the very center of the village, but it’s kind of hidden in a low place, the noise doesn’t disturb those around at all.

Quote: Driving in Cyprus is ugly and dangerous. BUT seeing red numbers, they get scared
Py Sy just for your information.... licenses are issued without re-registration until the age of 70... personally, I know several blind-blind people, after a stroke, after bypass surgery - driving HURRAY!!!

Greetings, dear travelers! Today we have an interesting topic on the agenda, , what to choose? I warn you right away that this article is about everything! Be sure to read to the end. As you read, there will be many photos of beaches and landscapes. Still, the sea in Cyprus is the most important thing. 🙂

There is a lot of information on the Internet these days, but, alas, it is not always useful. You have to spend more than one hour, and sometimes more than one day, to get to the bottom of the truth and finally understand for yourself, which is better Paphos or Ayia Napa. Many people, I think, can guess what I mean.
CONTENT:

Therefore, without unnecessary water, I will try to describe and tell you in all colors what, where, and how, to convey to you my experience and knowledge. It will take some of your time, but I'm sure you will be satisfied.

About the location

Both resort towns are located on the island of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Paphos is located in the southwestern part, Ayia Napa in the southeastern part.
• The distance between them is about 180 km.
• Each city has its own international airport.
• Paphos is much closer to the largest mountain range on the island - Troodos.
• In Paphos you can see very beautiful sunsets, but in Ayia Napa you can hardly see the sunset.

Climate, weather, water temperature

The climate on the entire island is Mediterranean. If I may say so, it is smooth, without sudden changes in temperature and pressure, which is ideal for the health of people of all age groups, in particular children, weather-sensitive people, and hypertensive patients. Ayia Napa or Paphos from a weather point of view they are identical. The same applies to water temperature.

Still, it is worth noting that in Ayia Napa, as a rule, both the air and the water are a couple of degrees warmer. If on hot summer days, from June to August, this is not particularly important, then if you go swimming, for example, at the beginning of May or at the end of September, you can feel the difference a little. August in Cyprus is the hottest month of the year!


I have come across the opinion that the climate in Paphos is somewhat milder. The proximity of mountain ranges probably has an effect. But to be honest, I didn’t feel the difference, since the climate on the entire island is already very mild!

Beaches, sea

In the matter of choice, Ayia Napa or Paphoswhere is better, be sure to keep in mind that in Ayia Napa the beaches are sandy, with fine light sand, and in Paphos the beaches are mainly pebble and rocky, there are also sandy ones, but the sand there is already grayish-brown. The only thing that matters here is your preference. For example, we chose Ayia Napa as our main holiday destination only because of the beaches, since my husband does not really like pebbles in any form. And my mother, planning a trip to Cyprus, just chose Paphos, on the contrary, she was delighted with the stones and pebbles, my dad did not resist, it doesn’t matter to him whether it’s sand or pebbles. How many people, so many opinions. Don’t forget, in Paphos you can find a hotel near a sandy beach, but there are only a few such places.

All beaches in Cyprus are municipal, you can visit absolutely any one you like best. During the high season, large beaches offer various sea activities - catamarans, banana boats, etc.


Paphos or Ayia Napa, what to choose for a holiday with children? The entrance to the sea is flat everywhere, the beaches are ideally adapted for swimming with children. My advice is to choose what you like, if you are in harmony and happy, the child will feel a good mood and will be happy.

The sea along the entire coast of Cyprus is very clean!

Entertainment, night life

Traditionally, Ayia Napa is the center of nightlife in Cyprus with developed infrastructure. You can walk here until dawn, you will find something to do. Young people are advised to go here. Pathos is truly associated with a calmer and more measured pastime.


There is a lot of entertainment in Ayia Napa - a water park, an amusement park (children will love it, and adults will find something to do. There are a couple of attractions for those who like the most thrilling sensations), sea excursions. Paphos also has a water park.

Nature, attractions

Miscellaneous (shopping, prices)

If you are thinking about shopping, then it is generally better to go to Limassol. 🙂 Ayia Napa or Paphoswhere is it cheaper?? Regarding prices, there is so much information on the Internet! Some people write that it is more expensive in Paphos, others that it is more expensive in Ayia Napa and vice versa, reading all this is just a waste of time. In terms of prices, both resorts are identical, since they are the most popular and promoted throughout Cyprus. I will say this, where it is definitely cheaper is in the northern part of Cyprus - Kyrenia. The word “cheaper” somehow doesn’t mean Paphos and Ayia Napa at all. Where there are a lot of people, prices are high.


For comparison: a bottle of simple still water, 0.5 liters, in a store on the main street in Ayia Napa, where there are a lot of cafes and restaurants, and a constant huge flow of tourists from all over, costs, for example, 1, or even 1.5 euros. If you turn deeper into the island and walk for 5-10 minutes, the same water will cost 2 times less. That's all mathematics. It’s not surprising to you that Coca-Cola on Red Square in Moscow costs several times more than somewhere in a store outside, say, the 3rd ring. 🙂

By the way, I almost forgot to say that, other things being equal, prices for trips to Paphos are somewhat cheaper than to Ayia Napa. I compared more than one option! I also have an educational story!

I also have a comparison of 2 more popular resorts in Cyprus -

I hope my review helped you decide Ayia Napa or Paphos, what to choose, what's better for you.