Paphos Old Town

Paphos Old Town (Pano Paphos, the upper city) sits 4 km inland and uphill from the harbour and tourist seafront (Kato Paphos), and is the working everyday city — markets, banks, schools, parish churches, the daily Cypriot life that the resort below does not show. After decades of being overshadowed by the harbour district, the old town has been gradually restored, especially since Paphos was European Capital of Culture in 2017, and is now one of the more rewarding Cypriot urban walks.

The anchor of the old town is the Municipal Market (Dimotiki Agora) — a 1929 stone-and-iron market hall and surrounding open-air stalls, where local produce, meats, cheeses, olives, and spices are sold to a Cypriot rather than tourist clientele. Around the market sits the historic Mouttalos quarter, originally a Turkish-Cypriot neighbourhood with a small mosque and the traditional flat-roofed stone houses, partly abandoned after 1974 and now slowly being restored as artists' workshops and small cafés.

The Kennedy Square (Plateia Kennedy) is the main civic space, with municipal buildings, banks, and the bus station. Half a kilometre east is the Bishop's Palace and the small archaeological site of Toumballos with its early Christian basilica foundations. Several restored stone-house cafes — the long-running Vrysoudia, the more recent Klimataria — give you a place to sit.

Insider tips. Visit the market in the morning (07:00-13:00, busy on Saturday). The Mouttalos quarter is best photographed in late afternoon when the warm stone is golden. The old town is a 5-minute drive from the harbour but the parking is easier than Kato Paphos in the busy season. The 7-11 buses connect the two halves of the city for a euro and a half.

Combinations. Pair the old town with the Paphos Archaeological Park (a short drive back down the hill) and the harbour for the complete Paphos day. The Paphos Ethnographic Museum and the Byzantine Museum are both in the old town and excellent additions to a cultural afternoon.

Bring. Comfortable shoes, sunscreen, a daypack for market shopping, cash for the smaller stallholders. When. Year-round; the market on Saturday morning is the lively peak. Spring and autumn give the most pleasant walking weather. Paphos Old Town is the answer to anyone who has only seen the harbour and asks 'where do Paphians actually live'.