At the harbour, there is the Castle of Paphos, originally built as a Byzantine fort to protect the harbour and rebuilt by the Lusignans in the thirteenth century, then dismantled in 1570 by the Venetians, who found themselves unable to defend it against the Ottomans, who in their turn restored and strengthened it after they captured the island. Saranta Kolones, Kato Paphos, near the harbour, is a castle built in the first years of the rule of the Lusignans (beginning of the twelfth century) maybe on the site of a previous Byzantine Castle. It was destroyed in the earthquake of 1222.

 

The legacy from its remarkable history adds up to nothing less than an open museum, so much so that UNESCO simply added the whole town to its World Cultural Heritage List. Among the treasures unearthed, are the remarkable mosaics in the Houses of Dionysos, Theseus and Aion, beautifully preserved after 16 centuries under the soil. Then there are the mysterious vaults and caves, the Tombs of the Kings, the Pillar to which Saint Paul was allegedly tied and whipped, the ancient Odeon Theatre and other places of interest including the Byzantine Museum and the District Archaeological Museum, with its attractive collection of Cypriot antiquities from the Paphos area, dating from the Neolithic Age to 1700 AD. Near Odeon, there are the remains of the ancient city walls, the Roman Agora and a building dedicated to Asklepeos, god of medicine.

The mosaic floors of these elite villas dating from the third to the fifth century are among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mainly depict scenes from Greek mythology.

The city contains many catacomb sites dating back to the early Christian period. The most famous is Saint Solomoni Church, originally a Christian catacomb retaining some of its twelfth century frescoes. A sacred tree at the entrance is believed to cure the ailments of those who hang a personal offering on its branches.

A few miles outside the city, the rock of Aphrodite (Petra tou Romiou, "Stone of the Greek") emerges from the sea. According to legend, Aphrodite rose from the waves in this strikingly beautiful spot. The Greek name, Petra tou Romiou is associated with the legendary frontier-guard of Byzantine times, Digenis Acritas, who kept the marauding Saracens at bay. It is said in one such fight he heaved a large rock (Petra), at his enemy. The site has recently seen development of Aphrodite Hills, a multi-award winning resort in Cyprus. The resort features a five-star deluxe InterContinental Resort Hotel, an 18-hole standard championship golf course, competition tennis courts, fitness facilities, holiday villas, apartments and townhouses for sale and rent, and the Retreat Spa. Aphrodite Hills recently appeared in the highly prestigious Forbes Magazine commisioned top five resorts list where it was voted the world's most desirable new resort due the high standard of living and rocketing property prices associated with the project since it's inception.

Near Petra tou Romiou, there is Palaepaphos, Old Paphos, one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage of the ancient Greek world, and once an ancient city kingdom of Cyprus. Here are the ruins of the famous Temple of Aphrodite, the most ancient remains, go back to the 12th century BC. The temple was one of the most important places of cult and pilgrimage of the ancient world, till the 3rd-4th century A.D. The Museum, housed in the Lusignan Manor, is small but impressive with many finds from the area.

Yeroskipou with its remarkable five-domed Byzantine church of Ayia Paraskevi, and its Folk Art Museum is a town in Paphos metropolitan area known for many years now for its special delight `loukoumi'.

North-east of Paphos lies Ayios Neophytos Monastery, famous for its `Encleistra', Enclosure, carved out of the mountain by the hermit himself, which boasts some of the finest Byzantine frescoes of the 12th and 15th centuries. Near by too is the painted village church of Emba (Empa).

Four kilometres north of Paphos is the village of Lemba (Lempa), which has become home to numerous artists, many of whom have open studio shops, the sculpture known as the Great Wall of Lempa, by the Cypriot artist Stass Paraskos and the Cyprus College of Art.