As the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Paphos is as you would expect: beautiful. From the mesmerizing Coral Bay with its powdery sand and azure waters, to the plethora of restaurants and bars and World Heritage Sites, Paphos has something to tempt everyone. In the summer, Cyprus’ fabulous weather sees temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius, making it ideal not only for lounging around the pool, but also for the wide variety of water sports on offer. During the winter, temperatures get cool enough for cyclists and hikers to enjoy the fantastic scenery.
Located on the west coast of Cyprus, Paphos is divided into the main residential district and original city center, Pano Paphos, and the area around the medieval port, Kato Paphos, where luxury hotels and tourist entertainment are concentrated. Paphos International Airport is the second largest airport after Larnaca Airport. Last year it served 1.8 million passengers, but the addition of a new terminal building at the end of 2008 has seen its capacity increase to 2.7 million.
Paphos Airport, or Paphos Airport as it is also spelled, is located 10 km east of the city center. While Paphos buses, taxis and airport transfers offer a reliable way to get to your accommodation, in general public transport in Cyprus is not good. Car rental at Paphos airport is recommended for those who want to travel. Fortunately, there is excellent road infrastructure, with 4-lane highways connecting major cities and well-maintained routes linking smaller towns and cities. Cypriots also drive comfortably on the left hand side and as most road signs are in English and Greek it makes driving here relatively easy for Brits. Getting from the airport to the city center takes about 15 minutes and can be reached via the B6 motorway and the E603 secondary road.
There are 8 Paphos Airport car hire companies in total, all of which have offices in Paphos Airport Arrivals (except Hertz, who are based off-site). Paphos airport car hire companies include Astra, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Petsas, Sixt and Thrifty. It’s pretty standard that you have to be over 21 to rent a car here, though for some it’s 25. Still, anyone under the age of 25 is likely to have to pay a youth surcharge.
Each of the Paphos car hire companies have their own offers, so check carefully what is included in the price quoted when you receive it, especially when it comes to insurance. Be sure to find out how much the excess is and whether the insurance covers theft, personal incident, and damage to items like tires and windshields. If not, then it may be worth paying for additional insurance. The best way to find out which companies offer the best prices is to use a price comparison engine like the one available at Cyprus-Airport-Guide.com, which will list all the cheap rental cars at Paphos airport. Cyprus loves to drive under the influence of alcohol and speeding, so it is advisable to take this into account when renting a car. On highways the speed limit is 100 km/h, while on regional roads and built-up areas it is 80 km/h and 50 km/h respectively, unless otherwise indicated. The rules on driving under the influence of alcohol are practically the same as in the UK.