As the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Paphos is as you’d expect: beautiful. From the mesmerizing Coral Bay with its powdery sand and blue waters, to the myriad of restaurants and bars and World Heritage Sites, Paphos has something to tempt everyone. In the summer, Cyprus’s fabulous climate sees temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius, making it ideal not only for lounging around the pool, but also for the myriad of water sports on offer. During the winter, temperatures become 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 increased its capacity 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 airport buses, taxis and transfers offer a reliable way to get to your accommodation, public transport in Cyprus is generally not good. Paphos airport car hire is recommended for those who want to travel. Fortunately, there is an excellent road infrastructure, with 4-lane highways connecting the main 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 at Paphos Airport Arrivals (except Hertz, which is 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, although for some it’s 25. Even so, anyone under the age of 25 is likely to have to pay the youth surcharge.
Each of the Paphos car hire companies have their own offers, so check carefully what is included in the quoted price 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 such as the one available at Cyprus-Airport-Guide.com, which will display all the cheap rental cars at Paphos Airport. Cyprus loves to drink and speed, so it is advisable to keep this in mind 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 drink driving are pretty much the same as in the UK.
