This post is part of another, broader one, about recommendations for things to do in Paphos (even without children).
Paphos is a city located in the Greek part of Cyprus. Even though it’s a city, it is suitable for relaxing as well as for those looking for trips to the mountains and magical villages. Paphos is a great destination for couples and families. There are attractions that are suitable for adults and excellent hotels. In this post you will find some attractions and cool things to do with the kids in Paphos, Cyprus.
Tips before flying to Paphos
SIM card
I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.
Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.
The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.
Where to sleep in Paphos
The hotel we personally like the most is the Olympic Lagoon. This is a 5-star all-inclusive resort and is perfect for a vacation with children. I also wrote a detailed post about recommended hotels and resorts in Paphos.
Car rental in Paphos
In Paphos and in general in Cyprus there is no convenient public transport. For those who only come for a backpacking vacation, the buses and taxis will provide a good enough answer, but if you also want to travel, I personally recommend renting a car. It is true that the journey here is in the opposite direction from standard traffic, but as someone who lives here, I can say that you get used to it quickly.
You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies. I wrote an extended post on the whole subject of car rentals abroad and I recommend reading it especially if this is your first car rental.
Cruise to the Blue Lagoon with snorkels
We took a 6-hour cruise to the Blue Lagoon, which also includes snorkels, lunch, fruit and drinks, as well as transportation from the hotel for those who need it. A fun experience for children and adults. The cruise includes Coral Bay, the Sea Caves and St. George Island. There is one break where you can swim and snorkel.
The cruise is on a fun yacht with two floors (for those who suffer from nausea, it is better to be downstairs and not upstairs. I was pregnant during the cruise and it helped me the most to be downstairs in the middle of the yacht). You don’t need to bring anything except towels and swimwear and just enjoy the cruise.
Link to purchase tickets for a cruise to the lagoon – can be reserved free of charge in advance and can be canceled for free up to a day before.
There are also cheaper options for a cruise that’s a bit longer and doesn’t include food (but I have no recommendations from personal experience).
A visit to a magical castle
At the end of the harbor you will find a castle that was originally a Byzantine fortress built to protect the harbor. What survives today is the Ottoman reconstruction from 1592.
The main part of the castle is a large square tower that has an enclosed courtyard in the middle. The ground floor consists of a central hall with small rooms, which were used as prison cells during the Ottoman reign.
Maya (age 4) and Roman had a lot of fun exploring the cells from the outside and talking about them. What’s even nicer is that you can go up to the roof and there you have a beautiful view of the harbor and it’s another place for the kids to play.
Entry for children is free and adults 2.5 euros.
Directions to the castle at the end of the harbor
A visit to an animal protection organization
An organization called Animal Rescue Cyprus that rescues abandoned animals and takes care of them. The children can pet donkeys, dogs and cats there. You can also “adopt an animal” with a monetary donation and they will send you a certificate and a photo of it. They don’t really give it to you.
We visited with Maya and Sophie (one year old) and they both really enjoyed seeing and petting the animals. The donkeys roam freely and have a very large area to do so.
Entry is of course free. It is recommended to call before and find out if they are indeed open. And of course you can also donate any amount of money to help out.
Directions to Animal Rescue
Visiting the tombs of kings
Form part of the Archaeological Park of Kato Paphos (Paphos) – one of the most important archaeological sites of Cyprus included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1980.
Despite its name, no kings were buried there, only members of the aristocracy, but the size and splendor of the tombs gave the place its name.
This is one of our favorite places in Paphos. It’s a huge place where the kids can run free, look for hiding places and play. The view is beautiful and you can visit all year round (in winter when it doesn’t rain).
A perfect place for children to run, crawl and play.
Entrance fee: children free and adults 2.5 euros
Directions to the Tombs of the Kings
A visit to the playground near the mall
A large Cosmic World kid’s entertainment playhouse with games for children and little ones.
There is also bowling, crashing cars and computer games. On weekends it can be very busy especially during the winter but it’s still a great place to spend time.
Entrance fee: 5 euros for children. Adults and babies free
Directions to Cosmic World
And if you are already there, you can visit the mall itself, where you will find brand stores, a Jumbo branch (a type of Maxstock only much bigger), restaurants and a children’s playground. Note that most shops close at 7pm.
Directions to the mall
Paphos Zoo
Quite a large and nice zoo for children. Personally, I’m less connected to zoos, but there are some cute activities for children, such as feeding fish, a 15-minute parrot and owl show (suitable for children who can sit without moving much because it’s not allowed). The owls fly over the crowd and you have to sit down so as not to scare them. You can feed the teachers (surcharge 5 euros per person) or feed a fillet rescued from Bangladesh (surcharge 50 euros for a group of up to 5 people).
Entrance fee:
17.5 euros per adult (12+)
9.5 per child (2-12)
Babies up to two years old are free
Link to purchase tickets to the zoo – you can reserve free of charge in advance and you can cancel for free up to a day before
Directions to the zoo
Aphrodite Paphos Water Park
A large and fun water park for children and adults. There are slides and water attractions that are also suitable for little ones, children and adults.
The park is usually open from the beginning of May until the middle of October / the end of November.
It is recommended to call and find out activity times or visit the website of the water park and check there. Sometimes there are discounts on the official website if you order before the season opens or you can also order a ticket for a few days, shuttles and other extras. It is important to note that the booking on the website of the water park is non-cancelable / non-refundable.
Link to purchase tickets to the Aphrodite Water Park – you can reserve free of charge in advance and you can cancel for free up to the day before
Directions to the Aphrodite Water Park
Bonus for blog followers
If you are planning to come to Cyprus and are looking for someone to plan an itinerary for you that you can do independently with a car (minimum for 3 days) or if you want to do a private trip with a driver (also suitable for large groups) then I recommend contacting Rony Schwartz. We met not long ago and I was very impressed by his knowledge of Cyprus (he has been living here for 5 years in Paphos) and beyond that he is really charming and has been planning trips for many years.
Link to Roni’s WhatsApp for contact
If you book a “private trip” for a family, or a small group, Roni will make for you a “detailed plan for a sightseeing day, with a culinary emphasis”, in Paphos, or Larnaca, or Limassol, including warm recommendations! Such a program costs 50 – 40 euros normally, but you will get it for free.
If you order a trip planning you will get one day at my expense, pay for three days planning and you will get four.
If you book a trip for a group of over 7 participants, you will receive a shuttle to the airport and back at an attractive price or a detailed culinary trip planning for an independent trip for free.
In conclusion, Paphos is an excellent city for a vacation and you can find all kinds of nice attractions for children. It is the most fun to be there in the summer months, because that way you can also enjoy the seasonal attractions such as water sports, pools, a water park and the sea, but even in the winter months you can find something to do.
Hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or write to me on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram. Looking for more information about Paphos? I have more posts about Paphos and posts about Cyprus on my blog.
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More posts I wrote on that
Great day trips in Cyprus
Best restaurants in Paphos
Recommended hotels and resorts in Paphos
What to do in Cyprus in winter
Cyprus with kids
Cyprus: Itinerary in Cyprus – Recommendations for accommodation, restaurants and attractions
Recommended things to do in Limassol
Relocation to Cyprus – why did we choose to move to Cyprus?