A Limassol day trip from Paphos covers 58 kilometres on the A6 motorway and fills a day with Aphrodite’s Rock, Kourion, Kolossi Castle and the old town. Find more trip ideas on Greece Tours.
Below we compare the drive, the bus and six organised tours, then plan the day hour by hour, with the season, the gear and the booking rules.
How far is a Limassol day trip from Paphos by road?
A Limassol day trip from Paphos covers 58 kilometres on the A6 motorway. Take Me to Europe Tours gives 45 to 50 minutes for the drive. Cyprus Spirit gives about 60 kilometres and 45 to 55 minutes.
Wikipedia adds a third marker. Paphos International Airport lies about 50 kilometres from Limassol, and it sits 6.5 kilometres south-east of Paphos town.
Cyprus Spirit says Paphos sits at the western end of the Cyprus motorway network. From there the road reaches Limassol and Larnaca in 40 to 90 minutes. Kourion lies between the two cities, so it joins the same road.
The sights cluster in the last 30 kilometres before Limassol. Three markers help you read the road:
- Kolossi Castle stands 14 kilometres west of Limassol, on the road towards Paphos, says the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.
- Pissouri lies about 30 kilometres west of Limassol’s centre, says Wikipedia.
- Petra tou Romiou rises off the shore along the main road between the two cities, says Wikipedia.
Every stop adds minutes, not kilometres. The stops decide how long a Limassol day trip from Paphos runs.
Is a Limassol day trip from Paphos worth a full day?
Yes. A Limassol day trip from Paphos joins two different cities. Paphos suits ancient history and quieter beaches. Limassol suits travellers who want a larger marina, nightlife and a wider dining scene, says Take Me to Europe Tours.
Wikipedia counts 108,105 residents in the Limassol municipality, more than any other municipality in Cyprus. The historical centre sits around the medieval Limassol Castle and the Old Port.
Wikipedia traces the name Limassol to the ancient Greek Nemesos, meaning “one found in the middle”. The city was built between the ancient cities of Amathus and Kourion.
Cyprus Spirit lists food, shopping and culture as the reasons to go. It names the Laona district of the old town as the place for cafes and small galleries.
Take Me to Europe Tours says visitors base themselves in one city and visit the other. A Limassol day trip from Paphos works because the two lie only 58 kilometres apart. Our Paphos tours page lists the other day trips from the same base.
What does the A6 motorway pass between Paphos and Limassol?
The A6 motorway links the two cities and carries a Limassol day trip from Paphos by road. It crosses the Akrotiri Sovereign Base area through two 950-metre tunnels. It also has a bridge 550 metres long and 110 metres tall near Petra tou Romiou, says Wikipedia.
The Akrotiri tunnels are the only public road tunnels in Cyprus. Each tunnel has two lanes and carries one direction. The motorway finished the four-lane network that links all the major cities of the island.
Cyprus drives on the left. Wikipedia lists it as one of three EU nations that keep left. Cyprus Spirit warns that this surprises visitors from continental Europe. Keep that in mind on a Limassol day trip from Paphos by car.
Drivers from Paphos leave the A6 at Exit 29 for Limassol, says Take Me to Europe Tours. The first area after that exit is an industrial zone.
No ferry joins the two cities, and Cyprus has no working railway. The road is the only way across.
Can you take the bus on a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Yes. Intercity Buses runs the only scheduled bus between the two cities. The ride takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, says Take Me to Europe Tours. On weekdays the first bus leaves Paphos at 5:55 am and the last at 8:00 pm.
Weekday service runs at least 8 times a day, about once an hour. Weekend buses run a shorter timetable, from 8:00 am to 7:30 pm. The return bus follows the same times in reverse.
Tickets are sold on board. Weekend buses fill faster from June to September, so reach the stop early on Sundays. Take Me to Europe Tours says the buses are equipped for accessibility and advises a call ahead.
The Paphos stop is Pervola Karavella in the town centre. Take Me to Europe Tours names the Limassol arrival stop as Archiepiskopou Leontiou A, near the Old Hospital. Wikipedia places Intercity Buses at the Limassol Port passenger building. Confirm the stop in the Intercity Buses app.
From the arrival stop, the old town, castle and Molos Promenade are 10 to 15 minutes away on foot. Cyprus Spirit warns that local public transport does not reach Kourion easily. A Limassol day trip from Paphos by bus therefore stays inside the city.
Is a taxi or a hire car better for a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
A hire car gives the widest choice of stops, and a taxi gives the quickest ride. A taxi takes about 45 minutes door to door, says Take Me to Europe Tours. A rental car lets you stop at Petra tou Romiou, Pissouri and Kouklia.
Those three stops sit off the main bus route, says Take Me to Europe Tours. A car lets you stop wherever you like and stay as long as you like. It turns a Limassol day trip from Paphos into a route you set yourself.
Paphos Airport has car rental and a tourist help desk, says Wikipedia. A visitor who lands there can collect a car at the terminal. The A6 then leads east towards Limassol.
The airport has no direct intercity bus to Limassol, says Take Me to Europe Tours. Wikipedia names the Limassol Airport Express as the bus link between the airport and the city. A taxi from the airport takes around 50 minutes. Our Paphos transfers page covers airport runs.
What does an organised Limassol day trip from Paphos include?
Each of the six GetYourGuide listings in this guide offers hotel pickup and free cancellation. Each runs in English and lasts 7 to 9 hours. Three listings name free time in Limassol, and all need a reservation 10 hours before the start.
Chronos Travel sells a shared coach version. Its listing promises hotel pickup in Paphos and a licensed English-speaking guide. Guests share the coach with other English speakers. The tour runs only when enough guests book.
Civitatis lists an 8-hour version with transport by bus or minibus and an English-speaking guide. Musement lists 7 to 8 hours for its version of the Limassol day trip from Paphos.
Hotel pickup covers the Paphos area. Musement limits its pickups to the Paphos and Coral areas and asks for the hotel name at checkout. Its listing also mentions citrus plantations.
Does the Limassol day trip from Paphos stop at Kourion and Kolossi Castle?
Yes. GetYourGuide lists a 7-hour Limassol trip from Paphos. It visits the Kourion remains, Aphrodite’s Rock and Kolossi Castle, and it adds free time in the Old Town. Chronos Travel and Civitatis visit Kourion first and finish at Aphrodite’s Rock.
Kolossi Castle opens daily at 8:30 am, says the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. From April 16 to September 15 it closes at 7:30 pm. From September 16 to April 15 it closes at 5:00 pm. Three closing days apply: Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday in the Greek Orthodox calendar.
Cyprus Spirit places Kourion and Kolossi 40 minutes east of Paphos. Both sit on the road of a Limassol day trip from Paphos. Cyprus Spirit asks for 1.5 to 2 hours at the Kourion ruins and warns against a quick photo stop. Wikipedia describes Kolossi as a three-storey square keep, 21 metres high.
The booking form for this trip sets a limit of 15 for each age band. Only the 9-hour Limassol Experience shares that limit. Our Kourion tour page covers the ruins stop by stop.
Which Limassol day trip from Paphos is built around free time?
Three GetYourGuide listings are built around free time in the city. They are the 9-hour Limassol Experience and two 7-hour trips with an Aphrodite’s Rock stop. Each gives guests a block of time to explore Limassol alone.
The Limassol Experience opens with a short escorted walk. Guests then head out on their own, and the abstract lists shopping and eating opportunities. It runs the longest day of the six trips in this guide.
The Limassol and Aphrodite’s Rock trip lists an optional guided walking tour of the Old Town. It runs in English and Greek, and GetYourGuide marks it wheelchair accessible. The other 7-hour trip tours Limassol Marina before the free time begins.
Musement uses the same idea for its Limassol day trip from Paphos. Its tour drops guests at the old harbour in Limassol and includes a photo stop at Aphrodite’s Rock. The old town is left to the guests’ own pace.
Which days of the week does a Limassol day trip from Paphos run?
Each GetYourGuide Limassol day trip from Paphos runs on one weekday. The calendars list Wednesday for the Kourion and Kolossi trip and Thursday for the heritage trip with Omodos. Three Limassol trips list Friday, and the guided Aphrodite’s Rock tour lists Saturday.
Check the calendar before you plan, because operators change their dates. The booking widgets on this page show the current dates for each trip.
Pick the weekday first and the trip second. A guest who wants the guided Aphrodite’s Rock tour has to plan the holiday around a Saturday.
A self-drive day has no such limit. Kolossi Castle opens every day, so a driver can choose any weekday. The Intercity bus also runs at weekends.
Which villages and sights sit on the road between Paphos and Limassol?
Kouklia, Petra tou Romiou, Pissouri and Episkopi sit on the road. Kouklia lies 15 minutes from Paphos and holds the Sanctuary of Aphrodite. Pissouri has a village square and a Blue Flag beach, says Take Me to Europe Tours.
Kouklia lies 25 minutes from the Limassol city borders. UNESCO lists Palaepaphos at Kouklia, with the remains of the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, inside the Paphos World Heritage Site. A local museum holds finds from the site. The village also has traditional tavernas and small craft shops.
Petra tou Romiou is the rock where myth places the birth of Aphrodite. Hesiod’s Theogony has the goddess rise from sea foam. Cyprus Spirit calls the rock a 10-minute photo stop on the way east.
Pissouri lies 28 minutes from the centre of Paphos and 20 minutes from the centre of Limassol by car. Wikipedia counts about 1,100 permanent residents. It notes a Gothic-style church of Apostle Andrea, built through voluntary work.
Timi is the village closest to Paphos Airport, with two beaches and a weekend market. Episkopi has the Blue Flag beach of Kourion. Use these stops to pace a Limassol day trip from Paphos.
Where do you stop for lunch or wine on a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Stop at a village taverna in Pissouri or Episkopi, or at the Cyprus Wine Museum in Erimi. Book lunch ahead in July and August, says Take Me to Europe Tours. Carry cash, because traditional tavernas and village shops on the route can be cash-only.
The Cyprus Wine Museum stands in Erimi on Paphou Street, on the old Limassol-Paphos road. Wikipedia places it near the routes towards Kolossi Castle, ancient Kourion and the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates.
The composer Anastasia Guy founded the museum in a stone building that her family owned for generations. The museum says Erimi has about 5,500 years of winemaking history. Its displays include Commandaria.
Take Me to Europe Tours names two tavernas for a Limassol day trip from Paphos. They are Kentrikon in Mandria village, in the Paphos district, and the Old Stables Tavern in Episkopi. The heritage trip on GetYourGuide ends at a winery in Omodos with a wine tasting.
Which walks and golf courses sit along the route?
Pissouri has two walks. The Genesis Aphrodite’s Trail is a 5.5-kilometre loop to Petra tou Romiou, and the Pissouri Trail runs 7.7 kilometres. Two 18-hole golf courses also sit near the road.
The Pissouri Trail takes more than two hours. Two more walks start from villages. The Avdimou-Pissouri Cliff trail is a short linear path that ends at the Pissouri coast. The Kyparissia Peak Nature Trail near Prastio is a moderately challenging linear trail.
Take Me to Europe Tours asks hikers for boots, water and a snack. It warns of snakes in dry and coastal areas outside winter and advises thick socks. Cyprus Spirit names spring and autumn as the hiking seasons. Add the hours of any walk to your Limassol day trip from Paphos before you commit.
Aphrodite Hills Golf Club lies 20 minutes from Paphos and 32 minutes from Limassol. That puts it on the route of a Limassol day trip from Paphos. It has an 18-hole course of PGA standard. The Secret Valley course, near Petra tou Romiou at Kouklia, also has 18 holes.
How much time does a Limassol day trip from Paphos leave in the city?
Allow at least 4 to 5 hours in Limassol, says Take Me to Europe Tours. That time covers the Molos Promenade, the medieval castle, the old town and lunch. Add 1 to 2 hours if you stop at villages or ruins on the way.
The walking distances are short. Wikipedia places Limassol Marina 500 metres west of Limassol Castle, on the Old Port. Take Me to Europe Tours calls the Molos Promenade a short walk from the marina and the old harbour.
Organised tours set their own pace. Chronos Travel stops in the old town near the medieval castle, then at the Marina and the market area. It leaves free time for exploring, shopping and lunch.
Civitatis lists the old town, the port and the market areas, then free time for lunch at a local restaurant. Neither operator states how long the free time lasts. Ask the operator before you book.
What fills four hours in Limassol?
Four hours in Limassol fit the marina, the Molos Promenade, the old town and the castle museum. The Limassol Marina website lists 650 berths for yachts up to 115 metres. Shops, restaurants and cafes encircle the water, and a museum stands in the marina.
Take Me to Europe Tours calls it the biggest marina in Cyprus. Cyprus Spirit says Ateliers Jean Nouvel designed it. The Molos Promenade nearby has palm trees, sculptures and cafes.
Limassol Castle holds a medieval museum, says Wikipedia, with cannons, wood carvings, suits of armour, coins and pottery. The Old Port beside it has a 250-metre breakwater and serves fishing boats. Our Limassol tour page walks the castle, the Old Port and the old town in detail.
Take Me to Europe Tours describes small covered walkways in the old centre, with shops, bars and museums. Anexartisias Street is the main shopping street of the Old Town, says Wikipedia. The street also hosts Gregori Afxentiou Square, where events such as the Limassol Carnival take place.
A Limassol day trip from Paphos can include My Mall, the largest mall in the district, at Zakaki. For a swim, Take Me to Europe Tours lists Miami Blue Flag Beach and Akti Olympion Beach. It rates the sea quality in Limassol city below Paphos. The Folk Art Museum shows over 500 exhibits in six rooms.
What does the hour-by-hour plan for a Limassol day trip from Paphos look like?
Leave Paphos by 9 am, as Take Me to Europe Tours advises. The plan covers Petra tou Romiou, Kourion and four to five hours in Limassol.
The self-drive sum uses the sourced times in this guide:
- Drive from Paphos to Limassol: 45 to 50 minutes.
- Photo stop at Petra tou Romiou: 10 minutes.
- Time at Kourion: 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Time in Limassol: 4 to 5 hours.
- Drive back to Paphos: 45 to 50 minutes.
The sum leaves out lunch and Kolossi Castle. A visit to the castle pushes the finish later. Treat the figure as a floor for a full Limassol day trip from Paphos by car.
A bus day is simpler. If a bus leaves Paphos at 9:00 am, the 1 hour 15 minute ride ends at about 10:15 am. Four to five hours in the city end between 2:15 and 3:15 pm. The last weekday bus leaves at 8:00 pm.
How do the seasons change a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Summer is long and sunny, says Wikipedia, and July and August range from 22 up to 40 degrees Celsius. Unsettled, rainy and windy weather runs from December to March. Spring and autumn are mild to warm.
Wikipedia calls spring mild to warm, with around 19 to 20 degrees Celsius by day. Rain showers and thunderstorms are common in late March and April. Saharan dust sometimes degrades air quality in spring.
Wikipedia gives 16 to 20 degrees Celsius for winter days, and in summer rain is rare. Summer heat sets the start time of a Limassol day trip from Paphos. Take Me to Europe Tours advises starting early. The old town, the marina and the castle area suit the hours before the afternoon heat.
Cyprus Spirit says almost every trip improves in the first half of the day, when roads are quiet. It says the archaeological sites can be punishing by midday in summer. Carry water and keep a hat in the car.
What gear does a Limassol day trip from Paphos need?
Bring comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, water and a camera, as Musement advises. Add a towel if your trip ends at Aphrodite’s Rock. Chronos Travel allows time for a swim there.
Civitatis asks only for the electronic voucher, kept on your phone. The Magpie listing for its Kourion and Kolossi tour asks for comfortable shoes for uneven terrain.
Cyprus Spirit advises keeping a hat and sun protection in the car in summer. It also advises cash for village tavernas and small cafes. Pack the gear the evening before.
Who can join a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Adults, children and infants can join, with age bands set for each tour. The adult band starts at 12 or 13 on every GetYourGuide listing here. The Limassol and Aphrodite’s Rock trip with free time is wheelchair accessible.
Child bands differ. The Kourion and Kolossi trip takes children aged 2 to 12 and infants up to 1. The free-time trip takes children aged 3 to 12. The heritage trip with Omodos takes children aged 4 to 12.
Group limits run from 15 to 50 for each age band. The guided Aphrodite’s Rock tour and the free-time trip list 50. The heritage trip lists 40, and the marina trip lists 30.
Every listing runs in English, and the free-time trip adds Greek. The Magpie listing says children under 12 must travel with an adult. It lists stroller access and infant seats. Check the age band before you book for a family.
Where and when do you reserve a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Reserve on the GetYourGuide or Viator calendar and enter your Paphos hotel. GetYourGuide needs a reservation 10 hours before the start. Civitatis closes bookings 18 hours ahead. Every GetYourGuide listing here offers free cancellation.
Musement refunds the full price up to 24 hours before the start and adds no extra fees. Civitatis allows a free cancellation until 24 hours ahead of the start. It refunds nothing after that.
The local operator emails the pickup time and place, says Musement. Read that email early, because the confirmed time sets the whole day of your Limassol day trip from Paphos.
GetYourGuide marks the guided Limassol tour with Aphrodite’s Rock as a bestseller, with 393 reviews and a 4.5 rating. The Kourion and Kolossi trip has 197 reviews and a 4.6 rating. The Viator cards above list a museum entry, a dive at Pissouri and a waterpark ticket. They also list a private tour from Limassol to Paphos.
For the other trips on the island, see our Cyprus tours guide.
What do travellers ask about a Limassol day trip from Paphos?
Does a Limassol day trip from Paphos include lunch?
No. Chronos Travel lists lunch as not included, Civitatis excludes food and drinks, and the Magpie listing excludes meals and beverages. Plan lunch in the old town during the free time.
Can pets or service animals join the tour?
Civitatis does not allow pets on its version. The Magpie listing names service animals among its accessibility options. Ask the operator before you book.
Where is the Cyprus Historic and Classic Motor Museum?
It stands on Epimitheos Street in the first industrial area after Exit 29. Limassol buses 7 and 21 run there from My Mall. Take Me to Europe Tours suggests an hour or so for its collection of three-wheeled post-war vehicles and classic cars.
Which buses serve Limassol itself?
EMEL runs the city buses. Wikipedia counts around 53 lines and about 150 buses, 35 of them electric. National links run through Intercity Buses.
Does the Limassol Carnival affect the trip?
The main parade runs 12 days before the start of Lent, on the Sunday before Ash Monday, says Wikipedia. The festival lasts 10 days, and people pour foam on each other in the Old City. Check the date before you plan.