Search flights to Kouklia

Kouklia, a village in Paphos region of the Southern Cyprus, lies 16 kilometers from the center of Paphos and almost 40 kilometers from Limassol. Kouklia means ‘caretaker’ in old Greek and it is named after an officer who protected the Byzantine emperor.

Surrounding the archeological site of the antique city Palepaphos (Paphos Kingdom), Kouklia is also a place where a mysterious history began. Kouklia is known as one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations of the Greek World in the Antique Age as well. You feel amazed at the modern life rising above the antique city and the neighborhood of the new buildings with the ancient shrines while visiting the village. The famous temple of Aphrodite, whose legends are told during the excavations, has a great significance in the history of the village. Right behind the temple, you can see the ruins of the Panagia Odigitria church, which remained from the 12th century. The excavation findings of the village, which hosts many historical beauties together with the Barrow Cemetery, Rigena Cave, Marcello Hill and the walls that remained from its castle, can be seen in the local village museum. The collections beginning from the Chalcolithic Period and reaching the Ottoman Empire form the most popular artifacts of the museum. Artifacts such as a sarcophagus whose history and owners are not known and the mosaic ‘Leda and the Swan’ are among the unique items of the museum. The gorgeous rock called ‘Petra tou Romiou’ or Aphrodite’s Rock, which is close to the village, is mentioned as the place where the love and beauty goddess was born according to a legend.

The great history of Kouklia, which fits in its small surface area, never comes to an end. The Panagia Church, famous for its wall pictures remaining from a period between the 13th and 15th centuries, is one of the important structures we can definitely recommend you to visit.  Another church devoted to Luke the Evangelist hosts big religious celebrations on October 17 every year. Beside the historical atmosphere of the region, the combination of the mountains with the blue sea is quite mesmerizing. You can’t stop yourself from taking the picture of its scenery which eventually makes you say, ‘this is unique’.

The closest airport you can land on during your trips to Kouklia, which is one of the most beautiful places of Cyprus in middle of the Mediterranean, by air is the Paphos International Airport located at a distance of 8.23 kilometers. The fastest way to reach Kouklia from the airport is to take a taxi.