The stone fort at the end of Paphos harbour glowing orange in the late sun, with the breakwater’s pale rocks in front and the sea beyond

Getting married in Paphos

The west coast of Cyprus, where the sun sets into the sea: a harbour with a stone fort, Roman mosaics by the shore, Aphrodite’s Rock at Petra tou Romiou and the wild coves of the Akamas.

Photographers When to marry here

Paphos lies on the west coast of the island. Kato Paphos, the lower town, runs along the harbour to a squat stone fort at its western end, first built by the Byzantines and rebuilt by the Ottomans in 1592; just behind the quay lie the mosaics of Nea Paphos and, a little to the north, the rock-cut Tombs of the Kings, which, with the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia, make up a UNESCO World Heritage site. Twenty-five kilometres east, the sea stacks of Petra tou Romiou mark the place where, the legend says, Aphrodite was born from the foam; to the north, past Coral Bay, the coast turns wild along the Akamas peninsula, a national forest park of rocky headlands and turquoise coves.

Couples from abroad marry legally with the municipality, after applying in person at least a day before: in the old District Governor’s House or its garden, on a beach, in a hotel garden, on a boat in the harbour or, with the Department of Antiquities’ permission, at the castle or the medieval manor house at Kouklia. Then come portraits at Petra tou Romiou or on the cliffs at sunset, and dinner by the sea.

A couple seen from behind on the shore at Paphos, the sun setting into the sea through a break in dark clouds

Petra tou Romiou from the cliffs at dusk: the great rock and its smaller stacks off a long pebble beach

The Akamas coast from above near Neo Chorio: turquoise water, a small islet and a low rocky shore covered in scrub

Through the year

When to marry in Paphos

April, May and June, then September and October, are warm and dry: at Paphos airport the average high climbs from about 22 °C in April to 28 °C in June and is still 27 °C in October, with rain on two days a month at most. July and August average 30–31 °C, in humid sea air, and the last ten summers have run nearer 32 °C; the west coast stays a little cooler than the south, but at midday a suit or a gown is hard work. From November the rain returns — on about eleven days a month in December and January — though the days stay mild, around 17–20 °C.

January: Quieter
February: Quieter
March: Good with planning
April: Best
May: Best
June: Best
July: Good with planning
August: Good with planning
September: Best
October: Best
November: Good with planning
December: Quieter

SpringGreen hills and wild flowers into May, a sea still cool for swimming and long, soft evenings; after March, showers are rare.
SummerCloudless days, warm nights and the sun going down at about eight. Ceremonies move to the evening: plan shade and water for the guests, and keep the middle of the day for rest.
AutumnThe sea still warm from summer, the light turning golden from late September, and the first rain usually in late October or November.

In numbers

Hottest month, average high: August · 31.0°C; Cyprus Department of Meteorology (WMO)
Average high in the best months: Apr 21.8°C · May 24.9°C · Jun 28.1°C · Sep 29.4°C · Oct 27.0°C; Cyprus Department of Meteorology (WMO)
Days with 1 mm of rain or more, best months: Apr 1.4 · May 1.2 · Jun 0.3 · Sep 0.5 · Oct 2; Cyprus Department of Meteorology
Sunset on 21 June: 20:07 (Paphos); NOAA
UNESCO World Heritage: Paphos (1980)

Temperatures: Pafos Airport, normals 1991–2020 · Rain: Pafos Airport, normals 2016–2025 · Checked 24 October 2026

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

The harbour and Kato Paphos
The fort at the end of the quay, fishing boats and the seafront promenade, with the columns and mosaics of the archaeological park just behind. A civil wedding at the castle needs the Department of Antiquities’ permission, applied for through the municipality at least a month ahead, with no flowers, rice or confetti thrown; a professional photo shoot inside the ancient sites needs the Department’s permission too.
Petra tou Romiou
Aphrodite’s Rock: sea stacks off a long pebble beach under pale cliffs, reached by an underpass from the roadside pavilion and protected as a national forest park. Legend has it that swimming round the rock three times brings luck and true love; in the evening the light here is soft and warm.
Coral Bay and the Peyia coast
A curve of sand in Peyia with lifeguards from April to October, and the low cliffs and coves to the north of it, where the sun drops straight into the sea — the place for a sunset ceremony or portraits on the rocks.
The Akamas
Rocky headlands, scrub and turquoise water: the Blue Lagoon near Fontana Amorosa, and the Baths of Aphrodite, a grotto and garden past the fishing harbour of Latsi. The beaches of Lara and Toxeftra are turtle nesting grounds: from June to September no umbrellas or sunbeds there and nobody on the sand from an hour before sunset, and no vehicles on the beaches at any time of year.

Light

How the light falls

Paphos faces west, so the sun sets over the sea all year. At midsummer it goes down at about seven minutes past eight and rises just after half past five; at midwinter the day runs from just before seven to about a quarter to five. From late morning the summer light is white and hard on the pale stone; the hour before sunset, and the blue minutes after it, are the ones for portraits — and the coolest.

Travel

Getting there

Paphos airport is about 15 km from the town, and Larnaca airport about 140 km away by motorway. Kato Paphos is walkable; for Petra tou Romiou, Coral Bay and the Akamas, plan a car. Drones follow the EU rules — operators register on drones.gov.cy — and may not fly in the red zone around the airport; check the Department of Civil Aviation’s zone map, not the one built into the drone. In a heatwave the Department of Meteorology issues yellow, orange and red warnings, and the Ministry of Health advises keeping out of the sun from 11:00 to 17:00.

Photographers