Geroskipou, Aphrodite's sacred garden next to Paphos

Geroskipou is the place nearly everyone drives through without stopping, on the way to the airport or the Kouklia coast. Yet it has one of the oldest churches in Cyprus, a first-rate ecclesiastical museum and a sweet with an EU seal. Here’s what to see and how to fit it into a morning from Paphos.

Aphrodite’s sacred garden

The council explains that the name comes from Hierokepia, from hieros, sacred, and kepos, garden. South of the village, towards the sea, lay Aphrodite’s sacred gardens, and according to the geographer Strabo the procession of the faithful passed through them on the way to the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaepaphos during the goddess’s festival. A deposit of hundreds of terracotta figurines found in the mid-20th century shows there was a sanctuary of Aphrodite here at least in the Archaic period.

Settlement goes back much further, to the Late Neolithic, between 4500 and 3900 BC. Towards the end of the Classical period an underground sanctuary to Apollo Hylates was cut into the rock, and in Byzantine times the caves around were filled with hermits. Since 2024 Geroskipou has been the seat of Ierokipia municipality, one of four in Paphos district.

What makes Agia Paraskevi special?

It’s the reason to come. The council describes it as a three-aisled vaulted basilica with five domes, three over the central aisle and two over the side aisles, dating from the 9th century, about 3.5 km east of Paphos. It was probably first dedicated to the Holy Cross. One corner has a small domed tetraconch, a form common in the early Christian centuries.

Inside are paintings from several periods, from the 8th-9th century to the 15th. The one that fascinates me is in the eastern dome above the altar, a jewelled cross with no figures, the only aniconic composition known in Cyprus. The Metropolis of Paphos, which celebrates its feast on 26 July, calls it one of the island’s oldest monuments.

Next door is the Paphos Byzantine Museum, now called the Ecclesiastical Museum, home to Cyprus’s oldest icon.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pafos before prices climb.

The Folk Art Museum

It fills the House of Hadjismith, an 18th-century mansion that belonged to Andreas Zymboulakis, British consular agent in Paphos and supplier to the British fleet. The nickname comes from the family’s friendship with Admiral Sir Sidney Smith and a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It has been a museum since 1978 and shows everyday life, trades and folk art from the Ottoman period to the mid-20th century. It costs €2.50 and opens daily, with winter and summer hours.

Loukoumi and shopping

The EU registered the name Loukoumi Geroskipou as a protected geographical indication in 2007, and in 2012 did the same for Koufeta Amygdalou Geroskipou, the village’s sugared almonds. Akamas Municipality’s tourism site mentions the roadside stalls selling loukoumi, basketry and pottery. I’d take a box home; more ideas in souvenirs from Cyprus.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Pafos and choose by the reviews.

The coast and getting there

Almost 4 km of Geroskipou coast is lined with hotels, Athena Beach, Aliathon and Louis Phaethon Beach among them, and the council lists a municipal beach, a CTO beach and Pachyammos, all covered in Paphos beaches. Paphos Airport is about 12 km away according to the council, and routes 612 and 613 pass through. From Kato Paphos harbour take the 606, and from Karavela the 601. Loukoumi and the island’s other sweets are covered in Cypriot desserts.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Paphos on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pafos before prices climb.