Peyia, the village of fountains above Coral Bay

Peyia is the village you can see on the hillside while you’re lying on the sand at Coral Bay. Plenty of people never go up, and they miss the fountain square and the best balcony over the west coast. Here’s what’s up there, what lies within its boundaries and how to get about. For the wider west, see Paphos district.

A big village on the hillside

Pegeia, as the census spells it, had 6,945 residents in 2021, more than anywhere in the district bar Paphos and Geroskipou. Since the 2024 local government reform it has been part of Akamas municipality. The council describes a village perched on the slope with views along the coast, and its land runs down to the sea, taking in Coral Bay, the sea caves and the cape at Agios Georgios. According to OpenStreetMap, the Avakas Gorge also lies within its boundaries.

The square and its fountains

The village grew up round its church and its fountain. The one in the square went up in 1908 on the site of an older fountain and remained the village’s main source of drinking water until 1956. Today the cobbled square is ringed with cafés and tavernas and hosts village events. The main church, Panagia Eisodion, was built in 1883, consecrated in 1885 and fully restored in 2001; its feast day is 21 November.

Peyia also has a string of chapels. Agios Georgios Nisiotis dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, Agia Matrona looks out to Yeronisos island from Toxeftra, and Panagia Zalakiotissa stands on the site of an old monastery south of the village.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Coral Bay for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

What is there to see around Peyia?

Above the village, at 400 m, lies Pikni forest, run by the Forestry Department. It’s on the Kathikas road, 3 km from Peyia, with a picnic site for 500 people complete with barbecues, water, tables and toilets. The council also points to the Mavrokolymbos dam as a viewpoint over the area.

Down on the coast are the sea caves at Peyia, with the cargo ship Edro III aground since 2011, and further north the cape of Agios Georgios, with its early Christian basilicas and small harbour. By Coral Bay sits Maa-Palaiokastro, the site that marks the arrival of the first Mycenaean Greek settlers.

Getting there and where to stay

Pafos Buses runs three useful routes. The 607 leaves Karavela in Paphos and climbs to Peyia via Chlorakas, Lempa and Kissonerga. The 616 links Coral Bay, Peyia square and Agios Georgios church, and the 648 runs through Drouseia, Ineia, Arodes and Kathikas to Polis. A single is €2.

Nearly all the hotels on Peyia’s patch are down in Coral Bay, covered in Coral Bay hotels. If you’d like more of a village feel, Peyia itself is a good alternative to the seafront.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Coral Bay on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Paphos: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Coral Bay for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.