Cyprus
Nov 2020
2 months

PFO

Paphos

Sun, sea and elderly British people.

{Temperature}
°C ·
[Description}

A renowned year round holiday destination for Europeans.

The city boasts a wealth of UNESCO sites, including archaeological treasures and stunning mosaics. Beyond its historical significance, Paphos offers relaxation on serene beaches and exploration of bustling local markets.

Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

Too much of a holiday-oriented destination - would not return as a place to work from. There are better locations throughout Europe with more going on.

🌎
Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

Too much of a holiday-oriented destination - would not return as a place to work from. There are better locations throughout Europe with more going on.

✅
Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

Too much of a holiday-oriented destination - would not return as a place to work from. There are better locations throughout Europe with more going on.

👎
Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

Too much of a holiday-oriented destination - would not return as a place to work from. There are better locations throughout Europe with more going on.

🛫
Euro (EUR)
35,000
💻 Remote work hub
🏝️ Great for a holiday
Read full review
Paphos
Nov 2020
·
2 months
Summary
Where to stay
Where to work
Remote work visa
Safety
Off work
Duration & season
Food & drink
People
Exercise
Verdict

Summary

Total:
Accommodation
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
68
%

If booking in advance and out of peak season, you shouldn't have a problem getting a reasonable deal on a good flat.

It's particularly good value if travelling with a group and booking out an entire villa with this accounting for a lot of the housing stock, especially in Kato Paphos.

info
New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
Places to work
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
65
%

There are two dedicated coworking spaces in the town, with a number of large cafes around Kato Paphos that would be suitable for a few hours work.

I particularly enjoyed my time at Hügge Coworking which would be by far the best option if looking to meet other remote workers.

Value
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
70
%

Eating out is reasonably priced both in the tourist orientated restaurants in Kato Paphos and the more traditional Tavernas found closer towards the Old Town. Alcohol is particularly inexpensive, no doubt contributing to the appeal for the annual British holiday makers.

info
The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read more
Excitement
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
47
%

Visiting during Covid undoubtedly affected my experience, but I found Paphos to be quite uninspiring both for work and leisure. The 'Old Town' was remarkably quiet at all times, with most shops appearing to have been closed for years. While the waterfront is pleasant, it mainly caters to holidaymakers and isn’t particularly compelling to visit. Unless you plan to spend most of your time on the beach, there aren’t many ways to pass the time.

Working hours

Cyprus operates on Eastern European Time (EET), pushing it an hour ahead of Western Europe throughout the year.

🇪🇺 Consider working European hours from Asia?
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Do you need to speak Spanish?
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".

But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
Do you need to speak Portugese?
After spending 10 weeks speaking (limited) Spanish across the rest of the continent, I struggled arriving in Brazil.

While I was far from conversational in Spanish, I quickly realised when I stepped out of the airport my vocabulary didn't extend a single word beyond 'Obrigado!'.
‍
In general, English is generally spoken incredibly sparsely. The most flowing interaction I had ended up being with an Uber driver where we periodically shouted out the names of Brazilian footballers playing in the English Premier League.

You can scrape by for a couple of weeks, but if you're planning on staying longer, I'd 100% recommend learning some basics to get the most out of the experience.
No items found.
🔎
November 2024 Fact Check
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.

I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
"Nowhere accepts card"
Incorrect
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
Incorrect
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
"Buenos Aires is cheap"
Incorrect
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
"Bring dollars with you"
Partially true
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
Partially true
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
Partially true
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper,  traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
True
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.

Where to stay

Paphos is split into two between the tourist orientated Kato Paphos and the more historic Old Town. If you want close proximity to the water and a wider selection of bars, head for Kato.

Would avoid
Recommended
Kato Paphos
Around a 20 minute walk down hill from the the Old Town, Kato Paphos is dotted with hotels, souvenir shops, and tavernas with a high number of Brits and tourists.
Would avoid
Recommended
Paphos Old Town
The old town was incredibly quiet during the period which I visited and aside from close proximity to the coworking space, offered little reason to stay there.

Where to work

Hügge
Top Choice
☕️ Good Coffee
📍 Top Location
🥗 On Site Cafe
🧍Community Focused
⭐️ Quality Fit Out
🌳 Outdoor Space

Located 2 minutes from the centre of the old town, they have two floors of open plan desks with the highlight being a large roof terrace on the top of the building providing amazing panoramic views over the city.

There is a strong emphasis on community with regular events scheduled by the owners, making it a welcoming and friendly destination. The Beanhaus coffee roasters is conveniently located 100 meters away and there are a number of lunch options available within a 5 minute walk.

Would 100% return if in Paphos again.

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Remote work visa

Remote work visa coming soon
A dedicated remote work visa is available for this country.
This country is actively working on a visa support for remote workers.
There is currently no remote work visa available for this country.

Cyprus introduced the 'Digital Nomad Visa Scheme' in October 2021, aimed at attracting remote workers from non-EU and non-EEA countries to temporarily reside in the nation. The objective is to position Cyprus as a hub for electronic services provision and contribute to the country's economic development by welcoming digital nomads. Initially, the scheme had a cap of 100 residence permits, but as of March 2022, the Council of Ministers raised the ceiling to 500 permits. By granting these temporary residency visas, Cyprus seeks to strengthen its position as a center for digital nomads and benefit from their presence in the local economy.

Visa length
Visa cost
Earning requirements
Learn more open_in_new
To the best of my knowledge this information was correct as of Jan 2025. If you notice something has changed drop me a message and I'll update it!

‍Citizen Remote is a great source of up to date knowledge for everything to do with remote work visas.

Safety

Off work

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Spend an afternoon at Coral Bay

A serene coastal draw, renowned for its crystal-clear waters and golden sandy beaches.

Explore Avakas Gorge

Renowned for its striking rock formations and dramatic hiking trails through towering cliffs.

Hike through the Trodos Mountains

Featuring Mount Olympus as its highest peak, this large mountain range is surrounded by pine forests, vineyards, and traditional villages.

Duration & season

Arriving at the start of November, the weather was still surprisingly hot most days, with the temperatures beginning to trail off by the middle of December. Considering the intensity of the mid summer heat, it would be wise to skip May to September and simuiltaenously avoid the high tourist numbers.

With the exception of the Canary Islands, there's very few other destinations in Europe that can offer such palatable temperatures throughout winter.

6 weeks was plenty of time in Paphos and I would struggle to make an argument for staying longer than a month unless you were planning on moving there more permanently.

Food & drink

Beanhaus Coffee Roasters
Good coffee is challenging to find - you will find no better than Beanhaus. Great selection of coffees to drink in or take out.
Top choice
Laptop friendly
Why Not?
Great place to watch the football with a cold KEO.
Top choice
Laptop friendly
Exercise
Kato Paphos Broadwalk Run
·
Run
The coastal broadwalk in Kato Paphos is a popular route for morning runners, going around the perimeter of the Forty Columns Fortress.
Paphos to Limassol
·
Cycle
Great route which hugs the coastline on the main road from Paphos to the Limassol, the next neighbouring town. Even in November it was roasting, so bring adequate water.

People

There is something of a small remote work community in Paphos, with the coworking space Hügge definitely being at the epicentre of that community, drawing in a wide range of people from across Europe.

Noticeably, there's around 40,000 British people who have made the move to the surrounding region of Paphos, with the beachfront neighbourhood of Kato Paphos being particularly popular.

Exercise

Kato Paphos Broadwalk Run
The coastal broadwalk in Kato Paphos is a popular route for morning runners, going around the perimeter of the Forty Columns Fortress.
keyboard_arrow_down
Paphos to Limassol
Great route which hugs the coastline on the main road from Paphos to the Limassol, the next neighbouring town. Even in November it was roasting, so bring adequate water.
keyboard_arrow_down
Kato Paphos Broadwalk Run
The coastal broadwalk in Kato Paphos is a popular route for morning runners, going around the perimeter of the Forty Columns Fortress.
Paphos to Limassol
Great route which hugs the coastline on the main road from Paphos to the Limassol, the next neighbouring town. Even in November it was roasting, so bring adequate water.

Verdict

Positives
  • Great weather year round.There's few better places from November to March across Europe that provide as reliably good weather as Cyprus.
  • Outside of the Schengen Zone.If for whatever reason you have reached your limit of time available within the Schengen group of countries, Cyprus is currently still an alternative.
  • Some beautiful areas a short drive out of the town.The central, mountainous areas of Cyrpus are well worth visitng if in any of the coastal towns like Paphos.
  • Well connected to the rest of Europe via it's airport.Flights are usually frequent and inexpensive especially to the UK.
Negatives
  • Not much of a buzz.I found it quite a unstimulating place to be, with little ambience or bustle. Not unsurprisingly from somewhere geared towards tourism over business.
  • Not the best selection of food and drink.Whilst there is a range of international options in the town, few of them were at a high quality.
Tips
  • Other cities on the island are easily accessible.I found Larnaca, Limassol & Nicosia to be more interesting and dynamic places to be based. If I was to return to Cyprus, I would prioritise staying in one of those where there was more of a working ambience.
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Some of these trips are now more than 3+ years old - i'm attempting to keep the information up to date as possible but if you notice anything which is now factually incorrect, or a great shop coffee shop has subseqntly fact closed down, please drop me a message and i'll update it.
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