Paphos Old Town (Ktima): The Municipal Market, Museums and a Walking Route

Paphos old town, Ktima, is the everyday Cypriot centre of Paphos, up on the ridge above the harbour. A morning there covers the covered municipal market, the streets around Kennedy Square and the Town Hall, and two museums: the free District Archaeological Museum and the family-run Ethnographic Museum.

The old town has been under almost constant renovation since Paphos was European Capital of Culture in 2017, and several projects were still running in 2026. Works under way are noted below, with dates.

If you are thinking of living here rather than visiting, our Kato Paphos and Paphos town area guide covers rents, schools and everyday services in Ktima and Mouttalos.

What is Ktima, and how is it different from Kato Paphos?

Paphos is two towns joined by Apostolou Pavlou Avenue. Kato Paphos ("lower Paphos") is the seaside district with the harbour, the archaeological park, the beaches and most hotels. Ktima is the old upper town, where the market, Town Hall, district offices, shops and much of local life are. It feels far less touristy than the seafront, especially in winter, and most residents come here for errands as much as sightseeing.

The old town is compact, so you can walk everything in this guide in a morning. It is hillier than the seafront, though, with some steep lanes, so wear comfortable shoes.

What is inside the Paphos Municipal Market?

The Paphos Municipal Market is the covered market hall on Agoras Street, in the middle of the old town. As of 2026, most units sell things for visitors and gift-buyers rather than groceries: clothing, shoes, bags and leather goods, jewellery, handicrafts, photographs and souvenirs (as of January 2026). Fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables are sold at uncovered stalls next to the hall. The lanes around the market are also known for their many jewellers.

It is a good place for small gifts, a leather belt or a piece of silver jewellery, and for a coffee while you watch the old town go by. In May 2025 there was an artisan café and a small Italian café near the market, and a bar on a plot that had stood empty until recently. Small cafés here open and close fairly often, so walk round the hall and see what is open.

The Tourist Information Centre is next to the market. Staff can answer questions and sometimes run guided walks around the old town; ask them for the date of the next one.

Is the market under renovation in 2025–26?

Partly. The main hall is open, and the biggest change has already happened:

• New roof. The old roof was removed some years ago, which left the walkways unshaded in summer. By May 2025 a new roof was in place and the walkways were shaded again.
• The municipal restoration project. Pafos Municipality's project page for the market, co-funded by the EU Regional Development Fund, sets out a wider plan. It includes demolishing the old fruit and vegetable section and the public toilets, and building a new covered market with metal canopies and new counters for fresh produce. The plan also adds a plaza with trees and benches, a pedestrian path with a viewing platform on the western ridge, and a first-floor restaurant with a new staircase and lift. The page gives no completion date, and no announcement says all of it has been finished.
• Individual shops. In January 2026 some shops were still being renovated, so expect a few closed units.

Is there a farmers' market in Paphos old town?

On 14 October 2025 the mayor announced plans to revive a municipal producers' market in the Pervola car park, on its western side. The plan was a new 200 m² metal shelter, costing €145,000 plus VAT and due to be built within three months. Producers would sell directly to the public, without middlemen, every Saturday and/or Sunday from 6:00 to 13:00. On other days the space stays a car park. As of October 2026 it was not clear whether it has opened or which day it runs, so check with Pafos Municipality before going specially.

When is the market open?

There are no official opening hours for the covered market, and daily times vary, so check before you go. They agree on one thing: the market is closed on Sundays. That was the case in 2022 and in January 2026. Mornings are best: that is when the produce stalls are fullest, and some shops close in the afternoon.

What else is there to see in the old town?

Kennedy Square, the Town Hall and the shopping streets

Kennedy Square is the main square of Ktima, at the top of Apostolou Pavlou Avenue. Around it and along the roads leading off it are the old town's everyday shops and cafés, and the Town Hall (Municipal Hall) is a short walk away.

Opposite the Town Hall stands the historic Eusevia Club building. In June 2026 the municipality said the restoration of its façades was complete. A complete renovation of the municipal building next to it was under way, to house municipal services; no completion date had been given.

Paphos District Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum of the Pafos District at 43 Griva Digeni Avenue is the town's main museum, run by the Department of Antiquities. Its five rooms hold finds from the Paphos region from the Neolithic period to 1700 AD. Most come from Palaipafos (Kouklia), Nea Pafos and Marion-Arsinoe (Polis). Highlights include coins minted in Paphos, a tombstone from Marion inscribed in the Cypro-Syllabic script, a marble bust of Aphrodite and a marble statue of Asklepios. The last room covers the Byzantine and medieval periods.

As of October 2026, Visit Cyprus lists it as open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–16:30, closed on Mondays and public holidays, with free entry. A digital upgrade of the museum was among the Paphos projects the government announced in September 2025, so call ahead (+357 26 955 801) in case any rooms are closed.

Ethnographic Museum (Eliades collection)

The Ethnographic Museum at 1 Exo Vrysis Street is a private museum founded in 1958. It holds the collection of the late George Eliades, an educator who gathered objects from rural Cyprus, especially the Paphos region. It fills a two-storey stone house built in 1894. Inside are traditional costumes, carved wooden furniture, Venetian mirrors, looms and textiles, farming tools, kitchenware and pottery, as well as Chalcolithic finds and a Hellenistic rock-cut tomb. The courtyard has an olive mill, a cart, stone ovens and a fountain.

Visit Cyprus lists it as open Monday to Saturday, 10:00–17:00 in winter and 10:00–18:00 in summer, and on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00, closed on public holidays, with a €3 ticket. It was still listed with those prices in January 2026. Because it is family-run, phone ahead (+357 26 932 010) before a special trip.

For more museums around the island, see our 10 best museums in Cyprus.

How do you get to Paphos old town?

By car: where to park

The Pervola car park in the town centre is the car park the municipality chose for its producers' market, and the most practical place to leave the car for the market and Kennedy Square. On weekend mornings, part of it may be taken up by that market once it runs, so arrive early. Street parking in the old town is limited and some of the lanes around the market are one-way, so do not count on parking outside a shop.

By bus from the harbour

City buses run between the harbour bus station in Kato Paphos and the old town, a short ride up Apostolou Pavlou Avenue. Route numbers and fares change, so look up the Pafos Buses timetable before you travel; our public transport guide explains how buses and tickets work across Cyprus.

On foot

From Kato Paphos you can walk up Apostolou Pavlou Avenue. It is uphill all the way, so in summer most people take the bus or a taxi up and walk back down.

A suggested walking route around Ktima

Allow two to three hours with museum visits and a coffee.

1. Pervola car park. Park and start here.
2. Municipal Market. Walk through the covered hall on Agoras Street, check the produce stalls outside and ask at the Tourist Information Centre next door about guided walks.
3. Ethnographic Museum. Spend 45 minutes or so in the Eliades house and courtyard on Exo Vrysis Street.
4. Kennedy Square. Stop for coffee on or near the square and browse the shopping streets.
5. Town Hall. See the restored Eusevia Club façades opposite the Municipal Hall.
6. District Archaeological Museum. Finish with the Aphrodite bust and the Paphos coins on Griva Digeni Avenue, then walk or catch a bus back.

When is the best time to visit?

• Day of the week: Tuesday to Saturday. On Sunday the market is closed, and on Monday the Archaeological Museum is closed.
• Time of day: the morning. The market is busiest and the produce freshest before midday, and you avoid the afternoon heat in summer.
• Season: October to May is the most comfortable time for walking the hilly lanes. From June to September, start early and save the museums for the hottest part of the day.
• Public holidays: both museums close, and many shops do too.

What to do next

• Before you go, phone the museums to confirm the hours, especially if a renovation might be under way.
• Ask Pafos Municipality, or the Tourist Information Centre by the market, whether the Pervola producers' market is running and on which day.
• If you are considering a move, compare Ktima with the seafront in our Paphos town area guide and the Paphos hub.

Related guides: 12 things to do in Paphos and the best restaurants in Paphos.