Last Updated on May 7, 2023
Just 15 minutes by bus from Paphos is the village of Kissonerga, Cyprus. The village it almost divided by the main Paphos to Coral Bay road. With many hotels being close to the coast and a residential area set a little further back in land. If you are staying in Kissonerga, here’s what to expect from the area and what there is to see and do. It’s a great place to stay between Paphos and Coral Bay!
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Kissonerga Cyprus
Kissonerga is located almost directly between Paphos and Coral Bay. It sits on bus route 615, with journeys to Paphos taking around 15 minutes and 10 minutes to Coral Bay. Single tickets cost €1.50 and buses are very frequent.
Honestly, I was glad that I chose to stay in Kissonerga over Paphos. I’m not a fan of nightlife etc, so I liked the way that Kissonerga was much quieter in comparison. It was also closer to the nicer beaches in Coral Bay and I liked the way it was surrounded by mountains rather than being in the middle of a very built up area. Yet it’s still convenient to travel to the areas with more amenities. (Read below regarding room boards at hotels which you may need to consider).
Can you walk from Kissonerga to Coral Bay?
I had this question before my visit, can you walk from Kissonerga to Coral Bay? In theory, no. I did but it wasn’t very practical as the path was pretty non-existent. The first part was OK, I walked along the sea wall and then across a grass area with locals walking dogs, but then I got a bit stuck. (You can not simply just walk along the beach as the tide comes up to far).
You either have to chicken run across the bridge on the main road or I cut up through an overgrown track that came out near the Ascos Coral Beach Hotel. (I think some locals that were fishing used this way to get down to the water). It also took me nearly an hour. I ended up getting the bus back.
Things To Do In Kissonerga Cyprus
Kissonerga Beach
The main beach in Kissonerga is Potima Beach. There is a free parking area at either end of the beach, one next to Sea You Beach Bar (open in the summer months for food, cocktails and sun loungers for hire), and another at the sunset viewing area. The Bayside Kiosk, a short walk away, is open 24 hours year round, selling coffees and supermarket goods.
An important thing to know is about Kissonerga beach is that there are big signs saying that swimming can be dangerous due to strong rip currents. I went down to the beach on a really windy day and the waves were CRAZY. I’ve never seen a beach quite so turbulent (even more so than the black sand beach in Vik, Iceland, known for its rough tides!).
It’s also quite a rocky beach with patches of sand in places. The beach is nice for a walk and to sit and watch the waves, but I would personally think twice about swimming there unless you are a strong swimmer.
(I booked my holiday through Jet2 Holidays and they advertise that there is a beach close by. However there is no mention that it is not suitable for swimming. This may be a breaking point for those looking particularly for a beach holiday, especially with younger children. Safer beaches are located in Coral Bay).
Kissonerga Coastal Walk
My favourite part of staying in Kissonerga was the 2km Kissonerga Coastal Walk. I ended up walking it most days. It can be reached from Potima Beach via a gravel path, before it turns into a smooth paved path that connects villas and all the sea front hotels together. At the other end, there is a small parking area, a short walk from the Cynthiana Beach Hotel.
You’ll find several other places where you can join the path (I would often use a cut through opposite the back of the Theo Sunset Bay Hotel).
The route is sloped in some areas but you’ll find plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the views. There are lots of bins and it is kept very clean. It takes around 20 minutes to walk the full route, end to end in one direction.
The walk passes a small protected swimming area which has steps into the sea. As far as I could see, the showers are for hotel guests of the Cynthiana Beach Hotel only, but there was nothing to say that the public couldn’t swim at this area too.
In front of the Rosemarie Beachfront Residences is a small cliff top playground with swings and a see-saw.
A tiny sandy beach is further along, next to Waves Beach Cafe (closed during the off-season, but when open there are toilets and a shower). Concrete steps lead down to the beach and sea, the beach isn’t big enough to sit on, but it’s fine to access the water for swimming or paddling. During the summer months there is a lifeguard in this area.
There is a lovely bench opposite the Vrachia Beach Hotel (an adults only hotel). It’s at the top of a staircase leading down to the rocky beach area below (not suitable for swimming). The hotel say that non guests are welcome to use their pool bar but sun loungers and the pool are strictly for guests only.
The Kissonerga coastal walk is an amazing place to watch the sunset.
Kissonerga Village
Kissonerga Village is a bit of a trek from the main tourist hotel area. I wanted to visit Love Island Cakes cafe and bakery, however it was a 1.3 mile walk from the hotels! It took me around 30 minutes to walk. The path also kept disappearing in areas, so you had to walk along the edge of the road. Thankfully the road inland is quieter than the main road.
Love Island Cakes was worth the walk though! I had a strawberry tart, a macaron and an iced Freddo cappuccino. Freddo coffees are popular in Greece but you will see them in lots of places in Cyprus. It is a double shot of coffee with ice and topped with milk foam. I had a shot of syrup in mine too, to make it sweeter!
Protea is a bakery type supermarket that sells a variety of homemade cakes and pastries. There are other supermarkets in Kissonerga but Protea has the best selection of cakes.
In the middle of Kissonerga village is a large Greek Orthodox church called the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Opposite is a little chapel that was build in honour of Saints Zinaida and Filonilla. It is tiny and said to be one of the smallest chapels in Cyprus (it can not actually fit people inside)!
It is believed that Saints Zinaida and Filonilla spread Christian teachings and treated local sick people in Kissonerga. Next to the chapel are the ruins of the temple that was originally built over their burial spot but was destroyed in an earthquake. The chapel was built as a replacement.
There are a few smaller supermarkets and shops (aimed at locals, rather than tourists), a couple of restaurants and bars and a ‘Marine Park’. The Marine Park is a small park with a large boat surrounded by benches. There was a plaque with a quote which translated to (according to my Google Translate camera!): ‘For the journey to begin, you must first free yourself from the carts’.
Where To Eat & Drink in Kissonerga
There’s not a huge selection of places to eat in Kissonerga. There are a handful of restaurants but they seemed to be shut during the winter season. I had a half board room basis at my hotel so it didn’t effect me too much as I had breakfast and dinner included. I only had to find places to eat for lunch. My hotel did offer bed and breakfast so Paphos or Coral Bay would have more choice for places to eat and drink for those on a lower board basis.
You’ll find several supermarkets a short walk from the hotels where you can buy drinks, snacks and food. Φρουτοπολιτεια (Froutopoliteia) had a small coffee shop attached to the supermarket, which had a few bakery items and scoop ice cream for sale.
Coffee Shops
CT Coffee has both indoor and outdoor seating and serve a range of hot and cold drinks, gelato in the summer months and pre packaged sandwiches.
I personally loved the Arabica Coffee House. Again it has both indoor and outdoor seating areas. They also have a location in Paphos and Nicosia. Their signature beverages are based around chocolate bars. I had an Almond Joy Mocha, which was coffee, chocolate and a shot of coconut and almond syrups. The food menu has a selection of sandwiches, baguettes, wraps, salads and pastries. I had a sausage roll which could be either warmed up or eaten cold.
Of course there is also Love Island Cakes in the village too.
Restaurants & Bars
Restaurants near the hotels (6): Souvlaki Grill House, Pizzeria Calliano Kissonerga, Sunset Breeze Restaurant & Lounge, Tsiakkas Tavern, Crazy Spoon, Sea You Beach Bar. (Some are seasonal and close during the off-season)
Restaurants in Kissonerga village (6): Kambana Cafe, Julie’s Bar & Restaurant, Tweedie’s, The Village Inn Bar, Το παραδοσιακό Kebab House, The Smokehouse.
Hotels in Kissonerga
Theo Sunset Bay Hotel
I stayed at the Theo Sunset Bay Hotel, close to Potima Beach. It offers everything from room only to all inclusive. As mentioned above I was on half board, which included a buffet breakfast (hot and cold) and a buffet dinner (drinks not included with dinner). It was fairly repetitive but I definitely didn’t go hungry and all the food was hot and tasty. When staying at a fairly budget hotel, I have no problem then paying to eat out at surrounding restaurants and cafes. There was a bus stop right outside the hotel.
Facilities included: 2 outdoor pools (one adults only, one infinity pool, plus a small kids pool), 1 heated indoor pool, gym equipment, massages* and a sauna* (*for an extra fee), a playground, tennis court, mini-mart and a bar. I used the indoor pool several times during my stay and it was a nice size and mostly empty in the off-season.
Room: I paid for a sea view upgrade and it was 100% worth every penny! My room had: a balcony, shower (with free toiletries), king sized bed, TV (with only 1 English channel but that didn’t bother me), the WiFi was consistently strong throughout my stay, a fridge and a tea and coffee facilities. On a half board basis this was great as the tea and coffee was free, so I just drunk that mostly! (Housekeeping didn’t refill during cleaning though, I had to request more from the reception).
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