* According to Greek Mythology, Paphos is the birthplace of the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. * There are many versions of the story about Aphrodite but all of them agreed that Aphrodite’s birth place is Paphos. One particularly interesting legend has it that Aphrodite was made from Ourano’s seed when his son Cronus, cut his genitals off and threw them to the sea, then from the water’s waves of foam, Aphrodite rose and washed to the shore carried by a giant scallop.

Aphrodite’s Rock (Petra Tou Romiou) which is located at the beautiful pebbled beach near Pissouri at the westernmost end of Paphos district. Aphrodite’s Rock is a pair of rock formations that elegantly sit offshore and have been a source of inspiration for many poets and artists.

* Legend tells that the rock itself is the place where Aphrodite surfaced from the sea naked which is from where the giant scallop shell carried her to the shore which means that the rock is the actual birth place of Aphrodite. Many believed, and perhaps still do, that if people swim around the rocks naked they would be blessed with eternal beauty so to swim around the larger of the two rocks three times, one might be blessed, however the surrounding area is a bit tricky and slightly dangerous and not something recommended to moderate swimmers.

* The Goddess of Love used to take her bath in a cool pond near Polis. The place is known as "Baths of Aphrodite" and provides a magnificent view of the Bay of Polis. According to legend, after swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Bay, Aphrodite used to bathe in this pond, surrounded by idyllic landscape with the sweet smelling wild flowers. It is here that she met her beloved Adonis for the first time