Paphos to Limassol is about 68 km by road from Paphos town centre and 62 km from Paphos Airport. On the A6 motorway that is roughly an hour behind the wheel when traffic moves freely. The intercity bus costs €5 one way and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. A taxi from Paphos Airport is a fixed €60 by day.

I'm a manager at Rents in Cyprus, a car rental company with a base at each end of this road: the office in Chlorakas, just north of Paphos, and a second in Limassol, where I live. I drive the A6 regularly. This piece covers how far each starting point really is, the two stops worth leaving the motorway for, and when a car is worth more than a bus ticket. Figures were checked on 5 September 2026.

How far is Limassol from Paphos, and how long is the drive?

It depends on which Paphos. Published figures of 58, 65 and 69 km can each be right for some pair of addresses. By road to central Limassol:

Paphos Airport: 61.6 km

Karavella bus terminal, Paphos: 68.1 km

Paphos town centre: 68.4 km

Chlorakas: 70.3 km

Kato Paphos: 71.0 km

Coral Bay: 78.9 km

Routing over OpenStreetMap gives a free-flow drive of 58 minutes from either the airport or the town centre. Free-flow means an empty road, so leave slack for the Limassol end at rush hour.

Decide, too, whether you want Limassol town or the port. The intercity bus finishes at the New Port, west of the centre, not on the promenade.

What is the A6 actually like?

It is motorway the whole way, and for long stretches it runs inland of the coast. You pass no town centres and make few decisions. The one that counts comes at the Limassol end, where a string of exits serves the port, the centre and the hotel strip further east. Know your exit number before you arrive.

If driving on the left is new to you, the motorway is the gentle part. The roundabouts inside Paphos and Limassol ask more of you.

Can you stop at Petra tou Romiou and Kourion on the way?

Yes, if you are driving. Both sit on the old B6 coast road rather than the motorway, so you come off the A6 and rejoin it afterwards.

Petra tou Romiou, better known in English as Aphrodite's Rock, is on the Paphos side near the village of Kouklia. The car park is on the inland side of the B6, and a pedestrian underpass takes you beneath the road to the beach, so there is no crossing traffic on foot.

Kourion is on the Limassol side, near Episkopi. The site lies inside the British Sovereign Base Area, yet the Cyprus Department of Antiquities runs it. Its Greco-Roman theatre faces the sea, and the floor mosaics in the House of Eustolios repay the short walk. Opening hours and ticket prices change, and I am not quoting them here; check with the Department of Antiquities before you go.

Add both stops and the transfer becomes a morning out.

When does a car beat the bus?

The three main options, side by side:

Intercity bus
Price: €5 one way, €9 return, per person
Time: about 1 h 15 min
Stops on the way: no
Hours: weekdays, first bus 05:45, last 20:00

Taxi from Paphos Airport
Price: €60 day, €70 night, up to 4 people
Time: about an hour
Stops on the way: no
Hours: any time

Hire car
Price: set by each town's rate card and the rental length
Time: about an hour, plus stops
Stops on the way: yes
Hours: any time

For one person going town to town, the bus is hard to beat. The driver sells single tickets, cash only. Regulars can buy a weekly ticket for €40 or a monthly one for €90, both loaded on a personalised Motion card.

The airport taxi fare is fixed by a government tariff, Κ.Δ.Π. 79/2021, and includes luggage and VAT. Five or six passengers pay €80 by day and €90 at night. That tariff covers trips to and from the airport only. A taxi from Paphos town runs on the meter.

A car pays off in four cases. You want to see Petra tou Romiou or Kourion. Three or four of you are travelling and the bus fares stack up. You are coming back after the last bus. Or you are staying in a village rather than a town centre.

What about going from Limassol to Paphos?

The return bus keeps its own timetable, with the first weekday departure from Limassol at 06:00 and the last at 21:00. The fixed taxi fare works both ways, so Limassol to Paphos Airport is also €60 by day.

Staying in Limassol? You can hire there instead. The company's Limassol office is at Andrea Zaimi 11a. It hires cars only, no buggies or scooters, for a minimum of two days, and delivers free to hotels and villas. The fleet and prices are on the car hire in Limassol page.

That is a separate rate card from the Paphos one, with different cars, so compare both before you pick a starting town.

Can you pick up in one town and drop off in the other?

No. Returns are same-town only, and a car left in the wrong town is charged from €300. For a Paphos to Limassol day out, start and finish at the same point.

Mileage won't stop you. A return trip from Paphos town to central Limassol is just under 140 km. A Paphos hire shorter than five days includes 200 km a day, and from five days mileage is unlimited.

FAQ

Is there a bus from Paphos Airport to Limassol?

Yes. The Limassol Airport Express shuttle links Paphos Airport with Limassol for €10 per adult and €5 per child aged 3 to 12. It runs five to seven times a day each way, on a timetable that changes by weekday.

How much is a taxi from Paphos to Limassol?

From Paphos Airport, a fixed €60 by day and €70 at night for up to four people. From Paphos town there is no fixed fare, so the meter decides.

Can I drive to Limassol and leave the car there?

Not with Rents in Cyprus. Cars go back to the town they came from. Plan a return drive, or use the bus or the airport taxi for one leg.

The full comparison of bus times, taxi fares and both rate cards is in the Rentals in Cyprus guide to driving from Paphos to Limassol.

If a car fits your plans, send a request by phone or through the site. The team confirms each one before anything is held, and you pay on pick-up.