Shopping in Paphos: Old Town Streets, Markets and Malls

Ktima old town: how the shopping streets fit together

Ktima is the historic centre of Paphos, and the shopping is spread across a small grid rather than concentrated in one building. Kennedy Square is the main square, remodelled in 2017 and used for events and exhibitions, while Archbishop Makarios Avenue is the main shopping street, lined with buildings from the 1920s. Both are short walks from each other, so a loop between them covers most of what the old town offers.

The old town was rehabilitated from 2017 to restore its public spaces and historic buildings, which is why the streets around the market and square look tidier than their age suggests. Neoclassical landmarks give the walk some shape: the Public Library, the Town Hall and the District Administration of Paphos all sit in or near the Municipal Gardens. Treat these as waypoints rather than destinations, and you can cross the shopping area in a single unhurried morning.

Walk past the Public Library and you reach Kennedy Square, then continue to the market and the workshops behind it. This is the natural route: start at the square, follow Makarios Avenue for high-street shops and boutiques, then finish at the covered market and the produce stalls outside. Allow two to three hours at an easy pace, more if you stop for coffee.

Paphos Old Market: the covered Agora and the produce stalls

Paphos Old Market is the Municipal Market, known locally as the Agora, and it works as two stops in one. Inside is a bazaar-style covered hall of small boutiques and stalls selling clothing, accessories, leather goods, silver, lace, fabrics and souvenirs. Outside, local farmers sell fresh fruit and vegetables from stalls, which makes the market a practical grocery stop as well as a browsing one.

The building dates from the 1920s, when meat, fish and vegetable traders worked there, and it has since been converted to shops; the Municipality fruit market sits next door. That history explains the layout: a covered hall with the produce trade spilling out around it rather than a single modern supermarket floor. Come for the indoor shops first, then circle the outside stalls before you leave.

Specific stalls worth knowing include the Paphos Market Leather Shop for handmade bags, purses, belts and small leather accessories, and the Kivotos Gallery for ceramics, crochet, figurines and handmade jewellery. STOA Souvenir Shop carries prints, paintings, icons and natural beauty products, Christias Souvenir Shop stocks olive oil body creams and ceramics, and World of the Candles sells handmade candles in patterned, scented designs. Names like these give you targets instead of a vague wander.

The market has several tavernas serving food made with market ingredients, so a shopping morning can end with lunch on the spot. The Municipality Market next door is where the fresh produce concentrates, so buy fruit and vegetables there rather than inside the covered hall.

Crafts and workshops around the market

Next to the town market, the Hani of Ibrahim is a restored building that once housed travellers and traders and now hosts workshops and small shops selling crafts and local products. Abandoned in the early 1960s, it was restored to combine modern architecture with traditional brickwork, and it is the most concentrated place in Ktima to see makers at work.

The workshops around this neighbourhood cover paintings, silk, porcelain and wood, plus jewellery made from precious metals and stones, some inspired by ancient Greek mythology and the sea. You will also find carob syrup, traditional marmalades, honey and Cypriot sweets, along with deli items and cheese if you want edible souvenirs. This is where the old town beats the mall: you are buying from small producers rather than brand counters.

Religious monuments sit among the shops, including Saint Kendeas church, built in 1923 and opened in 1952, the Ottoman baths and the Ayia Sofia mosque. They are not shopping stops, but they break up the walk and explain why the old town feels layered rather than purpose-built. Combine them with the craft streets for a fuller picture of Ktima; the churches in Paphos guide covers the wider set if you want to plan that separately.

Archbishop Makarios Avenue and Kennedy Square

Archbishop Makarios Avenue is the main shopping street of the old city, with high-street shops and independent boutiques in buildings from the 1920s. It is also where the farmer's market element appears alongside the shops, so the street mixes everyday errands with browsing. Walk it end to end before deciding where to double back.

Kennedy Square, at the top of the walk past the Public Library, is the main square of Paphos and hosts dance, music events and art exhibitions at times. Its 2017 remodelling gave it a modern feel that sits oddly but pleasantly beside the neoclassical Town Hall and Library. Use it as a meeting point or a rest stop rather than a shopping destination in itself.

Between the square and the market you will pass shops selling leather shoes, jewellery, spectacles, sunglasses and designer labels. Stock varies by unit and season, so treat any particular shop as a maybe rather than a guarantee.

Kings Avenue Mall in Kato Paphos

Kings Avenue Mall is the modern counterweight to Ktima, positioned as the leading destination for designer labels in Paphos. Anchored brands include Massimo Dutti, Mango, Marks & Spencer, Mavris Leather, Intimissimi, Bershka and Bagatt. If you want familiar sizes, air conditioning and a single stop, this is the easier choice.

The mall also has a large supermarket at one end and plenty of places to eat, which makes it useful on a hot day or when you need groceries rather than souvenirs. It is a separate shopping trip from the Ktima old town rather than part of the same walk, so plan it as its own stop. The main trade-off is character: you get brands and convenience, not workshops and market produce.

Choose the mall when your list is clothing, electronics or groceries, and choose Ktima when it is leather, lace, ceramics, silver, candles or food gifts. Trying to do both in one day means travelling between the two sites, plus parking in two places. Splitting them across two half-days is the calmer plan.

Matching what you want to the right street

For leather, head to the Paphos Market Leather Shop inside the Agora for bags, purses, belts and luggage, and check Makarios Avenue for leather shoes. For silver and jewellery, the market boutiques and the craft workshops around Hani of Ibrahim are the places to look, with pieces made from precious metals and stones. Lace and fabric shops sit inside the covered market, which is also where ceramics and crochet appear at the Kivotos Gallery.

For souvenirs with some substance, STOA Souvenir Shop covers prints, paintings, icons, clothing and natural beauty products, while Christias Souvenir Shop concentrates on olive oil creams, paintings and ceramics. Candles from World of the Candles make light, packable gifts. If you would rather buy one good piece than several small ones, spend your budget in the workshops and skip the general souvenir racks.

Designer and high-street clothing is a mall job: Kings Avenue Mall lists Massimo Dutti, Mango, Bershka and Marks & Spencer among its anchors. Between the two areas you can cover most requests, but not in one sweep without a car or bus. Decide on crafts or brands first, and the rest of the plan falls into place.

Opening hours and timing a shopping half-day

Neither the Old Market nor Kings Avenue Mall publishes standard opening hours in the sources here, and shop hours vary by unit and season, so confirm times with the individual shop or the mall before you travel across town. The Public Library keeps weekday hours, which tells you the old town's civic buildings follow the same pattern.

Build the half-day around a weekday morning: start at Kennedy Square, walk Makarios Avenue, then reach the market and the produce stalls before the day heats up. Afternoon is better for the mall, where air conditioning makes the heat irrelevant. Sunday trading is the weak point in any plan, so keep that day for the harbour or archaeological sites instead.

Check current details for any individual shop or the mall on the day, since seasonal changes are common in Cyprus. Everything else about the route can be planned in advance.

Where the two areas sit and how long each takes

Ktima is the inland old town and Kato Paphos is the coastal strip with the harbour, so the two are separate trips rather than a single walk. Getting between them takes a drive or a bus ride; parking in the old town is limited and the streets are narrow, so many visitors park once and walk the whole loop.

Allow two to three hours for Ktima including the market, and one to two hours for the mall. Summer heat is the main constraint on the old town, where much of the browsing is outdoors around the market stalls; the mall has the advantage of shade throughout. If you only have one free morning, take the old town for the crafts and come back for brands another time.

The old town rewards slow walking more than list-ticking, so leave slack for a second pass through the market once you have seen the workshops. If you are basing yourself in Kato Paphos, the harbour and castle are close enough to fill the rest of the day after a morning in Ktima.

Old town or mall first?

Start with Ktima if you want something you cannot buy at home: leather from the Agora, ceramics and crochet at the Kivotos Gallery, silver and jewellery from the workshops, or candles from World of the Candles. The old town, market and craft streets deliver that in a single walkable loop, with produce stalls outside for edible gifts.

Choose Kings Avenue Mall instead if your list is clothing, groceries or a cool indoor hour, and accept that you will miss the workshops. With one morning and no car, Ktima is the more memorable half-day; with a family or a long shopping list, the mall is the simpler one.