Published · 6 min read · Facts checked 12 October 2026 against the sources below
Cyprus at half term is three different holidays depending on which half term you mean. In October the sea is still warm and the beaches still have lifeguards. At the end of May summer has just begun. In February it is a mild, green, quiet island where you swim in a heated pool rather than the sea. This guide sets out the dates, the weather in Paphos for each, and what is open for children.
Villa Prasino is in Peyia, above Coral Bay in the Paphos district, so the weather figures here are the ones measured at Paphos Airport, and the places are the ones near us.
The half-term dates
Schools in the UK do not all break up in the same week. These are the dates published by one English council, by the Welsh Government and by Northern Ireland’s Department of Education. Always check your own school before you book flights.
| Half term | England (Cambridgeshire) | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 26–30 October | 26–30 October | 29 and 30 October |
| February 2027 | 15–19 February | 8–12 February | 11 and 12 February |
| May 2027 | 31 May–4 June | 31 May–4 June | Not listed |
| October 2027 | 25–29 October | 25–29 October | Not published yet |
| February 2028 | 14–18 February | 21–25 February | Not published yet |
| May 2028 | 29 May–2 June | 29 May–2 June | Not published yet |
A few things to know about that table:
- England has no single set of dates. Cambridgeshire’s apply to the schools the council maintains. Academies, foundation, trust and voluntary aided schools set their own, and councils differ from one another, so your week may be the one before or after.
- Wales is a week earlier than Cambridgeshire in February 2027. Every Welsh authority takes 8–12 February. In 2028 all 22 share one week again, and it is a week later than Cambridgeshire’s.
- Northern Ireland’s breaks are short. Two days at Halloween and two in February, which with the weekend makes a long weekend rather than a week.
- Scotland sets its dates council by council, and we have not listed them here. Check your own council’s calendar.
With the weekends either side, a five-day half term gives you nine days away. Our flight checker shows which UK airports fly to Paphos and on which days, which matters more at half term than at any other time, because everyone wants the same Saturday.
October half term
This is the easy one. Late October in Paphos is what most people would call a good summer’s day at home.
- Air: an average high of 27.0 °C and a low of 17.2 °C.
- Sunshine: about 9 hours a day.
- Rain: 21.7 mm for the whole month on average. The first showers of autumn can arrive now, but they pass.
- Sea: above 22 °C. Visit Cyprus gives that figure for every month from June to November.
Days are warm and evenings are cooler, so pack a jumper for dinner outside. The lifeguards at Coral Bay beach are on duty from April to October, and the water there is calm and shallow, which is what you want with small children. Our guide to the best beaches near Coral Bay has the others.
The Aphrodite Waterpark lists opening hours of 10:00 to 17:00 for September and October, and 10:00 to 16:30 from 26 October to 7 November, which covers the half-term week. It had not announced its closing date when we looked, so check before you promise anyone a day there. Our guide to Paphos Zoo and the waterpark has the detail.
For the month as a whole, see Paphos weather in October.
May half term
The week that straddles the end of May and the start of June is the beginning of the long dry summer, which Visit Cyprus dates from the middle of May.
- Air in May: an average high of 24.9 °C and a low of 15.2 °C, with about 11 hours of sunshine a day and 11.1 mm of rain in the month.
- Air in June: an average high of 28.1 °C, and 1.6 mm of rain. The half-term week sits between the two.
- Sea: warming. Visit Cyprus gives no figure for May, and says the sea is above 22 °C from June.
It is hot enough for the pool and the beach all day, and not yet high summer. The beaches have their lifeguards, and the waterpark is open, with listed hours of 10:30 to 17:30 from April to June.
If you are heading north along the coast, the turtle beaches at Lara have their own summer rules. Our guide to Lara Beach and its turtles explains them.
See Paphos weather in May and in June for more.
February half term
February is a different sort of holiday, and it is worth being honest about that. It is mild, not hot.
- Air: an average high of 17.6 °C and a low of 8.5 °C.
- Sunshine: about 7 hours a day.
- Rain: 60.1 mm in the month. It is one of the wetter months, and you should expect a rainy day or two in a week.
- Sea: around 16–17 °C, the coolest of the year.
That is T-shirt weather in the sun at midday and coat weather after dark. Most families will not swim in the sea. The beaches have no lifeguards until April, and the waterpark’s published hours start in April too.
What February does well is everything else. The countryside is green, the sites are quiet, and it is cool enough to walk. The mosaics and tombs of Paphos old town are easier without the heat, and the Troodos Mountains make a winter day out; check each place’s winter opening times in its guide before you set off. Our winter sun guide covers the season, and Paphos weather in February has the numbers.
At the villa, pool heating is an optional extra you add on the booking form, and the hot tub and the covered games area do not depend on the weather at all.
Which half term suits you
| October | Late May | February | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 27.0 °C | 24.9 °C | 17.6 °C |
| Sea | Above 22 °C | Warming, above 22 °C from June | 16–17 °C |
| Lifeguards at Coral Bay | Yes | Yes | No |
| Waterpark | Listed as open | Listed as open | Not listed |
| Best for | Beach and pool, warm sea | Beach and pool, long days | Sightseeing, walking, a heated pool |
If the children are small and the sea matters, October is the safest choice: the water has had all summer to warm up. If you want the longest days, take May. If you want to get away from a British February and are happy with a heated pool and days out, February costs the least effort to enjoy, as long as nobody was promised a beach holiday.
For ideas that work in any of the three, see things to do in Paphos with kids and our guide to whether Paphos is good for families.
Booking a half-term week
Half term is a fixed week that every family at your school wants at once, so the practical advice is simple: decide early, and book the flights and the villa together.
- Check your school’s own dates first. A week either side of the council’s is common in England.
- Look at the flight days before the villa dates. Our flight checker shows the days each airport flies.
- Look at the calendar. Our availability and rates page shows which weeks are free and what each costs. We don’t quote prices in a guide, because they change.
- Tell us the children’s ages. It helps us get the villa ready for you.
Where to stay
Villa Prasino is a private villa in Peyia for up to 6 guests, in 1,000 m² of fenced gardens with a 6 × 12 m pool, a hot tub and a covered games area with a pool table, table tennis and table football. Add our Kids upgrade when you book and we fit a pool safety fence, stair gates, corner protectors and anti-slip for the outdoor areas before you arrive. Coral Bay beach is about 4.4 km away.
Read more about our child-friendly villa in Paphos, then check availability and rates or send us a booking request.
