Published · 7 min read · Facts checked 9 October 2026 against the sources below
Winter sun in Cyprus is real, but it comes with conditions. From November to March the coast around Coral Bay, Paphos, has mild, bright days, plenty of empty beaches and a lot of quiet, alongside proper rain, cool evenings and a sea that most people find too cold for a long swim.
What winter sun in Cyprus is really like
The island’s winters are mild, with occasional rain from December to February. At Paphos Airport the average January high over 1991–2020 is 17.3 °C, and December is the wettest month, with about 97.6 mm of rain on average.
In practice that means a good share of blue-sky days when you can eat lunch outside in a jumper or a T-shirt, broken up by grey spells and the odd downpour. Evenings are short and cool. At Christmas the sun sets at about 16:35, so plan days that start early.
For the month-by-month detail, read our Paphos weather guide, or go straight to Paphos weather in December, January or February.
The sea in winter
The sea is about 16–17 °C from January to March. Some people do swim, and Paphos has a winter swimmers’ club that takes a dip on New Year’s Day. For most visitors, though, winter is a time for walking on the beach rather than lying on it.
Lifeguards are on duty at Coral Bay beach from April to October only, so take extra care if you do go in out of season.
Paphos in winter: what’s open and what’s closed
Paphos in winter is quieter, but it doesn’t shut down. Many shops and services in the resorts stay open even on public holidays. Some hotels and seasonal businesses do close: in 2022, most Paphos hotels that planned a winter closure shut between December and February. Smaller seasonal places may close or shorten their hours too.
This is how the main things stand in winter. Hours change, so check before you go anywhere specific.
| What | In winter |
|---|---|
| Aphrodite Waterpark | Closed: the 2026 season ends on 7 November, and it reopens in April |
| Pafos Zoo | Open every day, 09:00–17:00 from November to March |
| Kato Paphos Archaeological Park | Open 08:30–17:00; closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day |
| Coral Bay beach lifeguards | None: on duty April to October only |
| Glass-bottom boat sunset cruise | Not running: it stops at the end of September |
| Pafos Buses route 615 | Runs all year; evenings every 30 minutes, last bus from Coral Bay about 00:30 |
| Skiing on Mount Olympus | Usually early January to late March, snow permitting |
Our guide to Pafos Zoo and the waterpark has more on both. The archaeological park and its mosaics are one of the best things to do on a cool, bright day, and the shorter winter hours still leave plenty of time.
Getting around
Pafos Buses route 615 links Coral Bay with the Tombs of the Kings bus station in Paphos all year. From December to March the evening timetable runs every 30 minutes, from 18:00 to 00:00 from Tombs of the Kings and from 18:30 to 00:30 from Coral Bay. Check the timetable before a night out, and remember that the bus serves Coral Bay, not the villa’s door.
Christmas in Cyprus
Christmas in Cyprus is a family occasion. It is celebrated mostly at home. Businesses close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, while restaurants in tourist areas open with reduced hours. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are all public holidays.
The public side of the season starts in early December. In 2024 Paphos lit its Christmas tree in Kennedy Square with a parade and Santa, and in 2025 the Christmas village in Polis Chrysochous opened on 13 December with a parade, a tree lighting and a concert. The dates are announced each December, so look out for the local programme when you arrive.
You will find melomakarona, honey-soaked Christmas biscuits, in every bakery. For more on the island’s food, see our Cyprus food guide.
New Year and Epiphany
New Year’s Day is a public holiday. Families cut the vasilopita, a New Year cake with a coin hidden inside, either at midnight or on New Year’s morning, and whoever finds the coin is said to have luck for the year. In 2025 the Paphos winter swimmers marked the day with a swim at the municipal baths and their own vasilopita.
Epiphany, on 6 January, closes the season. It is a public holiday and one of the most visible customs of the year. In 2026 the state celebration was held in Paphos: after a liturgy at Ayioi Anargyroi church, a procession went down to the harbour, the cross was thrown into the sea, and the swimmer who brought it back was considered blessed for the year. Other towns, Ayia Napa among them, hold their own ceremonies.
Paphos families have older customs too. Priests bless homes to drive away the kalikantzari, mischievous spirits said to roam between Christmas and Epiphany, and xerotigana, fried sweets, are made on Epiphany Eve. Our guide to festivals in Cyprus follows the rest of the year.
Late winter: carnival and Green Monday
The end of winter has its own celebrations. Carnival, known as Apokries, fills the weeks before Lent, and Limassol’s is the biggest on the island. Its 2027 carnival runs for eleven days, from 4 to 14 March, ending with the grand parade on Sunday 14 March. Paphos holds its own carnival parade too: in 2026 it took place on Saturday 21 February, with floats and costumes and thousands of people watching.
Lent begins on Green Monday, a public holiday that falls on 15 March in 2027. Cypriots head out to parks, fields and the coast for picnics of Lenten food and to fly kites, so if the weather is kind it is one of the liveliest days of the year to be outdoors. Expect most shops to be closed or on short hours.
Almond blossom and wild flowers
Winter is when the countryside turns green. Flowering in the lowlands begins early, in winter, once the first good rains have fallen, and February is the month for almond trees in bloom. Cyprus has about 140 plants found nowhere else, among them the Cyprus tulip and the Cyprus crocus.
It is good walking weather, and March is an excellent month for long country walks. One warning: the forestry department closed the Avakas Gorge trail in December 2025 until further notice, after weather damage and rockfall, so check whether it has reopened before you go. Our walks near Paphos guide has other routes, and the Sea Caves coast is close to the villa for a shorter one.
Golf
Mild, dry spells make winter a sensible time for golf, as long as you accept some wet days. Our golf in Paphos guide covers the courses near Paphos and what to expect from the season.
Snow and skiing on Mount Olympus
The surprise of a Cyprus winter is the snow. Rain and snow on the Troodos mountains usually begin before Christmas, and February is often good for skiing.
The Cyprus Ski Club runs the slopes on Mount Olympus, at 1,951 m the highest point on the island, about 2 km from the Troodos resort. It has four lifts, with runs for beginners up to advanced skiers, and a ski shop. Skiing usually runs from the beginning of January to the end of March, but it all depends on the snow. Check its piste and road conditions page before you drive up. Our Troodos mountains guide covers the drive and the villages.
Where to stay
A winter stay is about having somewhere comfortable to come back to. Villa Prasino in Peyia sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms, with air conditioning throughout, four smart TVs and free WiFi for the evenings. Outside there is a 6 × 12 m diving pool, a hot tub, and an outdoor bar with seating around a fire pit, plus a covered games area with a pool table, table tennis, table football and darts for a wet afternoon.
Pool heating is available as an optional extra in the cooler months, at from €40 a night. Coral Bay beach is about 5 km away for a winter walk by the sea. See our villa with a private pool, and check availability and rates for your dates. If you would like to spend Christmas, New Year or any other part of the winter here, send us a booking request and we will come back to you.
