Paphos Shopping

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Have you ever wondered which wines are considered to be the best in Cyprus?

The most popular is the "Maratheftiko"It is rich and off dry with aromas of cherries and plums. I had the chance to taste while in a winery in Pitsilia.

The other one is called ?Xynisteri" it is served as an aperitif, and also I like to accompany it with seafood as it is white.

The third best is "Mataro" which I did not taste myself -fruity flavoured.

I believe it is worth the extra euro you pay to buy one of these.

Of course the above three can be bought from supermarkets as well.
If you don't want to pay much, avoid buying bottled wine when in restaurants. Prefer carafe, of course it depends on the restaurant you are.

Another tip is to buy as you leave the country from the Duty Free shops.

Most shops are located on Makariou III Ave. in Ktima. There is an open market at the north end of the avenue. During lunchtime (1pm till 4pm), on Wednesdays and Saturday afternoons most shops remain closed.

Buy antiques, souvenirs, lace, pottery.

Have you ever tried Pickly pears?
They are very popular on the island of Cyprus. The Cypriot name is " Papoutsosika". In Geece they have another name. They call them "Fragosika" but you won't find them sold on beaches.

You won't find a local saying fragosika, and neither he will know the name to say it in English.
It might be very complicating for him because usually old men sell them.
They also come to the beaches with a basket and peel them for you the moment you buy them. Don't buy them unpeeled because they have some weird prickles on their skin that cannot be seen. Only these men know how to hold them.

So when you hear a local passing very near you while at the beach calling " papoutsosika "
get a kilo. He peels them out for you, and puts them in a plastic bag.
Of course you can see these locals selling them near the market places. It is worth tasting some.

A tip: It is preferably to eat them cool. But if you are already at the beach they will cool you down even if they are not from a fridge!

In some beaches some locals come and sell figs. You will see them carrying figs on their bicycles, or they park their car a bit further and come on foot.

You will hear them calling out in both Greek and English..." Figs, figs figs, or Sika, sika, sika"
If you hear just the word Sika, get up and go and buy some.

They are wonderful figs indeed. It is worth trying them. They are so tasteful you won't regret it. Besides they are quite cheap!

There are two types. The white ones as they call them, which are green but really sweet, and the purple ones. These are also very tasty but not so sweet as the other type.
In any case you can ask the man to give you half white, half purple just to try them.
Personally I love both.

Believe me you will become so fond of them that you will be anxiously waiting for these locals to buy your daily figs.

Locally produced items are mostly leather goods woven goods, ceramics, silverware, traditional hand-made Lefkaritika lace.
These can be found in souvenir shops throughout the country and the Handcraft centre.

Wines and spirits are very popular in Cyprus as they have been famous for centuries and they are of high quality because of the climate and the way they are being produced.
They can be bought from grocery shops and at the duty free shops when you leave the country.

Shoes, shirts, imported textiles and spectacles are good value for money.

In touristy areas souvenir shops and supermarkets remain open until late in the evenings and all day on Sunday.

In towns, shops remain closed on Sunday, on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

A week before Christmas and Easter, shops usually remain open until late in the evenings.
Supermarkets close one hour late on Friday evening and on Saturday noon.

With so many English expats living in and around Paphos, it's not surprising that there's a good English language bookshop in town. Most of the tourist shops down in Kato Paphos carry a small selection of guidebooks and other souvenir books but the Moufflon Bookshop in Ktima Paphos is a dedicated bookshop with a knowledgeable owner and much wider range.

What to buy: As well as a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books in English for adults and children, the Moufflon offers its customers an ordering sertvice for Greek titles and a free book search and price quotes for out of print books as well as greeting cards and gift wrap and a range of hobby materials . The shop is also acts as an agency for major local event ticket sales.

Loukoumia is a local sweet product sold everywhere.
I visted recently the village of Phini in the Troodos range and I was informed that there is a factory there producing loukoumia.
I was offered a packet of these delights and they were very aromatic and tasty. It is what you see in the picture.

The Yeroskypou loukoumia are also very popular and I suggest that you try them while in Paphos.

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The covered market of Paphos is a good place to go for shopping and you will be protected against the hot sun and also in case of rainfall of course.

What to buy: This covered market has partly a lot of shops for the local people , but they have souvenir-shops as well as restaurants and cafes there.

What to pay: Prices are more or less the same as in other souvenir-shops.