Paphos district · A hill town at about 210 m, 4 km above Coral Bay
Peyia, Cyprus: the hill town above Coral Bay, what is there and how to get around
Peyia (Pegeia) is the hillside town above Coral Bay, about 16 km and 25 minutes from Paphos harbour. What the village, Coral Bay and the Sea Caves each offer, the fountain square, Agios Georgios and Maa hours, the buses with real timetables, and where to base yourself.
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- Places
- Updated
- 10 November 2026
- By
- The editors
Peyia, officially spelt Pegeia, is a hillside town in the Paphos district, about 16 km and 25 minutes’ drive north-west of Paphos harbour. The old village sits roughly 210 metres up, around a paved square with an arched stone fountain, and looks down on Coral Bay, which is 4 km below it and part of the same town. Come up for the view, the square and lunch; stay down on the coast if what you want is a beach outside the door.
That split is the thing to understand before you book anything. “Peyia” on a villa listing can mean three quite different places, and the gap between them is a drive, not a stroll.
Peyia at a glance
| Where | West coast, Paphos district, above Coral Bay |
| Spelling | Pegeia on signs and official sites; Peyia in English use. Say it PEH-ya |
| Altitude | About 210 m at the village centre |
| Population | 6,945 at the 2021 census |
| Local council | Seat of Akamas Municipality since 1 July 2024 |
| Paphos harbour | 15.9 km, about 25 min by car |
| Paphos Airport | 27 km, about 40 min |
| Coral Bay beach | 4.4 km, about 8 min |
| Buses | 607 from Paphos (not Sundays); 616 from Coral Bay (daily) |
Driving figures here and below are OSRM road-routing estimates from the village centre in normal traffic.
One name, three places
Peyia’s boundaries run from the pine forest on the hills above the village down to the sea, and from Coral Bay west to the edge of the Akamas peninsula. Within that, visitors use the name for three areas.
| Area | What it is | From the village centre | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyia village | The old centre on the hillside: square, fountain, church, tavernas, shops, banks | You are there | Views, a quieter base with a car, eating out |
| Coral Bay | The beach resort and its strip of bars and restaurants | 4.4 km, 8 min | Beach days, families, holidays without a car |
| Sea Caves and Agios Georgios | Clifftop villa district, then a fishing harbour and basilica site on Cape Drepanon | 5.6 km to the caves, 7.5 km to Agios Georgios | Villas with sea views, sunsets, the shipwreck |
The hill is steep and the road down to Coral Bay has no shade, so do not count on walking between the village and the beach in summer. If a listing says “Peyia, 5 minutes from Coral Bay”, that is five minutes in a car.
A village that grew six-fold
Peyia is not a museum village. Census figures show 1,195 residents in 1982, 2,362 in 2001, 3,953 in 2011 and 6,945 in 2021, which makes it one of the fastest-growing places in the district. A large share of that growth is British and other foreign residents, and the hillside below the old centre is now mostly villas and apartment complexes.
So expect a working small town with a pretty core rather than stone lanes end to end. It has a town hall, police station, bakeries, banks, butchers, a fish market and a large supermarket, which is exactly why long-stay visitors like it. If you are weighing it up as somewhere to live rather than visit, our best places to live in Cyprus guide puts it in context.
Since the local government reform took effect on 1 July 2024, Peyia has been the seat of Akamas Municipality, which also takes in Kissonerga, Kathikas, Pano and Kato Arodes, Ineia and Akoursos. That is why the old Peyia municipality website now redirects to an Akamas one, and why the 2026 Blue Flag list files Coral Bay under “Akamas”.
What to see in the village
The fountain square. The Vrysi ton Pegeiotisson, the “fountain of the women of Peyia”, is the reason the village is known across Cyprus: a traditional song is named after it. The regional tourism board says the present structure, a row of stone arches in front of a large cistern fed from the rock, was built in 1908 on the site of an older fountain and was the community’s main source of drinking water until 1956. It stands on a paved square beside the church, with cafes and tavernas around it.
The view. Because the centre is around 210 metres up, the streets on the seaward side look straight down over Coral Bay and along the coast towards Paphos. Late afternoon is the time for it.
Lunch or dinner. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism’s directory lists several places within a few steps of the square, including Vrysi Tavern and Peyia Restaurant on Michalaki Kyprianou Street, The Mill on Synergatismou Street and Cousins Tavern on Diakonou Street. We have not ranked them; treat that as a list of where to look, and check current hours before a winter visit. For the wider area, see our Paphos restaurants guide.
That is the village: an hour or two including a meal. The rest of the day belongs to the coast.
What to do on the Peyia coast
Coral Bay. A 500-metre Blue Flag beach of deep golden sand between two limestone headlands, with lifeguards from April to October and disabled access. Our Coral Bay guide covers it properly. The smaller beach in the next cove is listed officially as Laourou and is called Corallia locally; it also has a Blue Flag. One warning: the GPS point on the Visit Cyprus page for Laourou plots on the Lara road about 11 km to the north, so navigate to Coral Bay rather than to those coordinates.
Maa-Palaeokastro. On the headland beside Coral Bay, this is a fortified settlement from about 1200 BC where Mycenaean Greeks are thought to have first settled on the island, with a small museum designed by the Italian architect Andrea Bruno. It is a weekdays-only site: Visit Cyprus lists Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00 from 16 September to 15 April and 09:30 to 17:00 in summer, closed at weekends and on public holidays, entry €2.50. The regional tourism board’s page says the museum’s contents are under restoration, so ask before making a special trip.
The Sea Caves and the Edro III. The wave-cut cliffs and the cargo ship that has been aground since December 2011 are 5.6 km from the village. There is no beach and no swimming here; it is a sunset stop. See our Sea Caves guide for the detail.
Agios Georgios. At the tip of Cape Drepanon, 7.5 km from the village, are a fishing harbour, a clifftop church and the remains of three sixth-century basilicas with floor mosaics of birds, fish and sea turtles, facing the uninhabited islet of Geronisos. The Department of Antiquities lists the site as open daily, 08:30 to 16:00 in winter (16 September to 15 April) and 09:30 to 17:00 in summer, entry €2.50, not wheelchair accessible. The Visit Cyprus page has the two seasons the other way round, so in the first and last hour of the day it is safest to phone the site on +357 26 812 301. Kafizis, a small pebbly Blue Flag beach, is on the way.
Further north. The surfaced road ends soon after Agios Georgios. Beyond it are Lara Beach and its turtle nesting station, on a rough track that most hire agreements exclude. Avakas Gorge was still marked “temporarily closed” on the Visit Cyprus trail listing when we checked on 10 November 2026. Paphos Zoo is also within Peyia’s boundaries, inland of the Sea Caves.
Getting to Peyia
By car
| From | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Bay beach | 4.4 km | 8 min |
| Sea Caves | 5.6 km | 10 min |
| Agios Georgios harbour | 7.5 km | 11 min |
| Kathikas | 10.4 km | 14 min |
| Paphos, Karavela bus station | 14 km | 21 min |
| Paphos harbour | 15.9 km | 25 min |
| Polis | 26 km | 33 min |
| Paphos Airport | 27 km | 40 min |
| Larnaca Airport | 148 km | about 2 h 10 min |
There is a public car park at the square, which is also the bus stop. For hire terms and what is and is not covered on the Akamas tracks, see our Cyprus car hire guide.
By bus
Three Pafos Buses routes matter, and the operator publishes full timetables for all of them. These were the times on its route pages on 10 November 2026.
| Route | Runs | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| 607 Karavela station, Chloraka, Lemba, Kissonerga, Pegeia Square | Monday to Saturday | Weekdays from Karavela 06:00, 08:10, 09:50, 11:30, 15:10, 18:00; from Pegeia 06:30, 09:00, 10:30, 12:10, 16:00, 18:40. Saturdays from Karavela 07:20, 11:20, 13:30, 16:20; from Pegeia 08:10, 12:00, 14:20, 17:00 |
| 616 Coral Bay, Pegeia Square, Agios Georgios | Daily | From Coral Bay 08:30, 09:50, 11:10, 13:30, 14:50, 16:10, 17:00, then 19:30, 20:30, 21:30, 22:30. From Agios Georgios 09:10, 10:30, 11:50, 14:10, 15:30, 16:50, 17:30, then 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, 23:10 |
| 616B Coral Bay, Sea Caves, Agios Georgios | Daily | 17 departures each way, 06:35 to 22:55 from Coral Bay |
The 607 is the only direct bus from Paphos, and the page lists no Sunday service. On a Sunday, or at any time the 607 does not suit, take the frequent 615 from Tombs of the Kings station to Coral Bay and change to the 616 for the climb to the square. Our Paphos to Coral Bay guide explains the 615, and the Paphos Airport to Coral Bay guide covers arriving by air.
Fares are €2 for a single, €3 after 21:00 and €6.50 for a day ticket, bought on the bus; children up to five travel free and under-12s pay half. Public holiday timetables differ, so check the route 607 and route 616 pages before you rely on a particular bus.
Peyia weather
There is no official weather station in Peyia. The nearest long-term record is Paphos Airport, where the 1991 to 2020 normals give a mean daily maximum of 31.0°C in August and 19.3°C in December. The coast at Coral Bay will be close to that. The village, 200 metres higher and open to the sea breeze, is usually a little cooler and windier, which people who winter here tend to notice in the evenings. For the month-by-month picture, start with our best time to visit Cyprus guide.
Should you stay in Peyia?
Stay in the village if you have a car, want views and somewhere that still functions in January, and do not mind driving to swim. Stay at Coral Bay if the beach is the point or you are relying on buses, since the 615 runs every 10 to 20 minutes for most of the day. Choose the Sea Caves side for a villa and sunsets, accepting that almost everything needs the car, although the 616B does pass through.
For how this corner compares with the town itself, see our Paphos guide and Paphos beaches.
Sources for changing details: bus times and fares from Pafos Buses route and ticket pages, read 10 November 2026; Agios Georgios hours from the Department of Antiquities and Visit Cyprus; Maa-Palaeokastro and beaches from Visit Cyprus; the fountain from the Pafos regional tourism board’s Akamas site; Blue Flags from the CYMEPA 2026 list; population from Statistical Service census figures as reproduced by citypopulation.de; climate normals from WMO data published by NOAA. Opening times and timetables change without notice, so confirm before you travel.
Hero image: Pegeia Village Fountain by Viaggiamocela, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Where is Peyia in Cyprus?
Peyia, officially spelt Pegeia, is a hillside town in the Paphos district on the west coast of Cyprus. The old village centre sits about 210 metres above sea level, roughly 4 km uphill from Coral Bay and about 16 km (25 minutes by car) from Paphos harbour. Since July 2024 it has been the seat of the wider Akamas Municipality.
How do you pronounce Peyia?
Roughly PEH-ya, two syllables with the stress on the first. Peyia is the English spelling of the way the name is said; Pegeia is the official transliteration of the Greek and is what you will see on road signs, bus timetables and government websites. They are the same place.
Is Peyia the same as Coral Bay?
Not quite. Coral Bay is the beach resort on the Peyia coast and is part of the same town administratively, but the village centre is about 4.4 km and 8 minutes' drive uphill from the sand. Accommodation advertised as Peyia can be in the hill village, on the Coral Bay strip or out by the Sea Caves, so check the map before booking.
Is there a bus from Paphos to Peyia?
Yes. Pafos Buses route 607 runs from Karavela station in Paphos through Chloraka, Lemba and Kissonerga to Pegeia Square, with six departures each way on weekdays and four on Saturdays and none listed for Sundays. Every day of the week, route 616 links Coral Bay with Pegeia Square and Agios Georgios, so you can also take the frequent 615 to Coral Bay and change. A single is 2 euros.
What is there to do in Peyia?
The village itself is a short visit: the 1908 arched fountain and its paved square, the church beside it and lunch at one of the tavernas around them. Most of what people come for is on the Peyia coast: Coral Bay beach, the Sea Caves and the Edro III shipwreck, the Agios Georgios basilicas and fishing harbour, and the Maa-Palaeokastro Bronze Age site. Avakas Gorge, just north, was still listed as temporarily closed in November 2026.