Is Paphos Zoo Worth a Visit?

Yes, for most visitors based in or near Paphos. Paphos Zoo bills itself as the first established and biggest licensed zoo in Cyprus, spread over more than 100,000 square metres, with giraffes, white lions, tigers, kangaroos and one of Europe's largest parrot and venomous-snake collections. It runs a bird show three times a day and paid animal encounters on top of the walk-through grounds, and it's open every day of the year, so there's no wrong day to go — just check which season's hours apply before you set off.

What not to miss

Paphos Zoo started as one collector's hobby. Christos Christoforou built it around his own interest in birds and wildlife, and after about three years of construction it opened to the public in September 2003. It now bills itself as the first established and biggest licensed zoo in Cyprus.

Featured location Paphos Zoo Πέγεια, Cyprus Paphos Zoo is a zoo in Pafos, Cyprus. Animals on show include Asian Elephant, Lemur, giraffes, parrot and owl.

The collection of parrots and venomous snakes is one of the largest in Europe

The wider collection includes giraffes, monkeys, crocodiles, kangaroos, white lions, tigers and meerkats. Time your visit around the amphitheatre's parrot and owl display, which runs three times a day: 12pm, 2pm and 4pm from January to March and October to December, and 12pm, 2:30pm and 5pm from April to September. If you want more than a look, the zoo also sells animal interactions arranged in person at the enclosures throughout the day and paid in cash — a walk-in with its lemurs, hand-feeding giraffes from a raised platform, and a keeper-guided touch encounter with an Asian elephant. Beyond the animals, the grounds also hold a Natural History Museum, a Traditional Art Museum and a Traditional Clothes Museum, each showing Cypriot artefacts, pottery and historical dress.

Which venue to choose

Cyprus has two zoos, and they suit different trips. Paphos Zoo, on the west coast near Peyia, is the bigger of the two and the one built around a show and interactions programme. Limassol Zoo is smaller and sits inside the Limassol Public Gardens on Vyronos Avenue, founded by mayor Kostas Partaside in 1956 and reopened in 2012 after a substantial renovation; it covers about 15 acres (6.1 hectares) and holds roughly 300 animals of about 90 species, with an African-style cafeteria overlooking its flamingo enclosure and a children's playground next to a petting area with miniature goats and sheep. If you're staying in or around Limassol rather than Paphos, it's the easier day out.

Tickets and saving money

Limassol Zoo is more transparent: as of September 2026, adults pay €5, children aged 5-15 pay €2, under-5s go free, and pensioners, students and military pay €3. Disabled visitors are admitted free, and a family ticket for two adults and two children costs €12.

Getting there

Paphos Zoo is at Xylomantrou Street, Agiou Georgiou, in Peyia, on the edge of the Akamas Peninsula. Drivers see directional signposts from about 10 kilometres out, and it's roughly a 30-minute drive from the end of the motorway. Without a car, the route is two buses: route 615 runs between the Tombs of the Kings bus station in Paphos and Coral Bay, and route 616 continues from Coral Bay through Pegeia, where the zoo is, to Agios Georgios Pegeias. The zoo also runs its own transfer bus with hotel pickups in the Paphos area — daily from April to October and three times a week from November to March, picking up between 9:45 and 10:30am and returning at 2:30pm.

Limassol Zoo is easier to reach without planning ahead: it's served by city bus routes 3, 11, 12, 13, 25 and 31.