The westernmost point of Cyprus, facing open sea

Paphos sits on the southwest coast of Cyprus facing west and south over the Mediterranean. Paphos Castle, built by the Byzantines and rebuilt by the Venetians in the 16th century, stands at the end of the harbor breakwater and faces west over open sea — the sun sets directly over the water from the harbor. The Tombs of the Kings, a 4th-century BCE necropolis carved into the coastal cliffs northwest of Paphos, is a UNESCO-listed site facing west — sunset light on the carved stone monuments above the sea is unlike most archaeological photography. Aphrodite Hills (250 meters) east of Paphos gives a panoramic view of the western coast. At 35°N, golden hour runs about 28 minutes in summer — extremely brief. Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, is 25 kilometers east with sea-stack rock formations facing southwest.