Heraklion Town TO Gournes

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Heraklion Town

TransferPlan will transfer you from and to Heraklion town as quickly, safely and comfortably as possible. Heraklion boasts the title of the largest urban entity in Crete and is also the administrative capital of the island. Heraklion has an immense historical and cultural heritage, as in close proximity to the city visitors can find the Palace of Knossos, which has served as the centre of Minoan civilisation. Throughout the city, you can also find a number of constructions dating back to the Venetian occupation such as Koules Fortress in the old port.

Heraklion is home to some world class monuments and cultural landmarks. Among the most outstanding man-made structures is the Heraklion Fortress that contains the 'old town'. Originally built by Arab merchants and later on reinforced by Venetians, the Fortress included seven bastions, of which only the Martinego bastion survives the passing of time. Moreover, visitors will be delighted to find one of the gates to the city, named Chanioporta, which is ornate with the winged lion of Saint Marc. Visitors can also pay pilgrimage to the grave of one of Greece's most important writers and Nobel recipient, N. Kazantzakis. The sight that marks his resting place also offers some mesmerising views of the city.

Throughout the city, one can spot statues and monuments commemorating prolific figures that have been important for Greece's course through history and have contributed to Crete's immense cultural heritage. Some of the names include renaissance painter El Greco, Poet Vicenzo Kornaros and Politician Eleftherios Venizelos.

Moreover, the Archaeological museum should be on the top of every visitor's list; a splendid space that boasts a massive collection of ancient artefacts from all over the island and covers more than 5,500 years of history. Special emphasis is given to the spoils of Minoan civilisation, which has been one of the first to spring in the Southern European cost and was almost entirely wiped out by a volcanic eruption and a subsequent tsunami. The museum is home to the most important collection of surviving Minoan antiquities in the world and awaits its visitors to explore the mysteries of this extinguished civilisation.

Nowadays, Heraklion represents a beacon of Greek modernization and has been subjected to an extensive urban sprawl, that gives it a truly unique character. Despite the expansion of concrete residential blocs and the immense traffic, a short walk through the bustling streets and alleys will travel you through thousand years of history and will reveal to you the hip side of Greece with its rich coffee culture and culinary delights that can be found in every corner.

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Gournes

TransferPlan will transfer you from and to Gournes as quickly, safely and comfortably as possible. Gournes is a village located between Kokkini Hani and Gouves, 16km east of Heraklion Town. Gournes nowadays is part of the united beachfront which starts from Vathianos Kampos and ends in Malia, but it used to be a separate village.

The name Gournes means basins in Greek and it is believed that the name owes its origins to the many water places in the area in the past. There is still evidence of these basins as a river is running through the centre of the town till the sea. During summertime is quite dry, but in winter due to the rains and the surrounding mountains, the water rushes through this river.

Like most beaches of the north coast of Crete, the beaches of Gournes are vulnerable to north winds, that’s why it gets wavy. The beachfront of the area is full of small artificial small docks, used for absorbing the wave force and keeping sand in place. Thus, several sandy coves have been formed between these piers. On the west part of Gournes, you will find the long beach of the area, which is well organized with umbrellas. If you walk to the east, the coast gets rockier. Gournes has no big hotels, but you can find several small hotels, apartments and rooms to let. Here you will find all the basic amenities for tourists.

Gournes was a small village until the late fifties, when the big American Air Force communications base opened, occupying a large share of the town property. While the base population eventually grew to about 3,500 military staff and their families, the surrounding area kept pace. Many of the first hotels and apartments were built in Gournes to accommodate the families of the servicemen and visitors to the base and its civilian workforce. When the Gournes base closed in 1993, the area was a bit shocked, as about 1,000 locals became unemployed and hundreds of apartments and rooms were emptied.

If you come in Gournes it is worth visiting the picturesque church of Agios Ioannis Pezetis with the old paintings, which is built in the valley that comes through the village. Moreover, in the old village of Gournes, you’ll see the old church of the Annunciation. Nearby, a Minoan settlement and cemetery have been excavated, where many vases, small figures and seals were revealed. However, the most popular attraction in recent years is Cretaquarium, which was the largest aquarium in southern Europe when first built. The aquarium, which is located inside the former U.S. base, attracts thousands of visitors daily and worth’s a visit.

Gournes is ideal for families and it can easily be used as a base to explore Crete as it is located near Heraklion Town and the national road.

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