Gournes, Crete, Greece

Kokkini Hani, Crete, Greece: here you will find information about the surroundings of Zorbas Island apartments in kokkini Hani, Crete. What is there to do in the area of Kokkini and what can you expect during a holiday in Kokkini hani? The small village of Kokkini is located about 17 km east of Heraklion, between the villages Amnisos and Kato Gouves. It is a quiet village

The old village of Gournes is still a traditional Greek village with nice little streets. At the end of the village you will see many sand paths leading into the hillside country. These are the connecting roads to the olive groves and vineyards. We will walk straight through this unspoiled nature just outside Gournes Pediados. Four kilometers outside the old village of Gournes you will come across a church with an ancient chapel, completely unknown to the tourists. Here we will give cooking workshops; the view is beautiful, tucked between the valleys and hills. It is a walk of about four hours round trip. If you take a right after the old chapel of Gournes, you will return to the old village of Gournes Pediados. We can provide our guests with maps on which we have outlined many hike- and bicycle routes of the area. We also offer hiking trails for GPS & I-phone. Before the old town you can go right, from here a small road brings you to Kokkini Hani. If you walk straight, you will end up in the mountains.

The main street of Gournes: here there are various shops, supermarkets, a kafenion & Ouzeri, a Greek pastry shop where you can also drink coffee with a delicious Greek pastry and a small souvenir. Just down the street you will find the main church of Gournes Pediados where the Greek Easter is always a wonderful celebration. Also there are some bars, apartments and accommodations. If you continue through the village you will pass many Greek tavernas and restaurants. These are all open during summer and winter. The main street of Gournes is the old road connecting Kokkini Hani, Heraklion and Gouves.

The beaches at Gournes in Crete: Gournes has some beautiful beaches. There are plenty of places where you can rent a beach chair, but there are also beaches where you can enjoy the blue sea just lying on your towel, each time with the beautiful view of the enchanting island of Dia. Below we also give a description of Dia near Crete. Besides the cultural element of the village of Gournes you can also enjoy lovely beach holiday. If you have been in the sun long enough, then the surrounding of Gournes offers plenty of choices for finding food or drink. There are also a few restaurants that you serve drinks on the beach. If you walk a little further down the beach, just before Kokkini Hani, you will get to a beach which has many water sports possibilities. With a parachute behind a speed boat, banana boat, windsurfing, etc. By the way, wind surfing, in Crete is mainly a sport for people with experience. Windsurfing on spring boards and all-round boards are part of the options. In Gournes there are plenty of places where you can snorkel. We also organize snorkeling lessons, click on: snorkeling and diving information about Crete.

Beach boulevard of Gournes: a pleasant beach promenade, which in recent years has developed positively. You will find alongside the beach: supermarkets, cozy diners, little restaurants and taverns where you can dream away by the sea nicely. Some establishments have their terraces on a boardwalk along the beach, where you can eat and enjoy the view on the island of Dia. At the weekend it is often busy because many Greeks from Heraklion use Gournes as a relaxing weekend getaway. The restaurants are very busy then, but eating where the locals dine out is always a good sign! In Gournes you can really enjoy the beautiful beaches on the north coast of Crete. At the end of the beach Gournes connects with Kokkini Hani, so you can walk all the way to Kokkini Hani on the beach. If you keep walking towards Kokkini Hani, you will reach a water sport place. If you take the other direction, a beach path will lead you to Kato Gouves.

Dia Island: if you already enjoyed the views of the island of Dia from Gournes, of course you can also go there. We can arrange a boat trip to Dia for you. For more information about a boat trip to Dia Island, click on: Zorbas boat trips. The island of Dia is a nature reserve for the Kri Kri goats that were put there. Originally, these goats are from western Crete, from the Samaria Gorge. If you arrive by boat to Dia, you can enjoy snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. In 2 hours time you can walk around the island. There is a small white church, many rocks and of course you can also come across the Kri Kri goats. A boat trip to Dia is a worthwhile excursion for a day of fun in Crete.

The old military airbase of Gournes: at this old American army base there is a small harbor, where you can enjoy watching the fishing boats that are heading out. Also, if you like fishing yourself, you can go on a relaxing fishing trip. We are happy to advise you which bait you need. A few kilometers from Zorbas apartments there is a fish store. If you want to do some more fishing, we can also organize a trip by boat for you. You can then fish all day or just enjoy being on the sea. In Gournes it is possible to vacation year-round. During summer and winter the village offers many possibilities. Many taverns, kafenions and ouzeries are open all year round.

Sea aquarium in Gournes, Crete: there is a former U.S. air base east of Gournes. On this army base a few years ago an interesting sea aquarium was built. Here you will get a great overview of the fish living in the sea of Crete, from sea snakes to sharks. There are also interesting computer animations about the marine life of Crete and Greece. You will get an extensive impression of what is happening underwater. It is a beautiful spacious and modern aquarium; a fun and interesting outing for the whole family. The aquarium in Gournes is open daily. You can also visit the sea aquarium in Gournes during winter.

Come with us for a nice morning/afternoon to the Cretaquarium. Here you will learn and see everything of the under water world which exists around Crete. You can see sharks, lobsters, starfish, sea horses, sea urchins, octopuses, turtles and many other species of animals. A fun excursion with many different fish tanks of all sizes along the way. Upon arrival you can request a device that translates everything for you to Greek, English, French, German, Italian or Dutch. For example, each animal has its own number and when you enter this number on the device you will receive information about it, e.g. where this animal can be found, how deep it swims, what it eats and much more. This way children can also enjoy their visit to the aquarium.

Adults, Children 0 u/i 4 yrs old, Children 5 u/i 17 yrs old, Students, Personal audio guide. Opening hours aquarium Gournes Crete: in summer: May-Jun-Jul-Aug-Sep 09:30 - 21:00 . Opening hours in winter: Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr 09:30 - 17:00

Natural History museum of Crete, Heraklion: Go with us one morning / afternoon to the Natural History Museum of Crete (NHMC) and get acquainted with different animals and plants that live here in Crete. You will see here live animals such as various snakes, frogs, turtles and other reptiles. But there are also many stuffed animals such as bears, vultures, wild cats and several invertebrates. In this museum the bones / fossils of mammoths and many other animals can be seen as well. Have you always wanted to know what an earthquake feels like? Then this is your chance; at the NHMC there is a simulator that simulates an earthquake of 7 on the Richter scale for you. In this simulator you will also learn what to do when an earthquake hits. The NHMC also has a department with examples of the mines that existed in the old days on the island of Crete. This section focuses especially on the children with various activities such as the excavation of an elephant, view a real cave, studying of crystals, several puzzles and the open laboratory opf the people that stuff the animals. The NHMC museum also has a large botanical section. Here you will see the plants and trees that can be found on the island and their fruits. For example there are olives, oranges, lemons, nuts and many other products that you buy in the store in Europe but grow in the wild here in Crete. Adults, Children u/i 18 yrs, Students with student card

Cycling in Gournes: Gournes is an ideal environment for cycling, with few hills. We also have bicycles for rent for you. A bike tour through Crete is also a possibility. We have maps and GPS routes (Motion X).

Hiking in Gournes: the environment of Gournes is an ideal setting for hiking. You can either walk along the beaches or in the mountainous countryside, located behind Gournes. We have great hikes in the area that can be done with a guide or by yourself. We also have GPS (Motion X) trails for you. For more information about hikes, click on the menu Zorbas hiking.

We have around Gouves and Gournes many other excursion possibilities, from treasure hunts, bicycle tours to car tours in the back countryside.

Gournes is an ideal holiday environment in northern Crete; from Gournes you can take excursions by car, motor and scooter, because Gournes is so centrally located.

Anopoli, Crete: a beautiful village at 6 km from Gournes and 3 km from Kokkini Hani. In Anopoli are many beautiful churches, at the village border lies a monastery where miracles happen regularly (according to the Cretan legend ...). Around the Anopoli village there are olive groves; at the beginning of Anopoli the area seems a bit like a lunar landscape, but as you get closer to the south side of the village is, the greener it gets. Just outside the village of Anopoli is the large water park "Water City". This is especially the children a whole day of fun! Water City in Anopoli offers various possibilities, you can visit the water park all day, or you can go for just an afternoon. We sell tickets at Zorbas apartments for the water park, Water City" in Anopoli which is open throughout the summer. You can enjoy a traditional Greek night "Greek village festival Anopoli”. If you are interested in seeing traditional Greek and Cretan dancing, we will gladly help you on your way. Anopoli is worth a visit.

Kato Gouves: a large seaside resort in Crete, with many hotels and apartments. The many restaurants and bars are all centered in one long street, which does not exactly have a Greek feeling to it. In Gouves not many things are open in the winter; it is a real tourist place that is open all summer, where it might be worth going for a night out. You will find a large harbor, long beaches and many tourists in the summer. On the coast in Kato Gouves is a lovely church. A small train runs between Kokkini Hani, Gournes and Kato Gouves: "The Happy Train". You can make a tour around the area of the Gouvon Municipality with this train. The center of Kato Gouves is three kilometers from Gournes. With public transport from Gouves you van be in Heraklion in 25 minutes.

Pano Gouves: the village above Kato Gouves (Pano Gouves means "above Gouves” and Kato Gouves means" below Gouves”). This village is a jewel of the area, with a beautiful church surrounded by small Greek tavernas, which are open year-round. Behind the church is still a nice ouzeri. Pano Gouves is three kilometers away from Gournes. Here you will find the old street scenes of ancient Greece. It is worth visiting Pano Gouves. We can also send you on your way there by car; we have maps with our own tours, and a tour through the Gouvon Municipality is worth it. The restaurants and taverns are open year-round.

Kokkini Hani: a village 3 km from Gournes. In terms of tourism Kokkini Hani is different from Gournes. In Gournes there are still many traditional Greek taverns; Kokkini Hani is more international than Gournes. Kokkini Hani offers a broad choice of restaurants and bars. There is a nice church in the center of the village. On the north side of the village is the beach: a series of broad and narrow sandy beaches. There's not really a village center, it's a long street with the sea at the back. There are many supermarkets and ATMs. In Kokkini Hani many shops and restaurants are open both summer and winter. From Kokkini Hani it takes 15 minutes by bus to get to Heraklion.

Nirou Hani, Crete is located 1 kilometer before Kokkini Hani, if you are driving from the direction of Heraklion on the right side. It was originally a Minoan villa, and dates back to 1500 BC.

Galipa: a pretty village 8 km from Gournes. This village is quite difficult to find. There is still a traditional raki distillery. The village has three old kafenions and nice narrow white little streets.

Galifa: a small village 12 km away from Gournes, a Greek village with many charming streets and a few old shops. Tourists do not come here, only a jeep safari passes by regularly.

Skotino: the village of Skotino is not far from Pano Gouves. It is a beautiful little village that you drive around before you know it! Just outside Skotino is a beautiful cave: the cave of Skotino. There are signs that indicate the location (brown signs with white letters). From the cave there is also a nice hiking route back to Zorbas. Down in the cave you will have a beautiful view into the deep. We also offer the opportunity to visit the chambers of the Skotino cave with climbing ropes.

Analipsi: Analipsi is at a distance of 12 km of Gournes. It has a nice long sandy beach, with an old Greek village center.

Episkopi is located in the hill side area, hidden in a beautiful setting. It is an old Greek village center, 12 km driving from Gournes. There is a real ostrich farm, which is fun to visit with children. From Episkopi you can again see the island of Dia down below. You have beautiful views from here. The village of Episkopi is also on our car route of the Gouvon municipality. Just outside Episkopi there is a small war museum.

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