Heraklion taxi provides private transfers from Heraklion airport to Gournes.
Located on the road from Iraklion to Agios Nikolaos 15km from Iraklion Gournes is a coastal village of 1500 permanent residents. The name (gourna= basin) probably derives from the watering places that used to be there years ago. Gournes is mentioned with this name since 1280 but later it was abandoned because it was on the road of the numerous invaders to the eastern Crete.
Excavations carried out in 1945 unearthed tombs of the Minoan period with many significant findings. Another significant monument is the old chapel of Saint John Bezetis located in the small valley with well preserved frescoes. For a long period in Gournes was stationed the "American Base" and the numerous American soldiers who served there still remember those days and their Cretan friends. Nowadays Gournes is practically a popular tourist resort together with Kokkini Hani providing all the modern facilities to the visitors. The municipality of Anopolis is planning to built a modern marina near the place where the American base used to stand.
SOURCE https://www.go2crete.com/crete_travelguide/gournes.html |