Elounda
The harbour on the bay
The nearest stretch of coast: fishing boats and caiques, cafés on the water and a shallow bay sheltered by the Spinalonga peninsula. Boats leave from here for Spinalonga too.
Guide · Elounda, Spinalonga, Agios Nikolaos
What to do around Fourni
- 19places
- 15 minto the sea
- ≈ 1 hto Knossos
Fourni is a quiet mountain village in Lasithi, eastern Crete, 15 minutes above Elounda. From the house, the sea and the boats to Spinalonga are a quarter of an hour away, Agios Nikolaos 20 minutes, the Byzantine village of Kritsa half an hour and the palace of Knossos about an hour. Here are the places Pierre recommends, with driving times from the door.
01
The sea
The Mirabello bay starts a quarter of an hour below the village: calm coves, clear water, fishing harbours.
Plaka
Pebbles facing Spinalonga
A small seaside village with a pebble beach and fish tavernas, right across the water from Spinalonga. It is the shortest crossing to the island.
Olous
The sunken city and the windmills
On the narrow strip of land linking Elounda to the Spinalonga peninsula: old windmills, salt pans and, under the shallow water, the remains of the ancient city of Olous.
Kolokytha
The clearest water in the bay
A sheltered cove on the Spinalonga peninsula, with very clear, calm water. No road leads there: you walk along a track from the causeway, or come by boat.
Voulisma beach
Golden sand, turquoise water
A crescent of fine golden sand near Istron, on the far side of the Mirabello bay, with water of an almost unreal blue. One of the most beautiful beaches in eastern Crete.
Mochlos
A fishing village facing its islet
A tiny fishing village at the end of a winding coast road, facing a small islet with Minoan remains. Tavernas at the water’s edge and a slow pace.
Vai
The palm forest beach
At the eastern tip of Crete, a sandy beach backed by a forest of native Cretan palms, one of the very few natural palm forests in Europe.
02
Villages & towns
Mountain villages, a monastery among the olive trees, a lively harbour town and a plateau of windmills.
Areti Monastery
A quiet monastery above the olive groves
A few minutes from Fourni, an old stone monastery in a valley of olive trees and cypresses. Calm, shade and silence.
Agios Nikolaos
The lake in the middle of town
The lively main town of the region, built around Lake Voulismeni, which a narrow channel links to the sea. Harbour, shops, cafés and a seafront promenade.
Kritsa
The village of weavers
One of the oldest villages of Crete, climbing a hillside above the Mirabello bay and known for its weaving and embroidery. Narrow lanes, shaded squares, kafeneia.
Lasithi Plateau
The plateau of windmills
A high, fertile plateau ringed by mountains, once dotted with thousands of white-sailed windmills that drew up water. Orchards, small villages and cool air.
03
History
Four thousand years within an hour’s drive: Minoan palaces, Dorian cities, Byzantine frescoes and a Venetian fortress.
Spinalonga
The Venetian fortress island
A Venetian fortress that guarded the bay, later a leper colony until 1957. Walk the ramparts and the single street of the old settlement; the view over Elounda is immense.
Lato
An ancient city with a view
The ruins of a Dorian city built on a saddle between two hills, above Kritsa. Stairways, an agora and a magnificent view down to the Mirabello bay. Often quiet.
Panagia Kera
Byzantine frescoes
Just before Kritsa, a small three-aisled Byzantine church entirely covered with frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the most important painted churches in Crete.
Gournia
A Minoan town
The remains of a Minoan town on a low hill above the sea: streets, houses and workshops around a small palace. One of the best-preserved Minoan settlements.
Knossos
The great Minoan palace
The largest palace of Minoan Crete, near Heraklion, with its partly reconstructed red columns, frescoes and labyrinth of rooms. About an hour’s drive from the house.
Dikteon Cave
Where Zeus was born
Above the village of Psychro, on the Lasithi Plateau, a deep cave with stalactites where, according to myth, Zeus was born. A steep path leads up to the entrance.
04
Gorges & walks
Rock, oleanders and running water: two gorges for a morning on foot.
Kritsa Gorge
A walk between the rocks
A gorge just outside Kritsa, with narrow passages between high walls of rock, oleanders and shade. A half-day walk, with a few rocky sections.
Richtis Gorge
A waterfall and a pebble cove
From the village of Exo Mouliana, a path follows a stream under plane trees to a waterfall about twenty metres high, then on to a quiet pebble beach.
Ideal days
Three days, three moods.
Ready-made days, easy to follow from the house. Tap a stop to find it in the guide.
01
The island and the bay
Spinalonga, a swim, the sunset
- 08:30Down to Plaka, coffee facing the islandPlaka →
- 09:30An early boat to SpinalongaSpinalonga →
- 13:00Swim and fish lunch in PlakaPlaka →
- 16:30Snorkelling over the sunken cityOlous →
- 19:30Sunset on the harbour of EloundaElounda →
02
Frescoes and hilltops
Panagia Kera, Kritsa, Lato
- 09:30The frescoes of Panagia Kera, in the morning calmPanagia Kera →
- 11:00Up through the lanes of KritsaKritsa →
- 13:00Lunch on a village squareKritsa →
- 17:00Lato, and the bay in the evening lightLato →
03
The plateau of Zeus
Windmills, a cave, mountain air
- 09:00The road up to the Lasithi PlateauLasithi Plateau →
- 10:30The Dikteon Cave, before the crowdsDikteon Cave →
- 13:00Lunch in a plateau villageLasithi Plateau →
- 16:00Back down to Fourni, the bay glowing below
At a glance
Driving times from the house
| Place | Theme | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Areti Monastery | Villages & towns | 8 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Plaka | The sea | 10 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Spinalonga | History | 10 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Elounda | The sea | 11 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Olous | The sea | 12 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Kolokytha | The sea | 12 km | ≈ 20 min |
| Agios Nikolaos | Villages & towns | 17 km | ≈ 20 min |
| Lato | History | 18 km | ≈ 25 min |
| Kritsa Gorge | Gorges & walks | 19 km | ≈ 30 min |
| Kritsa | Villages & towns | 21 km | ≈ 30 min |
| Panagia Kera | History | 21 km | ≈ 30 min |
| Voulisma beach | The sea | 29 km | ≈ 30 min |
| Gournia | History | 34 km | ≈ 40 min |
| Lasithi Plateau | Villages & towns | 43 km | ≈ 1 h |
| Mochlos | The sea | 52 km | ≈ 1 h |
| Knossos | History | 59 km | ≈ 1 h 05 |
| Dikteon Cave | History | 49 km | ≈ 1 h 10 |
| Richtis Gorge | Gorges & walks | 67 km | ≈ 1 h 30 |
| Vai | The sea | 101 km | ≈ 2 h 20 |
Getting here and around
Good to know before you go.
- 01Airports
- Heraklion (HER) is about 50 minutes away by car, Sitia (JSH) about 1 h 40.
- 02A car
- The easiest way to explore: buses are infrequent in the villages. You can park for free in the street, near the house.
- 03Spinalonga
- Boats cross from Plaka (the shortest crossing), Elounda and Agios Nikolaos.
- 04Seasons
- The sea is pleasant from late spring to autumn. In winter, the mountains, villages and monasteries take over.
Questions
Around Fourni, in short.
01What are the best beaches near Fourni and Elounda?
Plaka for its pebbles and the view of Spinalonga, Kolokytha for the clearest water (on foot or by boat), and Voulisma, near Istron, for golden sand. All three are within about half an hour of the house.
02How do you get to Spinalonga from Fourni?
Drive about 15 minutes down to Plaka and take one of the boats across: it is the shortest crossing. Boats also leave from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos.
03Can you visit Knossos from Fourni?
Yes. The palace of Knossos is about an hour’s drive (59 km) towards Heraklion. Combine it with the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where the original frescoes are kept.
04Do you need a car to stay in Fourni?
It is strongly recommended. The beaches, Agios Nikolaos and the villages are 15 to 30 minutes away by car, and buses are infrequent.
05What can you do around Fourni outside the beach season?
Head inland: Kritsa, Lato, the Lasithi Plateau and the monastery of Areti are quiet all year. In autumn and winter, the villages, monasteries and the olive harvest show another side of Crete.
Come back each evening to the quiet of the village.
Ntoukiani is the old village café of Fourni, now a stone house for up to four guests, right in the middle of all this.