Best things to do in Goudouras in 2024: Activities and Attractions
Goudouras is a coastal village on the Libyan Sea in the Lasithi region, 37 km east of Ierapetra. The village stands in a wide valley ringed by rough mountains and canyons that are hard to enter, near the edge of Cape Goudouras. Goudouras is really two settlements joined into one, Asprolithos and Goudouras, and our pages also write the name Goudhouros. Agios Nikolaos lies 73 km away to the north-west.
Sitia (JSH) is the nearest airport, and our page for Kapsas Monastery, 4.4 km from the village, puts that site 37 km south-west of Sitia. This is farming country rather than resort country: the climate here is extremely warm, and olives and greenhouse vegetables are the crops.
Things to do in and around Goudouras
Six outings lie within about 8 km of the village, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Swim at Votsalaki. The pebble beach 1.2 km away sits at the west end of Goudouras, and the local soil turns the water shades of green, blue and red. Votsalaki stays fairly secluded despite the main road above it, and its west end is used by naturists.
- Find the cove at Atherina. The beach 2.7 km away has no road to its shore. Walkers follow the narrow dry stream that drains the Vigla region, picking it up about 300 m past the Agii Saranda church in Kalami, while a rough dirt track ends just above the eastern edge of Atherina.
- Visit Kapsas Monastery. The monastery 4.4 km away is perched on the cliffs by the mouth of the Pervolakia Gorge, and the paved road between Makrigialos and Goudouras runs to it. A pebble beach with tamarisk shade lies at the canyon exit below the monastery, where nudism is not allowed.
- Hike the Pervolakia Gorge. The gorge entrance is 4.6 km from Goudouras, and the route covers roughly 4 km in about 2 hours at a moderately challenging grade. Pervolakia takes its name from the remote village near its northern entrance, and it ends at the Kapsa Monastery on the Libyan Sea.
- Drive up to the plateau villages. Handras and Ziros both lie 7.8 km from Goudouras on the Armeni-Handras plateau, and both were recorded by the Venetians in the 16th century. Papagiannades, 9.3 km out, is the third village on that road.
- Hike the Agia Irini Gorge. The gorge 8.1 km away runs from Agia Irini village down to Agia Irini beach in 2 to 3 hours and needs no technical skill, though its westernmost branch is hazardous for anyone unused to canyon hiking. An ancient path through the gorge leads on to Xerokambos.
About the village and its setting
Goudouras takes its name from Cape Goudouras, the headland it sits beside, which was formerly known as Cape Erythrae. The name itself comes from a local plant, the agoudouros or Hypericum triquetrifolium, which grows in quantity here and was traditionally laid down as a base for drying figs and raisins. The two settlements that make up the village are Asprolithos and Goudouras.
Inland, the country rises to the Armeni-Handras plateau. Handras, 7.8 km away, was noted by the Venetians in the 16th century as Candra with 399 inhabitants, a figure that has barely changed since, and Minoan sites at Gras and Katrani lie in the Plakalonia region around it. Ziros, also 7.8 km out, stands on the lower slopes of the Egremno cliff at 590 m and now holds about 742 people, a number that is falling. Two more gorges, Xerokambos and Pefki, sit beyond them.
Beaches in and around Goudouras
5 beaches lie within 5 km of Goudouras, and most of them stay quiet even though the coast road passes close by. The list runs from nearest to furthest.
- Goudouras beach lies 500 m from the village, on the stretch of Libyan Sea coast below the valley and the cape that give the settlement its name.
- Votsalaki sits 1.2 km away, also known as Botzalaki, in an area called Aspra Chomata, which means white grounds. The beach is small pebbles with clear water, and it sits near the exit of the Asprolithos gorge.
- Atherina is 2.7 km away, a cove reached on foot down a dry streambed. A small canyon of rocks shapes the landscape, and a large stone platform sits to one side.
- Kalami stands 3 km away by the village of the same name, the first in a run of secluded coves that the road passes directly. Kalami is named after the Greek word for reeds, which grow in the stream running through the middle of the beach, and the pebble shore has its own fresh water spring. No tall trees grow here, so the rocks give the shade.
- Kapsas closes the list 4.4 km away at the exit of the Pervolakia canyon, below the monastery. The beach has large round pebbles and clear blue water, tamarisk trees for shade, and stays isolated despite the road above it.
Getting to Goudouras
Goudouras is reached on the paved coast road that runs east past the Kapsa Monastery. That road comes from Makrigialos, and Ierapetra lies 37 km west of the village while Agios Nikolaos is 73 km away.
Public transport is thin. Our Kapsas page records only infrequent buses from Ierapetra to the monastery, so a car is the practical way in. Sitia airport is the nearest airport, and the inland road climbs to Handras, Ziros and Papagiannades on the plateau.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Goudouras in Crete?
Goudouras lies 37 km east of Ierapetra on the Libyan Sea coast, in the Lasithi region of eastern Crete. Agios Nikolaos is 73 km away, with the village to its south-east.
Does Goudouras have a beach?
Yes, Goudouras beach lies 500 m from the village. Four more beaches follow within 5 km: Votsalaki at 1.2 km, Atherina at 2.7 km, Kalami at 3 km and Kapsas at 4.4 km.
How did Goudouras get its name?
The village is named after Cape Goudouras beside it, once called Cape Erythrae. The cape’s own name comes from the agoudouros plant that grows across the area and was used as a base for drying figs and raisins.
Which airport is nearest to Goudouras?
Sitia airport (JSH) is the nearest airport to Goudouras. Our page for Kapsas Monastery, 4.4 km from the village, places that site 37 km south-west of Sitia.
Can you hike a gorge from Goudouras?
The Pervolakia Gorge starts 4.6 km from Goudouras and ends at the Kapsa Monastery. The route runs roughly 4 km, takes about 2 hours, and rates as moderately challenging; the Agia Irini Gorge, 8.1 km out, is the other option.
Where Goudouras is
Best things to do in Goudouras in 2024 is located at Goudouras. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
