Platanias holidays

Holidays to Platanias take you to a bustling seaside town that boasts a lively strip and an old town – plus a long sandy beach. And Chania's Venetian architecture and buzzing harbour are just a 20-minute drive away.

A place of 2 halves

Platanias, on Crete’s northwestern coast, is a bustling seaside town where a raucous main strip splits the town in half. To the north there’s a long beach lined with bars and hotels, while to the south there’s a charming old town climbing up the surrounding hillside. And along the main street itself you’ve got late-night bars and the most popular nightclubs on the island. All this plus you’re just 20 minutes’ drive from cosmopolitan Chania.

Blue Flag beach

Platanias boasts a long stretch of golden sand, backed by friendly little beach bars with outdoor terraces. Where Platanias Beach ends, Agia Marina Beach begins. It’s a similar type of set-up, with umbrellas and sunloungers dotting the sandy shore, but here there’s a jet-ski centre, too. A little further afield, about 45 minutes’ drive, is Falasarna Beach. This is one of Europe’s top 10 beaches, and comes with a vast swathe of sand, crystal-clear blue water and a mountain backdrop.

Daytrips to Aptera and Theriso

There are some interesting daytrips from Platanias. Thirty minutes by car takes you to the ancient ruins at Aptera, where you can tour a huge roofed cistern and then walk 10 minutes to a hilltop Byzantine castle that overlooks the ocean. Also half-an-hour away is the farming town of Theriso. The drive here is really the highlight – en route you go by luscious green wilderness and pass through the towering Theriso Gorge to the village itself.