This bustling seaside town is home to a long sandy beach, picturesque Old Town and a lively strip. Platanias holidays are brilliantly located for day trips too, so you can explore even more of the region with ease.

Situated on Crete’s beautiful northwestern coast, Platanias is a lively seaside town where a raucous main strip splits the town in two halves. To the north you’ll find a long stretch of golden beach dotted with bars and hotels, while to the south there’s quaint old town that climbs up the  breathtaking surrounding hillside. Platanias holidays are popular for their Blue Flag beaches with the resort generously boasting a long stretch of fluffy sand, backed by family-friendly beach bars with outdoor terraces. But it gets better, because where Platanias Beach ends, Agia Marina Beach starts. And this one comes fully-equipped with its very own jet-ski centre. Then it gets even better again with Falasarna Beach being just a 45-minute drive away. Voted one of the top 10 beaches in Europe, it’s really worth venturing out to spend a day here to lap up the beauty and serenity of the endless sweep of sand, transparent waters and breath-taking mountain back drops.  

As wonderful as the beaches are, family holidays to Platanias are much more than just sand, sea and sun. If you fancy filling your holiday with adventure and exploring, you’ll find the ancient ruins at Aptera just thirty minutes away. Here you and your family can tour an enormous roofed cistern and then walk 10 minutes to a hilltop Byzantine castle that overlooks the mammoth ocean. Or perhaps you’d prefer a scenic road trip across to the farming town of Theriso. The drive is a highlight in itself, as you pass through luscious green wilderness and the mesmerising towering Theriso Gorge.