Platanias is a cosmopolitan tourist resort, one of the most famus in Crete. Platanias is 10 Km from Chania, on the highway to Kasteli. The 4 kilometers of the white shining sandy beaches, have given to Platanias beach for 7 years in the row, the blue flag, a hallmark of quality of EEC for clear and organized beaches. The area offers all swimming facilities. The pleasant hotels, the evergreens, the orange groves and exotic bamboo along the riverbanks, draw visitors year after year. Platanias village it lays beside river Iardanos (which means holy water according to Homer) or Platania. It has been named after the sycamores that were in the riverbank. The old village of Platanias is situated at the top of the hill, it was there that the inhabitants of Platanias found refuge from pirates and other invaders over the centuries.

According to the tradition, on the rock of Platania, was the ancient city of Pergamos and Agamemnon's tomb. In the Venetian inventories PLATANIAS is mentioned as Platanea and Pirgho Platanea, there were possibly two different settlements. Originally the village was built amphitheatrically on a high, rocky place with picturesque houses. Now it has spread to the seaside. One kilometer away from Platanias you will find yourself in a wild refuge with rare flora and fauna, and aged plane trees growing among ivy and wild vines.The scenery gives the visitor a tropical feeling.
This is a really blessed place.Visitors have the feeling of 4000 years of history and at the same time breath the air of modern and cosmopolitan life. After a lazy day in the beach you can walk in the full of flowers little streets of the upper Platanias, a lot of restaurants with fantastic view waiting for you, with delicious Cretan cuisine Platania is a fully organized small society with Medical Center, drugstores, Police Station, High school, Banks, Gas Stations, Hotels, Pensions, Restaurants - Taverns, Rent a Car, Cafe bar, Club,Disco, Travel Agencies, Jewelers and many other tourist or not enterprises which make Platania a significant touristic center.

A busy and exciting nightlife in Platanias makes sures that the excitement never ends. There are many bars but only a few discotheques. The nightlife is in all probability the liveliest in all of West Crete! Enjoy dancing to old rock n’ roll classics at The Rock House, or enjoy a pleasant ‘ruins’ ambience at the The Ruins, where old ruins are covered with green plants and made to look more beautiful. But a visit to the Utopia is a must, this is an open air bar that’s open day and night! The Chania International Airport on the Akrotiri Peninsula is the nearest airport for Platanias. And since, there are many direct charter flights to Chania from other parts of the world including UK, Germany, Scandinavia and other European countries its easy to reach Platanias from Chania more so as it is located on the main coastal road, just 14 km from Chania. There are frequent buses plying between the two places. The resort village of Platanias is built along a sandy beach. It is infested with tourists, mostly from Scandinavian countries, and others all of who come to Crete on package tours.