Bonjour lecteurs! If you are looking for a great family-friendly destination, then Chania in Crete is your place! We ‘ve been twice already to the beautiful Greek island. But this year, we stayed at Kalyves Beach Hotel, so we discovered Chania and its area. During our recent holiday with Kalyves Beach Hotel, we explored quite a bit the area and here is for you 7 Things To Do Around Chania With Kids.
Stay With SeaCrete Hotels
If you are looking for a family-friendly hotel in the area of Chania, regardez SeaCrete Hotels.
Si vous préférez a big resort type, then Kiani Beach would make a great option for you with its numerous pools and all the entertainment.
C’est parfait for families, right by the beach. While we visited the area, we stayed at the sister hotel Kalyves Beach Hotel and we loved that it was right in the centre of a picturesque village.
It was great as we were not far from Chania, but we could also explore further with a car. We used Kalyves Travel and it’s a great car rental service.
It was the easiest company we got to test. We got the car in the morning and left it in the car park nearby the hotel et voilà!
Kalyves Cruise
While Chania is a bigger town and has lot to offer, don’t miss cute little villages like Kalyves. As we literally stayed there, we had many walks in the village.
It was beautiful to walk along the paved streets, stop by the church, but also the marina.
We even booked a mini croisière with Kalyves Cruises and I must say that the team, Yannis and Nikos were just fabulous!
They took us on a cruise for about 4 hours, around all the area of Kalyves and we even got to swim in the sea!
For only 40 euros per person, you get a great experience.
Gavalochori
During our Cretan holiday, we also made it to the village of Gavalochori where we visited the museum and learned about the old way of life there.
It’s a small site, but for only 4 euros, you get to discover about the historical folklore and things like iconostasis, which is basically the art of wood carving.
We also loved walking around the village, stopping by cute shops and buy handmade pottery.
We used Let’s Crete when we went to Gavalochori and you could not make it easier. Littéralement!
Our driver picked us up and we were out all day exploring different places. They have all sorts of excursions and it’s actually quite handy! Especially as some local roads are really narrow!
Go For a Trek in Rocca
But we were still adventurous and made it to Rocca when we had our car with Kalyves Travel and it was simply beautiful!
We loved walking around the montagne and we certainly enjoyed some incredible views!
It’s a very pretty and quiet hike. We went up the hill and saw some goats but you can also descend from le village of Rokka and get into the gorge.
It was absolutely dead when we checked it out but I reckon you can go on a proper hike there!
Don’t forget your walking shoes as it’s quite steep and rocky but doable with young kids like Stanley.
Visit An Olive Oil Factory
If you are a bit of a gourmet, you definitely need to stop by an Olive Factory.
We made it to the Kanakis Factory and enjoyed une sélection of olive oils. I particularly liked la dégustation with some extra salt.
But we also saw the factory at the back and we were explained the process. Did you know? You can actually use olive pit in pellet boiler to warm your house?! Now, that’s what I call being sustainable!
Swim in Falassarna Beach
Crete has so many beautiful plages. We decided to explore Falassarna Beach which is on the Western Coast.
Fameuse for its powdery white and pink sand, stunning sunset views, and tranquil atmosphere, it’s a must-see if you are in Chania.
We drove down the dunes to arrive to the quiet plage and also enjoy some lovely lunch at one the the restaurants.
We were lucky because it was a relatively quiet day, but arrive as early as possible because it’s very popular and many enjoy jet-skying there.
How beautiful is it?!
Lake Kournas
Another beautiful spot worth a visit in the area is the Lake Kournas.
Rent a paddle boat for an hour or so and enjoy the fauna and flora. It’s a another beautiful place and you can even spot some turtles in the water!
It’s actually a protected area of the Natura 2000 Network, so a very important part of the Greek ecosystem.
No wonder with it is a favourite destination for both locals and tourists. C’est parfait for to enjoy a relaxing walk or even savour some traditional Cretan dishes offered by the restaurants. Plus the view is simply incredible.
The Unmissable Chania
Et bien sûr, stop by Chania which is the main city on the northwest coast of Crete.
Famous for its 4th-century Venetian harbour and narrow streets, you will get back in time in this beautiful town full of colours.
Walk around the shops, enjoy an ice-cream, admire the 16th-century lighthouse or even stop by its Nautical Museum.
It’s fameux for its model ships, naval objects and photographs and you can discover more about all the influences of the town though the centuries.
Et voilà for you 7 Things To Do Around Chania With Kids. I hope you like les idées and you will book your stay in Crete very soon. If you want to read more about our trip this year, check out my Kalyves Beach Hotel Review.
If you are booked to see Heraklion on the other side of the island, I also have a some activités for you to do there with your family in my Family Break in Crete with Jet2.
Where will you go next on a family adventure?
Thanks for reading as always.
Disclosure: Some of those activities were covered during my collaboration with Kalyves Beach Hotel. We paid ourselves for others.
The beach looks amazing! The sea looks so blue and clear!
Looks like lots to do!
What an amazing place- love to experience for ourselves
Been to crete before but not this area, looks lovely
Lovely
Great ideas
The beaches look soooo white looks beautiful
It looks like there is plenty for the kids to do and all that sunshine and blue skies looks perfect