[3] Platanias (and the neighbouring village of Agia Marina) is a popular tourism village with beaches, several hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and souvenir shops.

The area is especially popular with Scandinavian tourists with the season running from April to October.

It is on the north coast, forming the eastern shore of Kissamos Bay (Kolpos Kissamou Kόλπος Κισσάμου), and the west and south shores of Chania Bay (Kolpos Chanion Κόλπος Χανίων).

It is bordered by Kissamos (5) to the west, Kantanos-Selino (4) to the south, Chania (1) to the east, and Sfakia (7) in the southeast.

Its northeast region is the Rodopos Peninsula (Chersonisos Rodopou Χερσόνησος Ροδωπού).