Last Updated on July 13, 2022 by Louise
Are you a family looking for the best things to do with kids and teenagers in Hersonissos, Crete?
We visited Hersonissos with my teenage son (aged 15) and my tween son (aged 10) in June 2022.
Hersonissos is a great place to visit for families with kids and teenagers as there is so much for them to do.
A taxi from Heraklion airport to Hersonissos is approximately 20 minutes.
Hersonissos is a great place to hire a car and explore the island. However, if you don’t want to hire a car, there is lots to do in the resort and surrounding areas so you won’t need to.
Read on for the 10 best things to do with kids and teenagers in Hersonissos.
Star Beach
Star beach has something for everybody!
Entrance to the beach is free. We spent our first day sitting on the edge of the water sunbathing and dangling our feet in the sea while the kids snorkelled.
If your kids love snorkelling, Star Beach is ideal. The water was clear. There were plenty of fish to spot. We visited other beaches in Hersonissos and the water was too rough to snorkel. In contrast, the calmer waters at Star beach were perfect.
Water Slides at Star Beach
The kid’s favourite activity at Star Beach were the waterslides. We each paid 10 euros to use the water slides all day, which is great value. The slides included the kamikaze slide, a yellow and red race slide, a white curly slide and the black hole .
My 10 year old loved the slides the most. You couldn’t get him off! My teenager enjoyed them too.
There are also water play areas and water slides for younger children which are free to use. You can hire a sun lounger while your kids play here.
Water Sports
If your teenager wants even more adrenaline try some of the other water sports available at the beach which include parasailing and banana boats.
Top Tip
Star Beach also attracts the 18 to 30 crowd to the VIP beach area. Families and the 18 to 30 crowd mingle with no problem! It’s fun to watch all the Mums and Dads moving and dancing to the music. However, the music gets louder later in the afternoon which I loved but might not be to everyone’s tastes. If you want some peace and quiet, head down to Star beach before lunchtime which is before the music starts.
Lychnostatis Open Air Museum
Photo credit: Myhersonissos / Wikimedia Commons
I couldn’t get my kids to come with me to visit Lychnostatis Open Air Museum. It was too hard to pull them away from the beach, pool and water slides. However, this little place has fantastic reviews on Tripadvisor. If your kids or teens have an interest in history, this is a great place to come.
They can learn about Cretian life in the past through traditional buildings and displays. There’s lots to see, touch and explore. A visit lasts about 1 to 2 hours.
The staff are very friendly. The entrance is very reasonably priced. It’s the perfect thing to do to have some respite from the midday sun. The museum is on the seafront so why not combine a visit with a trip to the beach after?
Find out more at Lychnostatis Open Air Museum
Acqua Plus Water Park
Photo credit: Aqua Plus Water Park
If you love water parks, you’ll be spoiled for choice in Hersonissos.
The Acqua Plus water park was the first park to be built in the area of East Europe.
It’s located about 5km from Hersonissos. You could get a taxi here, drive in a hire car or there are pick up points by bus at certain points around the island.
There are over 50 slides and games with a children’s section and an adrenaline filled section for adults. They include race slides, two black holes, a crazy river, kamikaze and hydrotube.
If you want to relax or play with smaller kids, activities include a hydromassage, lazy river, fish spa, playground and mini hydrotube.
You can also play games like pool and table tennis.
Find out more at the Acqua Plus Water Park website.
Water City Water Park
Photo credit: Water City Water Park
Water City Water Park is approximately a 20 minute drive away from Hersonissos.
There are 34 water slides and games with choices for kids, teenagers and adults. The slides are in one of 3 categories, kids, advanced and extreme.
The rides for children under 1m 40cm include mini race slides, a lazy river, a water play park and giant pool.
For more advanced riders, try hyper race slides, wave pools, Tarzan’s game, tube slides and the body slide cyclone.
If you want extreme fun, there’s a toboggan slide, the sidewinder-boomerango and the kamikaze.
Find out more at the Water City Park website.
Go Karting at KartLand
Photo credit : Kartland Hersonissos / Facebook
Just behind Star Beach, you’ll find KartLand, Hersonissos. The track is impressive and the karts are fast.
It’s open day and night and if you pick the right time you can have the track to yourself.
Kids and teenagers will love having a go. Younger kids can ride with Mum or Dad if they prefer.
Find out more at KartLand Facebook page.
Labyrinth Theme Park
Photo credit : Labyrinth Theme Park
Labyrinth Theme park is only a few kilometers from Hersonissos. You’ll need a car to get here from Hersonissos or you could get a taxi. It’s ideal for kids aged 12 and under.
You pay an entrance fee of 10 euros which gives you access to the park, a game of mini golf , the organic garden and the fun of the labyrinth maze.
The Labyrinth maze is 1,300 square metres. It’s fantastic fun and a great challenge.
After this you pay 3 euros per person for any of the other activities which include escape rooms, quad bikes, archery and pottery. The quad bikes are suitable for kids from 4 to 11 years old.
Find out more at Labyrinth Theme Park website
Dinsoauria Park, Gournes
Photo credit: Dinosauria Park website
Dinsoauria Park in Gournes is about a 10 minute taxi or car ride from Hersonissos.
If you have kids under 10 who love dinosaurs, the park is not to be missed. It’s particularly good for younger children.
Some of the top attractions that both kids and adults will enjoy are the 5D cinema and the planetarium.
There’s lots of other stuff to see and do including seeing the animatronic dinosaurs, an excavation area – where kids can excavate dinosaur fossils in the sand, a playground and dino hospital.
Find out more at Dinsoauria Park website.
Aquaworld Aquarium and Reptile Rescue Centre
Photo credit : Aquaworld Aquarium website.
Aquaworld is Crete’s first aquarium. See local reptiles and aquatic life from Crete and all around the world. The attraction is located close to the Port of Hersonissos,
Many of the animals have been rescued so the centre is doing fantastic work as well as being a top Crete attraction on TripAdvisor.
There is information about each animal in different languages.
Aquaworld encourages taking photos and getting up close and personal with some of the animals and you may be able to handle snakes, stroke tortoises and watch the snakes and octopus get fed.
Find out more at Aquaworld Aquarium website.
Shop Til You Drop
If your child or teenager loves shopping there are plenty of shops to browse around.
There are many clothes shops that teens may like. You can pick up a new holiday wardrobe if you so desire!
There’s also plenty of tourist shops will souvenirs to take home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Taking a Family to Hersonissos in Crete
What time of Year Should You Go to Hersonissos?
Summer is the best time to go to Hersonissos in Crete between the months of May until September.
We went the first week in June and the weather was amazing. Absolutely perfect! There were blue skies and hot sunshine with a lovely cooling breeze. The temperature was around the mid to late twenties. The breeze was very much needed.
Where To Stay in Hersonissos?
You’ll be spoiled for choice of places to stay in Hersonissos as there are so many hotels. Here are a few popular choices.
Star Beach Village
Star Beach Village is 300m from Star beach. It’s a popular hotel with families and it’s not hard to see why. It boasts a wide range of facilities and activities including pools with tons of slides and play areas for younger kids . There are family activities during the day and entertainment in the evenings. Residents of Star Beach village have free access to Star beach water park mentioned earlier in the article. They also do a great all inclusive package.
It’s a great hotel if you have tweens and teenagers who will appreciate the water slides. They should occupy them for at least a couple of days.
King Minos Palace
If you fancy a quieter more sedate hotel, King Minos Palace is where we stayed. The four star hotel has a lovely big swimming pool and facilities including table tennis, tennis, volleyball, mini football pitch, outdoor chess and a small gym. We stayed half board and found the breakfast and evening meals had plenty of choice, even our fussy kids could find food that they liked. Personally I thought the food was lovely. As well as catering for families, it’s popular with over 50s crowd but this means the hotel is quieter than others. The staff there were all very friendly and went out of their way to help. The rooms are also spotlessly clean.
There is a nice beach about a 5 to 10 minute walk away. You do need to walk under an underpass to get there. However we preferred Star beach because the water was calmer for snorkelling so we walked there most days which took us about 15 minutes.
Serita Beach Hotel
Serita Beach Hotel is the hotel to go to for 5 star luxury.
The hotel has a very good kids club, great if you have younger kids. There are also children’s services available on request such as babysitting (at an extra charge). The outdoor swimming pool has a water slide and two mini slides for younger kids. There’s an entertainment team to keep you occupied 6 days a week. Young kids will also love the children’s disco.
Other facilities include tennis courts, table tennis, a children’s playground, evening entertainment, kids meals and lots more!
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