If you’re looking for a relaxing seaside getaway in Crete, Matala Beach might be your best bet, especially if you plan to spend a lot of time near Heraklion.
The beach is home to the famous Matala Caves, which are over 2000 years old. They were built during Crete’s period of Roman Occupation. The caves were then discovered by the hippies of the 1960s and quickly became one of the top places to go in Europe.
But outside of the caves, there are also two sandy beaches.
Matala Beach is more built-up but still has a pretty chill atmosphere, and Red Beach is super secluded but requires a small hike.
We spent two nights here while road-tripping through Crete, and while we expected it to be overly touristy, it was actually quite relaxing.
We could have seen ourselves staying much longer if we’d had more time!
Matala ‘Hippie’ Beach
There aren’t a lot of sandy beaches in South Crete (many of them are pebble beaches), so we welcomed the opportunity to sunbathe on soft sand and take in the views.
These days, Matala Beach does feel a little run down. You can tell that in previous decades, it was a major backpacker hotspot in Europe. It’s still clinging to that despite being less popular now.
However, there’s still plenty of infrastructure.
On the right-hand side of the beach (north-facing), there were lines of sunbeds for rent and some open space where we laid out our beach towels under the caves. This is also the best spot to swim at Matala Beach. The other side is quite rocky and has a lot of sharp reefs.
Another cool thing to do at Matala Beach is go cliff jumping. If you swim out past the caves, there’s a small landing you can climb up to and jump from about 10 meters! The exact location is right here.
The left-hand side of the beach (south-facing) has some umbrellas, but most of this side is lined with small cafes and seafood tavernas overlooking the water.
Here are a few of the best restaurants to check out on the water:
- Petra & Votsalo – We had some delicious Greek Mezze dishes here with an excellent view.
- Plaka Matala – Fancier Seafood dishes. They were actually having a wedding reception here, and when we walked by, they asked if we were planning to join, haha!
- Skála – This is another Greek seafood restaurant with possibly the best-tasting dishes in Matala AND the best view of the beach. Expect to spend about €25+ per plate, though.
Matala Beach Caves
The caves of Matala date back thousands of years, but most people know about them due to a large group from the hippie movement settling here, bringing them to life in the 1960s-1970s.
There were some really famous figures from the movement to live here, including Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, who famously referenced Matala in her song “Carey,”
We expected to be underwhelmed by the caves, but seeing them in person was really something. Some of them are huge, and you can climb up over 4 stories, exploring different nooks and crannies!
History
The origins of the Matala Caves are a bit of a mystery, but they are believed to have been created during the Neolithic and later expanded in the Roman period, which would place their initial creation anywhere from 4,000 to 3,000 BCE, with significant use and expansion under Roman rule from around the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE.
There is some debate about whether the caves were primarily used as tombs or housing. They seem too small to house a family but are much bigger than what would be necessary for a tomb.
Either way, they were abandoned for years after this until the 1960s, when a large group from the hippie movement settled in Matala.
These free thinkers made homes out of the caves and created a large community of people, seeing a simpler life away from the constraints of society.
However, government officials eventually drove them out and turned the caves into a tourist attraction.
Visiting the Caves Today
Today, the Matala Caves are a protected archaeological site, and you have to pay a small entrance fee that goes towards the continued preservation of the site.
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Entrance Fee: €2 per person
You pay the entrance fee at a small shack on the right-hand side of Matala Beach.
It’s pretty easy to spot, and the rest of the ground below the caves is fenced in, so this is the only entry point.
We got there right when they opened to avoid the crowds and climbed around the ancient caves for over two hours. Every time we thought we had seen it all, we’d discover another passageway with a few more rooms!
You do need solid shoes because there are very limited guardrails and a decent amount of scrambling and climbing to get to certain sections.
Matala Beach Festival
The Matala Beach Festival is the largest annual event at Matala. It started in 2011 and has grown from a small gathering to a massive three-day music festival featuring some of Greece’s best Rock, Folk, and Reggae musicians.
It typically happens in July, but you can check their website for this year’s dates and lineup.
Red Beach
Some people say Matala’s Red Beach is even more beautiful than Matala Beach, but it’s hard to compare the two because they are so different!
Red Beach (a.k.a. Kokkini Ammos) is way more secluded, better for swimming, and extremely natural.
Yes, it’s a mostly nudist beach, which we feel should be made completely clear just in case you’re traveling with kids or don’t feel super comfortable with that.
But outside of people letting it all hang out, this beach is also better for swimming and relaxing without the crowds. The ocean floor is almost all sandy, and there’s so much space to find your own secluded spot and have peace and quiet for a few hours.
You can’t really get that at Matala Beach.
There are also fewer facilities. The only place to eat is a small brunch restaurant called ‘Εxtra Vitamin Street’ and a small beach bar that proudly claims to have the “best mojitos in the world.” In past years, there were no sunbeds either, but recently, they’ve started to add them as more people learn about the beach.
Hiking Trail to Red Beach
To get to Red Beach, you have to follow an easy 1.2-mile trail up and over the cliffs on the left-hand side of the beach. It takes about 25 minutes, depending on your pace, and there are plenty of spots to stop and rest with a view along the trail.
However, I thought the trailhead was pretty tricky to find. Eventually, I realized it was because I was looking in the wrong place.
On Alltrails, the path seems to start right in the center of town, but that’s not true. You have to walk along the boardwalk on the south coast of the beach until you get to the final restaurant, Restaurant Scala.
From there, the part curves around the seaside buildings and starts up the rocky cliffs towards Red Beach.
It was straightforward after that, and I thought the path was maintained really well.
How to Get To Matala
Matala is in a pretty remote part of Crete, but it’s not that hard to get to from other places in Western Crete.
The closest tourist town is Agia Galina, about 30 kilometers north, and the nearest major city is Heraklion, which is slightly over 1 hour by car.
Driving to Matala
If you rent a car in Crete, it’s as simple as plugging ‘Matala Beach’ into Google Maps. The roads are easy to follow, and there aren’t any backroads to navigate.
We drove to Matala in the dark after having dinner in Agia Galina, and it still wasn’t hard to get there, even at night!
We do want to make clear that if you’re just taking a day trip to Matala, you should try to schedule it from somewhere in Western Crete. The town is pretty far from Chania, Rethymno, and Platanias, so day trips from these cities will require 3-4 hours in the car roundtrip.
Want To Rent a Car in Crete?
This was the best decision we made on our trip to Crete. It allowed us to see so much more of the island!
Bus from Heralkion to Matala
This bus route costs about €8.50 and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes.
All of these buses start at Heraklion Bus Station, and there are limited timetables. At the time of writing, there are only two buses from Heraklion to Matala on the weekdays (7:30, 12:45), two buses on Saturday (7:30, 11:30), and three buses on Sunday (7:30, 11:30, 14:30).
If you miss the final bus, you can always book a taxi to Matala. This is much more expensive, but it’s always an option as a last resort!
Day tour to Matala Caves
If you don’t have time to spend the night in Matala and want to take a day tour from Heraklion, this archaeological tour is perfect!
They take care of all transportation (including offering 11 pickup locations between Malia and Heraklion), and you’ll have a personal tour guide to teach you about Matala’s history.
The other cool part of this tour is that it stops at the Archaeological Site of Gortyna on the way, which is another awesome site from the Minoan Era in Crete.
Best Matala Beach Hotels
There’s enough to do in and around Matala to warrant staying here for a couple of nights. We spent two nights in Matala, and that was perfect.
One day, we relaxed on the main beach and saw the caves, and the following morning, we hiked to Red Beach to have a more chill day!
Best Budget Hostel – Matala Hostel
We stayed in the ‘double room with a private bathroom’ at Matala Hostel. While it wasn’t the fanciest place to stay, it was everything we needed and way more spacious than most hostels we’ve stayed at before.
There was a large kitchen, so we could cook our own dinners when we wanted to save a few bucks, and a large common area for hanging out or getting some work done. Every room had air conditioning, and we thought that the hosts and employees were very hospitable.
The beach was walkable at 750 meters, but since we had our own car, we always chose to drive.
Best Mid-Range Hotel – Fantastic Matala
Fantastic Matala offers some of the best value for your dollar in the beach town.
I wish we had looked for a place earlier, but when we were ready to book our room here, it was completely sold out.
It’s not much more expensive than the hostel, but the room has a private terrace or balcony, a private kitchenette, and very homey decor. You can also cancel free of charge up to two weeks before your trip!
Best Luxury Villa – Matala Bay Hotel & Apartments
Matala Bay Hotel & Apartments is the most well-known place to stay in Matala. We have heard people from Crete also refer to it as ‘Matala Resort.’
They have everything from smaller budget double rooms to huge 2-bedroom luxury suites, and all the rooms have breakfast included. You can even get dinner for two, which is included in the price of the room, for a small surcharge ($20/night).
I remember when we first passed this place. It looked like such a beautiful place to stay, so if you have the budget, go for it!
Camping in Matala
If you want to live out the hippie lifestyle of the ’60s and ’70s, swap your hotel bed for a campsite and sleep under the stars! Matala Campground is right behind the beach, below the caves, and super affordable. The rates start at just €3 for a tent and €4.50 per person.
But expect to completely rough it.
The reviews are terrible. From what I can gather, the shower, toilets, and lighting usually work, but most people say it looks abandoned. You’ll also need to bring your own toilet paper and an external battery in case the outlets aren’t working.
Closing Thoughts
Matala is a beautiful area to spend some time in Crete. We loved relaxing on the beaches, and the caves were way more interesting than expected. I guess we thought we’d be let down a bit.
If you have a month in Crete, like we did, it’s not hard to find time to come here. If you don’t have enough time or are spending the entire trip near Chania, you might want to check out some more accessible.
They won’t have the exact same scenery, but it will be equally as impressive.
Stavros Beach, Balos Beach, and Seitan Limania have some of the most impressive scenery.
But if you’re craving history, then you should add Katholiko Monestary to your itinerary!
