Matala, Crete: The Caves, the Beach and Whether It's Worth the Drive
Matala is 70km south-west of Heraklion — hippie caves carved into the cliff, a sandy bay on the Libyan Sea, and the gateway to south-central Crete. What to expect and how to plan it.
Where Matala Actually Is
Matala sits on Crete’s south coast, roughly 70km south-west of Heraklion, at the point where the wide Messara plain runs into the Asteroussia mountains. It is in the Heraklion regional unit — about 1h15–1h30 by car from Heraklion, and around 2.5 hours from Chania.
That distance matters for planning. Matala is comfortably a day trip from Heraklion or anywhere in central Crete. From Chania it is most of a day in the car before you have swum in anything, and western Crete has its own south coast that is much closer — our sister site covers that at the south coast of Crete.
The Caves
The cliff on the north side of the bay is honeycombed with chambers cut into soft sandstone. They are Roman-era tombs, cut into rock that had been used far earlier, and they are the reason most people come.
Their modern fame is more recent. In the late 1960s Matala became a stop on the hippie trail and people lived in the caves — Joni Mitchell among the visitors, and the period is thoroughly commemorated around the village today. The authorities cleared them in the 1970s and the site is now fenced, ticketed and managed as an archaeological site.
What to expect: a small site with a modest entry fee, an hour is plenty, and the walkways get hot with no shade. Go early or late. The view back over the bay from up in the rock is the thing people remember.
The Beach
The main bay is sandy, organised and sheltered, with sunbeds, tavernas along the front and clear water. It is a genuinely good swimming beach rather than a scenic afterthought, and the cliffs give it an enclosed, amphitheatre feel that few Cretan beaches have.
Red Beach lies over the headland to the south — a 20–30 minute walk on a rough, steep path in full sun. It is smaller, quieter, has no facilities to speak of, and is unofficially clothing-optional. Take water and proper shoes; people underestimate the path.
Kommos, a few kilometres north, is a long open stretch of sand with a Minoan harbour site at one end, a loggerhead turtle nesting beach, and far fewer people.
Is It Worth the Drive?
Honestly: yes, but manage your expectations.
Matala is a small village that has been famous for sixty years and is fully aware of it. In July and August the coaches arrive and the front is busy. Nobody comes here for undiscovered Crete.
What it does have is a combination you will not find elsewhere on the island — a striking bay, a genuinely unusual archaeological site you can walk into, sixty years of counterculture history worn openly, and easy access to the emptier south-coast beaches nearby. It also makes very natural sense paired with Phaistos, the second-largest Minoan palace, which sits on the way.
Go if: you want a south coast day with history attached, you are visiting Phaistos anyway, or you want to swim in the Libyan Sea. Skip it if: you are chasing empty beaches in August, or you only have two days in Crete.
Pairing It With Phaistos
This is the trip most people should do. Phaistos sits on a ridge above the Messara plain, roughly 20 minutes inland from Matala, and it is the natural companion: far quieter than Knossos, with a setting that is arguably more impressive than the ruins themselves.
A good shape for the day: Phaistos first thing while it is cool, down to Matala for lunch and the caves, then the afternoon on the beach, and back over the plain in the evening. Agia Triada, a smaller Minoan villa site, is a five-minute detour from Phaistos and is included on some tickets.
Getting There
By car — about 1h15–1h30 from Heraklion, via the highway south to Moires and then west across the Messara. Straightforward driving by Cretan standards, with none of the mountain hairpins that the south-west coast demands. Parking in Matala is paid and fills up in high season; arrive before 11am in July and August.
By bus — KTEL runs from Heraklion in roughly 2 hours, with reduced frequency outside summer. Workable, but it constrains your day considerably and rules out Phaistos on the same trip.
By tour — organised day trips run in season, usually combining Matala with Phaistos and sometimes Gortyna. Sensible if you would rather not drive, though you get less time on the beach.
Staying Over
Matala has a decent supply of small hotels, studios and rooms, and the village genuinely changes in the evening once the day-trippers leave — the tavernas fill with people who are staying, and the sunset over the bay is the best hour of the day.
Staying one or two nights also opens up the things a day trip never reaches: Agiofarango, a gorge walk down to a tiny beach; Lentas further east; and the long empty sands around Kommos.
If you are basing yourself in Heraklion and treating this as a day out, our where to stay in Heraklion guide covers the city end.
When to Go
- May–June and September–early October — warm sea, manageable crowds, comfortable walking to Red Beach. The best window by a distance.
- July–August — hot, busy, and the cave walkways are punishing at midday. Go early, swim, and stay for the evening.
- November–March — quiet and often lovely, but many tavernas and rooms close, and bus frequencies drop sharply.
The month-by-month picture for this side of the island is in our best time to visit Heraklion guide.
Practical Notes
- Arrive before 11am in high season for parking and for the caves before the heat.
- Take proper shoes for Red Beach. The path is rough, steep and fully exposed.
- Bring cash. Card acceptance is patchy in the smaller places.
- Combine it with Phaistos. Doing Matala alone is a lot of driving for one bay.
- Stay for the evening if you can. The village is a different place after about 6pm.
More on this side of the island in our Heraklion beaches guide and top things to do in Heraklion. Heading west afterwards? Chania is about 3 hours from here — our sister site covers it at Stay In Chania.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Matala in Crete? ▾
On the south coast, about 70km south-west of Heraklion in the Heraklion regional unit, where the Messara plain meets the Asteroussia mountains. It is roughly a 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 drive from Heraklion — and around 2.5 hours from Chania, which is why it is a Heraklion trip rather than a Chania one.
Are the Matala caves worth visiting? ▾
Yes, if you understand what they are. They are Roman-era tombs carved into the sandstone cliff, later famous as the place hippies lived in the late 1960s. It is a small site — an hour covers it — and there is a modest entry fee. The combination of the caves, the bay and the history is what makes it, not any one of them alone.
Can you swim at Matala? ▾
Yes. The main bay is a sandy, well-organised beach with sunbeds and tavernas, sheltered by the cliffs on one side. Red Beach, a 20-30 minute walk over the headland, is quieter and unofficially clothing-optional.
How do you get to Matala from Heraklion? ▾
By car in about 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 via Moires and the Messara plain, which is by far the easiest option. KTEL buses run from Heraklion, taking around 2 hours, with reduced frequency outside summer. Organised day trips also run in season.
Is Matala a day trip or worth staying overnight? ▾
It works as a day trip from Heraklion, especially combined with Phaistos. But the village is at its best in the evening once the coaches leave, and staying a night or two opens up Kommos, Agiofarango and the quieter south-coast beaches nearby.