Trip Planner: Europe / Greece / Crete / Heraklion Prefecture / Matala / Matala Beach

Matala Beach, Matala

4.3

#1 of 120 in Outdoors in Heraklion Prefecture

Beach · Nature / Park

Create an itinerary including Matala Beach

Combine your beach visit with some cave exploration at Matala Beach, where the landscape features a rocky plateau that appears to be sliding into the sea. Climb up to access some of the caves, cut into the side of the sliding rock by the water over the years. There is one particularly large cave over the sea, and swimmers often paddle to its mouth to inspect the inside. Cafes, restaurants, and shops line the beach and offer facilities along the shore. Use our Matala vacation planner to arrange your visit to Matala Beach and other attractions in Matala.

Improve this listing »

Create a full itinerary - for free!

Tours to Matala Beach

FROM $39 BOOK WITH VIATOR Matala - Agia Galini - Spili Matala - Agia Galini - Spili

5.0

Duration: 10 hours

Tours from $39 ›

FROM $649 BOOK WITH VIATOR Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Heraklion Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Heraklion

5.0

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $649 ›

FROM $142 BOOK WITH VIATOR Paragliding Tours in Crete Paragliding Tours in Crete

5.0

Duration: 15 minutes

Tours from $142 ›

FROM $726 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Tour to South Crete: Ancient Gortyn, Monasteries and Matala Beach Private Tour to South Crete: Ancient Gortyn, Monasteries and Matala Beach

4.9

Duration: 8 to 9 hours

Tours from $726 ›

FROM $610 BOOK WITH VIATOR Orthodox Crete Private Tour: In the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul from 55 AD Orthodox Crete Private Tour: In the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul from 55 AD

5.0

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $610 ›

FROM $654 BOOK WITH VIATOR Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Elounda Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Elounda

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $654 ›

FROM $206 BOOK WITH VIATOR Safari V.I.P. Tour to Agiofarago and Matala with Lunch Safari V.I.P. Tour to Agiofarago and Matala with Lunch

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $206 ›

FROM $654 BOOK WITH VIATOR Matala Beach-Spili Village-Kournas Lake - (All inclusive) Full Day Private Tour Matala Beach-Spili Village-Kournas Lake - (All inclusive) Full Day Private Tour

Duration: 10 hours

Tours from $654 ›

FROM $693 BOOK WITH VIATOR Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Chania Ancient Palaces with Minoan Wine Routes & Iconic Matala Beach from Chania

Duration: 10 hours

Tours from $693 ›

FROM $593 BOOK WITH VIATOR Messara Messara

Duration: 8 hours

Tours from $593 ›

FROM $103 BOOK WITH VIATOR South Crete - The gorge of the Eremits, Sunset in Matala South Crete - The gorge of the Eremits, Sunset in Matala

Duration: 9 hours

Tours from $103 ›

Matala Beach reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

2,268 reviews

Google

4.5

By Rachel S

We drove to matala from hersonosus across width of Crete through beautiful scenery and gorges with goats on the hillside Stopped at a lovely Greek town ano arhanes and had lunch Greek tapas beautiful.... more

We drove to matala from hersonosus across width of Crete through beautiful scenery and gorges with goats on the hillside Stopped at a lovely Greek town ano arhanes and had lunch Greek tapas beautiful.... more »
By rahala309

I wasn't sure to expect from the "hippie beach", but this is a great beach for everyone! All day parking for 3€, modern public's toilets just above the beach. There are restaurants at the back of the.... more

I wasn't sure to expect from the "hippie beach", but this is a great beach for everyone! All day parking for 3€, modern public's toilets just above the beach. There are restaurants at the back of the.... more »
By PlanTravelRepeat

Fun beach to visit! Very picturesque with some small restaurants and shops to visit. Great parking for only 3 euros. The water was a little rough the day we were there, but we enjoyed putting our...

Fun beach to visit! Very picturesque with some small restaurants and shops to visit. Great parking for only 3 euros. The water was a little rough the day we were there, but we enjoyed putting our... more »

See more on TripAdvisor ›

Google

By Tour With Mystika

We did rent a car to be in this beach, and pay €3 for the parking, and you can park just in front of the beach.

more less
By Ritesh Sharan

Awesome area on the south side of Crete. It’s famous for its hippie built caves from the 1970’s which are marvels in their own right. There is a small 4Euro fee person to visit the caves but it’s worth it. Just make sure you have good shoes to climb as there are no real stairs to climb the upper levels of the caves. The beach itself is okish with quite a stony seabed and not so clear waters but the waters were warm and it was a very refreshing dip. There are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants nearby selling literally everything so that is also a nice walk around. One issue that we faced is that Matala is quite far from any nearby major cities. So you have to rent a car and drive around 80kms from Heraklion. The roads are well maintained though quite winding through the hills in the central region. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Crete.

more less
By Daniel Sander

The beach itself is very nice but not better than many others on the isle. The whole set incl. the hippie caves (entrance costs a few EUR) and the nice restaurants as well as some shops (a bit touristic) makes the set.

more less
By Marissa Barner

This beach is great! Lots to do if you need a break from laying out/swimming. We loved exploring the hippy caves, relaxing on the beach, eating, and shopping.

more less
By Andreea Cecilia

Just lovely! Well worth at least a day trip with an overnight to enjoy the sunset, have dinner and relax sipping a drink at the taverns and bars of the quaint village.

more less