Matala

The cliff at the northern end of Matala's bay is cut with dozens of chambers, artificial caves that go back to the Neolithic Age, later probably used as tombs and at various times since as shelters. In the 1960s and early 1970s travellers moved in, and Matala became one of the fixed points of the hippie trail, a period the town now commemorates with a summer festival, painted signs and a beach-front that trades openly on the memory; Joni Mitchell's song Carey was written here. The caves are fenced and ticketed now, visited on a path along the cliff. The bay itself is sand and pebble with clear water, and a short walk over the headland leads to Red Beach, a sheltered cove reached by a rough path.

History

The artificial caves in the cliff of the bay go back to the Neolithic Age; in the Minoan period Matala was the port of Phaistos, in 220 BC it was taken by Gortyn, and under the Romans it served as the port of Gortys. It later became a fishing village, and in the 1960s travellers lived in the caves until they were driven out, a period the town now celebrates with a three-day festival (Wikipedia, Matala, Crete).

What you'll find

• The cave cliff - ancient rock-cut chambers honeycombing the rock face.
• The bay - sand and pebble beach with clear water below the caves.
• Red Beach - a cove over the headland, reached on a rough path.
• The 1960s legacy - festival, murals and the town's counterculture branding.

When to go

May, June and September for the beach without the crush; the hippie festival in June fills the town. Sunset from the cliff path is the local ritual.

Good to know

The town leans hard on its nostalgia and is thoroughly commercial in season. The caves take twenty minutes to visit and are closed outside opening hours. The path to Red Beach is steep and loose.

Nearby

Phaistos and Gortyn lie inland; Agiofarago gorge is along the coast to the east.

Key facts