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Matala Beach, Matala

4.3
#1 of 121 in Outdoors in Heraklion Prefecture
Beach · Nature / Park
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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.
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Matala Beach reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
2,272 reviews
Google
4.5
TripAdvisor
  • The beach is nice, kids loved playing in the sand, water was a little deep after a few feet so had to be careful for our little one. The town was cute but small lots of touristy shops, little... 
    The beach is nice, kids loved playing in the sand, water was a little deep after a few feet so had to be careful for our little one. The town was cute but small lots of touristy shops, little...  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
    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 »
Google
  • 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.
  • 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.

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