Matala Beach
Matala Beach Vacation & Travel Guide
Matala is a beach on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the south-east corner of Crete, Greece and is popular with tourists for its natural beauty and its archaeological ruins. It is a popular tourist resort and there are plenty of places to eat and drink.
In the region of Heraklion, there is a small village and the beach of the same name Matala, which has invariably attracted many tourists for several decades. It all started in the 60s when the hippie epidemic swept the world. For some unknown reason, it is Matala beach that has found great popularity among this culture.
Matala beach is famous primarily for its caves, which were carved into the rocks of the bay during the Neolithic period. Then the caves were used as burial places. During the hippie invasion, celebrities such as Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, and Joni Mitchell lived in these caves. The Rolling Stones also performed on Matala Beach.
Today Matala beach is a pleasant place to relax. Hippies were kicked out of here a long time ago, and in memory of the old days, a small nudist beach has been preserved nearby, which to this day does not lose popularity.
Matala Photos
Videos
Beach infrastructure
Occupancy
Matala Beach Weather
The climate in Matale is very mild due to the combination of sea and mountains surrounding the bay. The beach season lasts almost six months – from late May to mid-October.
The best time to travel is summer and September, but those who do not tolerate extreme heat should take into account that in July and August the air can warm up to extreme temperatures of 35-40 ° C.
In general, the average air temperature in the high season is 29-30 ° C, and the water temperature is + 25-26 ° C. Precipitation, as a rule, is extremely rare. In the low season, the air and water warm-up the same – up to a maximum of + 16 ° C, it may rain.
In fact, you can plan an excursion vacation in Matale all year round, but it is better to avoid December – it has the highest rainfall, and also keep in mind that quite strong winds can blow in Matale even in high season – being on the island affects.
Sports on the Beach
Diving
Kiting
Surfing
Windsurfing
How to get to the Matala
By bus
Regular buses run by KTEL to the beach. The journey will take about 2 hours. One way ticket – € 8.5. Detailed schedule on the official website. Departure from Heraklion from the Central Bus Station.
By car
From Heraklion: 70 km, journey duration of about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Matala Beach is located on the border between Asterousia and Messara mountains. To get to the beach, you need to take the E75 federal highway, turn south and take the built-in road that leads to Timbaki. Further, straight to the village of Mires. When you reach it, take the road that leads to Matala. The route runs through the most beautiful places of Crete – through the mountains, valleys, the villages of Sivas, Agia Varvara, Agio Deka, and the town of Mori
By taxi
From Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in the city of Iraklion, you can take an economical Kiwitaxi taxi (for a family or a group of up to four people) or a personal minibus (for a group of seven to nineteen people).
Hotels near Matala
There are hotels in the village where you can always stay to enjoy this unique place. In addition to traditional Cretan cuisine, local taverns serve fresh fish from the Libyan Sea, local wines and tsikoudia (grape vodka).