Travel Guide Matala

70 km from Heraklion, this site was already populated during the Neolithic period, when artificial caves were dug in the cliffs around the beach to bury the dead. The village was bustling in the 1960s and 1970s, when hippies and alternative lifestylers from all over the world came to settle in the caves overlooking its large sandy beach on the left, as well as on the surrounding hills and beaches. Famous singers of the time such as Joni Mitchell (who immortalized this period in her song Carey in 1971), Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan... stayed there for a while. However, that era of freedom is long gone. Today, the police forbid to spend the night in these primitive dwellings and Matala has developed to attract more conventional tourism. The beach is still spectacular, bordered by the famous grotto-dombs that reach out into the sea, and the beach still has its spectacular side. On calm seas, the remains of an ancient city can be seen at the bottom of the water: Matala was one of the ports of Phaestos. Beyond the caves, impressive rock formations allow for a superb wild ride along the sea. The city is crowded in summer and deserted in winter. Hotels and other tourist constructions have grown there especially in the back part of the village. For the rest, life is organized around the main artery, pedestrian as soon as it enters the village, where most of the tourist shops follow one another before ending up on a half-covered market selling a bit of everything. The pavements of the main square are decorated with drawings with (more or less) hippie connotations! If you're in the area at the end of June, enjoy the increasingly popular music festival (www.matalabeachfestival.org).