Matala - Heraklion Prefecture

MATALA. Matala is situated on the southern coast of Crete, at the end of the Messara plain, 65 km. from the airport of Heraklion. Matala became world famous by its unique location between the cliffs, which give numerous holes (ancient burial chambers) this location is a characteristic face. In the sixties Matala was the domain of hippies. Today, the caves can be visited during the day, but at night everything is closed. The closer one comes from Phaistos to Matala, the more the mountains from left and right meet. The beautiful bay where Matala is located is very narrow and opens up to the West. For visitors and inhabitants of Matala, every night there is a breathtaking sunset. The village is still expanding outwards, there are more and more new hotels and apartments being built. The old center is now closed to cars. There is a car park, just before the village directly on the beach. On the main road to Matala, during the last few hundred meters, there is also enough space for cars to park.