Picture Guide for Matala - Iraklio Prefecture, Crete

Caves - Centre - Beach

Matala can be found on the south coast of central Crete and just to the south-west of Heraklion. It sits in the Heraklion / Iraklio prefecture and looks out over the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mesara.

Map of Central Crete from makeitcrete.com - Flickr Search - YouTube Search

The Caves

The Beach

The shops and village centre

Most recently famous for the numbers of 'hippies', the late 1960s mood is captured forever in Joni Mitchell's song Carey, those visitors who inhabited the caves above the shoreline of the village four decades ago, the village is now a popular and thriving holiday resort. The warren of caves, now long abandoned once more, were originally Roman burial chambers and cut by man. They are open daily to visitors for a small admission charge.

With the departure of the 'hippies' the town has grown into a successful and prosperous resort offering all the sun, clear seas and golden sands, together with places to stay, cafes and shops, that the holiday maker could desire