Matala Hippie Beach Tour
This day trip crosses Crete from the north coast to Matala, the south-coast village where Roman rock tombs became homes for the hippie community of the late 1960s. Matala sits in a sheltered bay below cliffs cut with those caves, and the trip gives you free time to swim, explore the caves and walk the village. ETHERION runs it from €34 with free pick-up anywhere between Malia and Ammoudara, and it holds a 3.81 rating across 30 reviews.
What this day trip actually does
The coach runs south across the island, spends the afternoon in Matala and returns to Heraklion. Three things fill the time on site.
First is the beach, a curve of fine sand in a calm bay with clear water and cliffs at either end. Second are the caves, carved into the soft rock as Roman tombs and occupied by the flower children in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they are the reason most people come, and entry costs €4 separately. Third is the village, with small shops, tavernas along the water and the ruins of Roman buildings including a bath and an arena near the shore.
Matala’s history runs deeper than the hippies. Both the Minoans and the Romans used the bay as a harbour, and Greek myth places it as the spot where Zeus, in the form of a bull, came ashore with Europa.
Places this tour visits
The trip crosses from the Heraklion coast to the southern shore, ending at one beach.
- Matala, the whole day is spent at Matala beach, where the cave-cut cliff sits directly at the north end of the sand.
What’s included and what isn’t
The fare covers the coach, the guide and the pick-up, and it excludes the cave entry and everything you eat.
Included:
- Professional multilingual guide
- Professional driver
- Air-conditioned coach transfer
- Free pick-up from anywhere between Malia and Ammoudara
- Liability insurance
Not included:
- Entry to the Matala caves, €4
- Tips and personal expenses
Why we recommend this experience
We recommend Matala itself without hesitation and this particular trip with reservations, and it is worth separating the two.
Matala earns its reputation. The caves are genuinely unusual, Roman tombs turned into a 1960s commune, still open to walk through, and the bay behind them is a good beach on its own terms. Reviewers who went agree: several call it a must-see in Crete, and the ones who rated the day three stars still said they were glad they saw the place. If you are based on the Heraklion coast without a car, a coach is the practical way to get there.
The reviews also praise the guides on the good days, with one calling them great and very informative, and several note the pick-up going smoothly from their hotel door.
Now the problems, because this trip scores 3.81 out of 5 and three of the ten reviews we read sit at three stars or below.
Coach time is the biggest complaint by a distance. Value for money scores 3.4 and guiding 3.5, the two lowest marks. The trip is billed as 7 hours but that is door to door, one reviewer reported only 3 hours actually in Matala, another 4 hours, and a third said an hour went on collecting other passengers before the coach even set off south, calling it more time on the bus than on site.
Guiding is inconsistent. One reviewer said the guide spoke three sentences on the coach and then left the group to its own devices with no explanation of the caves or the town. Another booked a Polish-language tour and found it running in French, and was told it did not matter. A third struggled to follow the English commentary.
Matala gets crowded. One reviewer could not get a lounger on the beach at all in August.
CreteLocals insider tips
Bring the cave money, set your expectations on timing, and head for the caves before the beach.
- Carry €4 in cash for the caves, since entry is not in the ticket and the booth does not take cards.
- Check your EU residency if you are under 25, because a reviewer in that bracket entered the caves free.
- Climb to the caves first, as the cliff faces west and the light is better before the afternoon crowd arrives.
- Expect roughly 3 to 4 hours in Matala rather than 7, given the coach collects across the whole north coast first.
- Bring your own shade, since reviewers report loungers selling out on the beach in August.
- Read up on the Roman harbour before you go, because guiding on site is not guaranteed.
What to know before you go
Free pick-up covers Malia, Stalida, Hersonissos, Limenas Chersonisou, Koutouloufari, Anissaras, Analipsi, Gouves, Kato Gouves, Kokkini Hani, Amnissos, Karteros, Heraklion and Ammoudara. The operator emails your exact pick-up point within 24 hours of booking.
Bring a sun hat, towel, sunscreen and beachwear. The trip is flagged as likely to sell out.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you actually get in Matala?
Reviewers report 3 to 4 hours on site. The trip is listed at 7 hours, but that includes the coach south and a pick-up circuit along the north coast first.
Do you have to pay to enter the Matala caves?
Cave entry costs €4 and is not included. One reviewer noted EU residents under 25 entered free.
Is a guide included?
A multilingual guide travels with the coach, though reviewers report the amount of commentary varying considerably and at least one language mismatch.
Why is Matala called the hippie beach?
Matala’s cliff caves are Roman rock tombs that the flower children lived in during the late 1960s and early 1970s, which is how the village got its name in travel writing.
Where does the coach pick up?
Pick-up is free from anywhere between Malia and Ammoudara, covering the whole Heraklion north coast strip.
Is Matala good for swimming?
The bay is sheltered and the sand is fine, though reviewers travelling in August report the beach busy enough that loungers ran out.
Check dates and prices for the Matala hippie caves day trip.
Location
Matala Hippie Beach Tour is located at Matala Caves. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
