This beach is located 70 kilometers southwest of Heraklion the capital on the southern coast of the island in Crete, it become legendary thanks to the Greek mythology that tells this anecdote: Here Zeus, in the form of a bull, landed with Europe, after kidnapping her and before taking her to Gortina and making her mother of Minos the future king.
Matala is one if the most beautiful beaches on the island of Crete and is definitely worth a visit. One of the most famous attractions on this beach are its caves carved into the rock, these caves hosted many Hippies in the 60's and 70's that came to stay there and among them there were real celebrities and this is probably what helped make this place so famous. Some of the stars that have passed by were: Joni Mitchell, whose song "Carey" which is inspired by this beach, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin. Before the Hippies arrived and many years before, the famous caves hosted the civilizations of prehistory and in Roman and Christian times the caves were used as tombs and at the time of the Minoan civilization Matala was used as the port of Festo, while during Roman rule it become the port of Gortyna. Today you can visit the caves for only 3€ per person, they open from 10:00 am till 7:00 pm from April to September and in October to March they open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
This beach is a mixture of both sand and pebbles; it has a magnificent crystal clear sea with a bottom that slopes very gently. Because of the type of bottom the water is excellent for the little ones and for those who love to swim in a sweet relaxes. It got amazing scenery with caves, stone cliffs, tamarisks and vegetation that together embrace the bay and bring shade to those who like to relax. Due to the current sometimes the waves can get a bit strong, but you are able to feel it much sooner, you would be advised to be careful if you like to relax on a mat going offshore or if you love taking long swims, on the beach there is always a slight breeze that can be quite pleasant. Here on the beach you can head to the north coast of the bay and find the big rock and enjoy the total freedom and if you like water sports here you be able to have fun and try new things, there are many establishments that will offer the you an opportunity to practice fun in the water like pedal boats, jet skis and many other. One of the sports that are usually recommended is snorkeling where you can get to know the splendid marine life of Matala beach. Off Matala you be able to notice the two rocky islets called Paximadia, which look amazing from afar but if you want to see them up close you can reach them by boat from Agia Galini or from the port of Kokkinos Pirgos.
Behind the beach you be able to find a village of Matala where you can take a tour around it where you will notice that there are no big resorts there even though tourism has conditioned the area a bit and it has never adhered to the construction of huge and imposing buildings that somehow disfigure the look and the peace that can still be breathed in the village, however you be able to see some small shops, taverns, studios, small pensions, small hotels and a campsite. If you visit Matala June you can't miss the Matala beach festival, where the town is colored and the music resounds in every corner and every hour and a show which you will have to participate in. Matala is a beautiful place where you can feel relaxed, comfort and beauty of this place, it's a magical place where even today you can breathe the free spirit that the hippies had seized when they arrived on these lands.
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