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South Crete: Escape to Matala Hippie Beach & Explore Gortys Archaeological Site
4.8
34 Ratings
Heraklion
Escape to Matala Hippie Beach and explore the ancient Gortys Archaeological Site in South Crete. Swim in crystal-clear waters, visit the famous Caves of the Village, and discover the rich history of the Roman capital of Crete.
Escape to Matala Hippie Beach and explore the ancient Gortys Archaeological Site in South Crete. Swim in crystal-clear waters, visit the famous Caves of the Village, and discover the rich history of the Roman capital of Crete.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Heraklion - Participants will be picked up from designated points in the morning. The duration of the bus ride will vary based on the location of your hotel or apartment.
- Gortyna - The first stop is at this remarkable archaeological site in the south of Crete, known as Gortys, showcasing sights from all eras of Crete’s 5000-year history. The…
- Heraklion - Participants will be picked up from designated points in the morning. The duration of the bus ride will vary based on the location of your hotel or apartment.
- Gortyna - The first stop is at this remarkable archaeological site in the south of Crete, known as Gortys, showcasing sights from all eras of Crete’s 5000-year history. The visit will last approximately one hour.
-
Matala - Bus ride to Matala: 20 minutes.
Free time in Matala: 4.5 hours.
Guests can enjoy swimming, have lunch, and explore the famous hippie caves, a popular retreat for hippies during the 60s and 70s. - Heraklion - Board the buses for the return trip to the hotels where participants were picked up in the morning. The return journey time will vary depending on traffic and the location of each pick-up point.
What's Included
- Liability Insurance Coverage by ALLIANZ for tour participants
- Air-conditioned vehicles for comfort
- Professional driver for safe transit
- Knowledgeable tour guide for an insightful experience
- Inclusive of all fees and taxes
- Liability Insurance Coverage by ALLIANZ for tour participants
- Air-conditioned vehicles for comfort
- Professional driver for safe transit
- Knowledgeable tour guide for an insightful experience
- Inclusive of all fees and taxes
What's Not Included
- Entrance of Gortys Archaeological Site: 10€
- Lunch
- Matala Caves: 5€
- Entrance of Gortys Archaeological Site: 10€
- Lunch
- Matala Caves: 5€
Additional Information
Experience a day in the southern area of the Heraklion Region. Explore its coastline and the picturesque landscapes of Matala, take a dip in the pristine waters of the Libyan Sea and enjoy a stroll to the globally recognized caves of the village. Take in the vistas of the bay and roam through the village streets for some souvenir shopping or a bite to…
Experience a day in the southern area of the Heraklion Region. Explore its coastline and the picturesque landscapes of Matala, take a dip in the pristine waters of the Libyan Sea and enjoy a stroll to the globally recognized caves of the village. Take in the vistas of the bay and roam through the village streets for some souvenir shopping or a bite to eat. On this trip, you’ll also explore the archaeological site of Gortyn, the Roman hub of the island of Crete, first settled around 7000 BC.
Location
Heraklion
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(34 Ratings)
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Flora_c
Jul 21, 2025
Fun day - Day very well
I'll only have one thing to say to Gortyr about the stop.
No explanation in the site that 2 vestiges for 10€ / person is a bit expensive.
Otherwise matala is really top
Review provided by Viator
Sonin_j
Jul 4, 2025
Interesting excursion - Make sure to bring swimming goggles or snorkeling equipment or you will miss out on the chance to see all the fish at Matala beach. It is also recommended to bring footwear as the sand can get very hot.
Review provided by Viator
Romanv484
Jun 22, 2025
Matala village - Matala ☮️ I was trying to find the last pieces of the hippie community, peace, love, freedom ... not so easy, but lovely place. This place has a Spirit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joao_c
May 17, 2025
Great day at the beach and amazing archeological site - Very well organized. Very good guide. We had an excellent time. The beach and the lanscape are beautiful. Beach has very nice accomodations. Recommend it
Review provided by Viator
Arohatomaru4
May 5, 2025
Beautiful beach - Village simply beautiful, its setting with the beach and caves makes it a really cozy place.
I recommend coming at least once
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Josep_c
May 5, 2025
Excelent. - The tour and transportation were very good. The guide was excelent. The time in both places was enough to know everything. I should do it again.
Review provided by Viator
Sandraro6382ck
Oct 2, 2024
Matala worth seeing - A great trip, organizationally everything was very good .
Matala is definitely worth a visit.
The guide explained everything great.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Morgane1515
Sep 3, 2024
perfect day trip to discover more of crete!! - I went with my mother on Sunday (23 and 47) and we had the best time, this is my second time doing this trip and unfortunately I just didn't catch our tour guides name but she's been my guide for both occasions and she's just the best!
She is the queen of languages and the information she provides is really interesting! The trip itself was really well organised with pick up from the hotel along with enough time to stop at both the gortys and matala beach. It was really a fun day out with stunning views even on the bus and both the archeological site and the beach provide a good balance of learning and just relaxation!!
As I said this was my second time going so you definitely have my praise thank you guys ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Celines56
Oct 27, 2024
Nice excursion - Very nice places, the ride was perfect. Only downside the guide who was very nice but her French was not top despite all her goodwill.
Otherwise for the Gortys site, we could only see the paying part of the archaeological site. We wouldn't have had enough time to see the rest anyway. The beach of Matala is beautiful, a real postcard landscape and moreover the weather was beautiful. We had a great day.
If one can give advice, one should include a time to do the outside (the free part) of Gortys because apparently according to the reviews it is even better than the paying part. At the level of the archaeological site, indications or a guide would be needed to explain.
Otherwise it's tops.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_w
Sep 12, 2024
Great day trip, but if interested in history do you own research. - Bus was on time. Clear directions were given regarding time and meeting points from the guide .
Enough time at both locations.
Gortys is a small archeological site, but has some interesting pieces sitting just by the entrance.
Matala is absolutely gorgeous. Make sure you have good shoes to climb caves . Plenty of time is given to climb , swim and enjoy some great local food.
I would expect the guide to give more information than the one can find online about the areas we have visited.
Review provided by Viator
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