Matala Caves & the South Coast — excursion d'une journée en Crète

Matala's sandstone cliff is honeycombed with Roman tombs that a generation of 1970s travellers turned into apartments - Joni Mitchell wrote a song about it, and the village has been quietly proud ever since.

The beach faces the Libyan Sea, the water is deep blue, and the drive crosses the Messara plain through olive groves that have been worked for three thousand years.

Many south-coast days pair Matala with the quiet sands of Komos, the Odigitria monastery or the Phaistos palace, so tell us whether you want beach time or ruins and we will shape the route around it.