Matala is a small village with many tourist facilities about
70 km south of Heraklion. The Minoan Palace of Festos is 7 km east of Matala and
the harbour of Festos used to be at the nearby Komos in the Minoan period.
There is a nice sandy beach in Matala and it attracts a lot
of visitors in the summer months.
Matala has become famous for the artificial caves, carved
into the rocks, north of the coast. These caves were first inhabited during the
prehistoric period. Tombs found in the caves date from Greek, Roman and Early
Christian times.
During the 70's the caves were hosting an international
hippie community. That was a cultural shock for the local community, who had met
no tourists before the hippies arrived.
The Archaeological Service had fenced the area of the caves
recently and visitors had to pay a small ticket to enter it but this does not
apply anymore. The entrance is free but overnight stay in the caves is not
allowed.
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