“The wind is in from Africa, last night I couldn’t sleep….” (from the song “Carey” by Joni Mitchell). The Matala Beach Caves are in Crete, the place that was home to hippies in the late 1960’s through early 1970’s. From the time I first heard of Matala, I just had to visit. Finally, during oour September 2021 trip to Crete Steve and I were able too check out the caves.
Famous people from the Hippy era also spent time in Crete at the Matala Caves including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin and Cat Stevens. The most famous hippie who lived here was Joni Mitchell. Inspired by Matala, Joni Mitchell wrote her 1971 song “Carey” while living here. Carey was a guy who Joni knew while there. This once small village became a mecca for the peace and free love souls of the hippie era. Living like nomads in the caves above the pristine sea and sandy beach these people were their own community, unlike any this small village had seen. Eventually they were driven out by the church and military. The caves remain.
Location
Located in Southern Crete, Matala is about an hour and a half South and East of Rethymno. Rethymno is where we stayed so we combined visiting Matala Beach with also hiking Martsalos Beach earlier in the day.
The Beach
The beach appears to be a popular place for both locals and tourists. The water is crystal clear and sandstone cliffs overlook the sandy beach.
The Caves
The Caves at Matala date back way before the Hippies came to Crete. These man made caves were carved out in ancient times. They were possibly used as burial crypts or perhaps homes, as some of the caves are quite large. More than likely they were used for many different purposes over the years. Currently, the area is an archeological site and is open for tourist. For a small admission fee you can climb up to the caves and walk around in them. It is important to note, the cliffs are sandstone so they are slick. Wear good shoes and step carefully.
Conclusion
Although we did not stay long at the Matala Caves in Crete, we did channel our inner hippie and tried to imagine what life was like back then. While here, it was easy to imagine the free spirit lifestyle in such a beautiful place. I am glad we stopped here as not only was it a fun exploring, but it is also a beautiful place.
You can click on this link to read the lyrics and listen to Joni Mitchell’s song “Carey”.
Planning & Tips
If you plan on using your cell phone a lot for GPS or taking photos I found this I Walk phone charger to be a great tool. The vehicles we drove in Greece did not have phone charges adaptable to our I phones. This lightweight easy to carry charger saved me many times.
I also bought a National Geographic Map of Crete which was was priceless as we lost our GPS several times. The map is pretty accurate and durable. Although quite large it folds up like a typical map. Half of Crete is on one side of of the map and the other half of Crete is on the other side. I did have a bit of flipping around but it worked pretty well. We have visited Crete 3 times now and this map is still holding up amazingly considering how much we have used it.
While planning our trips to Crete, I found the travel guide Top 10 Crete to be very useful. For one thing, it lists the top 10 places to go, restaurants, and sites. Additionally, it also lists the top 10 by region and area. Given these points, I felt it was a great planning tool, plus it came with a pocket size map which is always useful.
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Follow these links for more posts of my 2021 Greece Vacay:
Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel, Revisited 2021
Ancient City of Lato, Sept 2021
Aforesmenos Lighthouse, Crete, Sept 2021
Avli Hotel and Restaurant, Sept 2021
Hike to Martsalos Beach, Sept 2021
The Chapel at Georgioupoli, Sept 2021
Koutalas Beach and Sea Cave, Sept 2021
A Walk Through Chania, Sept 2021
Temple of Poseidon, Septs 2021
You can also follow my other Crete adventures here:
Elounda Peninsula Hotel, Sept 2019
Knossos Palace, Crete Sept 2019
Seitan Limania Beach, Sept 2019
Katholiko Monastery, Sept 2019
Follow Links to our 2018, 2019, 2021 and also 2022 Trip:
2 Weeks in Greece, Delphi, Meteora, Corfu, Santorini,Athens, 2022
14 days in Greece,Crete, Naxos, Santorini,Athens 2021
10 Days in Greece Athens, Crete, Santorini 2019
8 Days in Greece, Athens, Milos, Santorini 2018
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences unless noted. We are not sponsored by any business or company and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon,Viator, and others which we do receive a small commission from, at no cost to you if you buy or book through one of our links.
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Any post that begins with a Joni Mitchell quote gets my attention. What a great destination. Thanks for sharing it.
I agree! I love her music and especially this song! Thanks for your comment!
what a fasciating history of teh caves; I can’t imagine living in one though. THey do offer woonderful views of the beach and the town. I wonder if they ever put a concert on for the locals, maybe they would not have been kicked out…
I would not want to live there either! I’m not sure if they ever performed there! Would be awesome though!
I think they should have a reunion concert there…
Agreed! That would be cool!
I love the ocean. But those sandstone cliffs really get me going. I’d love to climb all over them. Great story! Great photos!
Climbing around in them was lots of fun!!
Lovely indeed, and great photos! I have been following all things related to Crete for a while now, I thought I would get there this summer but I could not, but next year, God willing, I am going!
I hope you get to Crete! We love the island! So much to see and do and the food is fantastic!
Cannot wait! 😊
Interesting place for sure. I recall the hippie era, but not that Joni Mitchell song. Were any birds using the caves to nest in? Thanks for sharing Lori. Allan
Hi Allan! I did not notice any birds or nests but quite a few people were roaming around so maybe there were some in less accessible places! Thanks for stopping by!! Lori
What a unique network of caves overlooking the beach! I can imagine one can spend hours getting lost in the nooks and crannies of it all. 🙂
It was a fun area to explore!
💗
It looks like we were there at the same time! I love your advice to wear shoes when visiting the caves. We watched a bare-footed man carrying his toddler on his shoulders go to the caves. Needless to say, he didn’t stay long!!
Oh my! I’m can’t I’m Mahoney going barefoot and carrying a toddler! It was a fun place though!
So interesting. I didn’t know all that. They certainly knew how to pick their spots.
I agree! Great place to be!
Great post. I have been t that beach but did not explore the caves. Crete is such a fascinating island. Cheers! Following you!
Glad you enjoyed! So far Crete is our favorite!
The caves look amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading!
This looks like a fun place to be a hippy!
I agree!! We channeled our inner hippie and loved the place!!
“we did channel our inner hippie” 👍🌼
Looks like a fascinating place
✨🙏🕉🌱🌿🌳🌻💚🕊☯🐉✨
It was a lot of fun!!
It seems like you two have a little bit of hippie spirit yourselves in the free spirit of travel.
We do! I was just a little kid in the late 60’s, early 70’s but I remember the hippy era!!
We do as well. It’s a nice nostalgic feeling.
This was fun. I am 75 years old and I am one of the hippies who lived in the caves year 69. I remember that the cave on the top the biggest cave was called Hilton. The one who stayed longest had the Hilton cave. When the person moved out the next who was in Line moved in and paid 100 drachmer to take over all the things which was brought there such cooking utilities and beds build of bambu and other stuff.
When the touristbus came on saturdays some of the hippies run over the beach to meet them and guide them to the caves. It always ended with a party on the beach with all the good food that were given to us. They always felt sorry for us. I am from Sweden and it was most amerikan tourists arriving to the caves. I remember one woman wanted to bring me with. She couldnt understand why I lived there. I remember one day came a private helikopter and brought someone. They Said it was Bob Dylan.
Wow!!! How very exciting! I was born in 1966 so I missed out on most of the hippie generation. What a time to be free and young! Thank you so much for sharing your story! Ther is something about Matala that is so special. I am sure when we were there. It was much different from back when you were but the vibes were fun and free! I can just picture how beautiful it must’ve been at night to be looking out from the caves onto the moonlit sea! Thank you again for sharing your story! You really put a big smile on my face today!!!