Boat trip
Boat from Matala along the cliffs.
Photo: Alexandra H. Maria / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Heraklion
- Start town
- Matala
- Typical duration
- 3–5 hours
- Type
- Boat trip
A boat from Matala runs along the cliff coast to coves that are awkward by road, for a swim and a return. The village beach is the backup when the swell is up, and on this south coast the swell is the cancelling condition. The trip is short. It should not be sold as a cruise to another prefecture. You are looking at the local cliffs from the water.
Boats leave the Matala cove in the morning in season. Ask the return time before you swim, and have the beach as a second plan.
It suits people already in Matala. A long coach from Chania for this boat is the wrong shape of day. Stay south and the boat is a pleasure.
Boat from Matala along the cliffs needs 3–5 hours from Matala. The months that usually work are May to September. Wind can still cancel a morning inside that window. Pack a hat, water and a layer for the return to Matala, and read the meeting quay the evening before rather than guessing from a postcard of the harbour. The quay for Boat from Matala along the cliffs is in Matala. A boat from another harbour is a different crossing, even when the postcard looks similar.
Is it worth it
Boat from Matala along the cliffs is worth the hours from Matala when it suits people already in Matala. The village beach is the backup when the swell is up, and on this south coast the swell is the cancelling condition. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because A boat from Matala runs along the cliff coast to
- Shoes that match the ground on Boat from Matala along the cliffs. Boats leave the Matala cove in the morning
- A layer for the start in Matala. May to September still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Boat from Matala along the cliffs takes 3–5 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to September is the window to trust for Boat from Matala along the cliffs. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Matala with 3–5 hours clear. Boats leave the Matala cove in the morning in season. Ask the
- Search “Matala boat trip south Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Matala.
Related tours
Day tripMatala cliffs and beach
Matala3–5 hours
Matala is the cove with artificial caves in the cliff above a sandy beach, on the south coast of Heraklion prefecture. The caves are the photograph. The beach is the visit. You can swim, walk the cliff path, and eat in the village in one unhurried stay. It is not a hike, and the caves are not a palace. High season fills the sand by late morning. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October. It suits a south-coast day and anyone interested in the 1960s history of the caves without needing a lecture. Skip the cliff path if you cannot manage uneven rock in the sun. Drive the Messara roads to Matala or come across from Agia Galini. Park at the village and walk to the sand. The caves are in the cliff on the north side of the cove.
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Boat tripBoat from Agia Galini
Agia Galini3–5 hours
Agia Galini is the harbour town on the south coast of Rethymno prefecture, and its boats run to nearby coves and beaches that the road reaches slowly or not at all. A morning on the water and a swim is the shape of the day. Swell cancels it. The town itself is a steep little port with a beach to one side, useful if the boat does not leave. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits people staying in Agia Galini or the Messara who want a boat without crossing to Chania. It is a long transfer from Chania for a short cruise. Walk down to the Agia Galini harbour in the morning. Ask which beach the boat can actually land at, and the time of the last return.
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View detailsBook now on GetYourGuide- Jeep safari
South coast jeep from the Messara
Matala4–6 hours
A south-coast jeep day from Matala or the Messara uses tracks a normal hire car should not take: coves, a viewpoint, a village. The operator’s vehicle is the point, because rental contracts often exclude the gravel. Ask where you finish. A loop back to the coast is different from a one-way drop in a hamlet. The swim, if there is one, is a stop, not the product. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are March to November. It suits people who want the rough coast without risking a hire car. Skip it if the itinerary is only the tarmac you could drive yourself. Departures are from Matala, Agia Galini or Heraklion depending on the operator. Confirm the start town. A Heraklion pickup makes the day longer before you leave the asphalt.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 3–5 hours from Matala. It suits people already in Matala.
- May to September. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Matala.
- Boats leave the Matala cove in the morning in season. Ask the return time before you swim, and have the beach as a second plan.
- It suits people already in Matala. A long coach from Chania for this boat is the wrong shape of day. Stay south and the boat is a pleasure.
- Boat from Matala along the cliffs is worth the hours from Matala when it suits people already in Matala. The village beach is the backup when the swell is up, and on this south coast the swell is the cancelling condition. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.