Matala: A necropolis carved into rock

What few people know, however, is that the rock-cut caves were originally tombs dating back to the Greco-Roman period, and it is suspected that some of them were previously used as residences

The archaeological importance of this area is even greater, however, as ancient Matelon was a port serving the palace of Minoan Phaistos and, during the Roman period, the port of Gortyna. Next to the modern settlement, excavations in the 1980s unearthed houses, as well as metalworking and pottery workshops.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit the beautiful sandy beach of Kommos, 2km away from Matala, where the ruins of the second, even more impressive, commercial port of Phaistos are in evidence; this also happens to be where the loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) have chosen to breed.