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About Matala Beach
Matala Beach is a sandy beach on Crete, facing west. It lies in a closed bay, sheltered from almost every wind. It looks west over open sea, so the sun sets into the water. A road leads to the beach and there is parking nearby. Within 300 m there are 29 tavernas and restaurants, 11 bars and cafés, and toilets or showers. The sea is warmest in August, at about 25 °C. It is above 22 °C from June to October.
Written from map data (OpenStreetMap contributors), our own measurement of the open sea around the beach and NOAA sea temperatures (1991-2020 averages).
When is it busy?
Typical visitor levels around Crete, month by month.
Crete is busiest in August. In May and October there are about half as many visitors, or fewer. For a flat sea and fewer people, the best months are May and October.
Visitor levels are nights spent in tourist accommodation in the Crete region (Eurostat, average of 2023–2025), compared with its busiest month. They show when the area is busy, not how many people are on a given beach.