Matala: Former Hippie Hotspot on Crete Introduced to Swiss, German Media

View of Matala beach from the caves that were occupied by hippies back in the 60s.

Journalists from leading media in Switzerland and Germany were recently introduced to Matala on Crete during a press trip held by the island’s regional authority.

Located on the south side of Crete, Matala was a famous hotspot for hippies in the late sixties to early seventies. The area’s beach had caves that were occupied by many hippies from all over the world.

Held as part of the tourism promotion program of the Region of Crete, the press trip saw the participation of Jochen Mussig from Swiss daily newspaper “Neue Zuricher Zeitung” and Margit Kohl from German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.

“This press trip will have multiple benefits for Crete as it will introduce the island’s history, culture and natural beauty to German and Swiss readers,” said the region’s vice governor for tourism, Kyriakos Kotsoglou.

Focus on Crete’s hippie community

Jochen Mussig and Margit Kohl with representatives from the Region of Crete.

According to the Region’s announcement, the less developed tourism spots such as Matala, Myrtos and Vai will receive coverage through Mussig’s two-page article, which bridges the 70s hippie community of Crete with today.

“The feature will highlight the evolution of the hippie movement and how former members are now returning to Crete as mature travelers, looking for beautiful resorts and boutique hotels.”

The hippies arrived in Matala in the 1960s, and by the mid-1970s, it remained their favorite destination. Most of them were traveling from America and Europe and stayed on Crete before continuing their journey to India, Nepal, and Afghanistan. In the mid-1970s, the last hippies were driven out of Matala by the Junta authorities and the Church.

The Matala caves were also used as a leper shelter at the end of the Stone Age. In the Roman era, the caves were converted into tombs.

Inside one of the caves in Matala.

During the press trip, the journalists also visited the destinations of Heraklion and Sitia.

According to the region, the two journalists enjoyed their stay on the island, the Cretan gastronomy and the locals that contributed to the interviews about the hippie era.

The press trip is part of the general promotion strategy of the Region of Crete, which is inviting travelers to experience the authenticity of the island through a tourism campaign currently running on social media. Crete is also a top holiday destination for French travelers, according to feedback from the Salon Mondial du Tourisme exhibition in Paris.