Red Beach

Located to the south of the village of Matala in Crete, Red Beach – also called Kokkini Ammos, Paralia Kokkini Ammos, and Matala Red Beach – is a 300-meters-long beach with mostly light brown sand, a small amount of red and dark orange sand, nearby rocks, and nearby mountains.   A travel website named Culture Trip listed this beach as one of the best eight beaches in Crete.  This beach is also part of a Europe-wide naturally protected area named Natura 2000.

Red Beach Greece is also popular as a nude, clothing-optional beach – a news website named Greek Reporter has listed this beach as one of the best nude beaches in Greece.  Nudists mostly frequent the northern part of this beach.  This beach should not be confused with another separate beach with a similar name – this beach is also called Red Beach and it is on the very popular tourist island of Santorini.

Red Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities except a nearby rental facility for beach umbrellas and sun loungers, so please plan accordingly. 

Red Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, fishing, paddleboarding, boating, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, canoeing, kayaking, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here is usually known to have gentle waves.  In addition, snorkelers also visit this beach to explore its vibrant marine landscape and biodiversity.  There is an offshore rock formation to the north of the beach named Theosini – this rock formation has a sea cave named Kouroupi that is frequently explored by kayakers and canoers.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  The underwater visibility here is also low sometimes – in addition, please also be careful because there are often many motorboats nearby.  Collision these motorboats can cause serious injuries.

If you like taking Red Beach Crete photos with amazing Instagram-worthy views, Red Beach and the hill near it offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Libyan Sea and the southern Crete shoreline, especially during the Red Beach sunset.  This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby beaches.

There is a large limestone rock in the northern part of the beach – this rock has interesting sculptures, along with carvings depicting Ancient Minoans and Egyptians.  These sculptures and carvings were created very recently by a tourist who temporarily lived here.

Red Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Red Beach is easy – to reach here, you first need to park your car in the village of Matala.  You can park your car at the paid car park of a separate beach named Matala Beach – this lot costs around €3 per day and is easily accessible from Matala’s central part.  If you want a free parking space, you can park your car at the street parking spaces along a nearby road named Epar.Od. Gortinas – Matalon – in addition, there is also a free parking lot near Epar.Od. Gortinas – Matalon.  Once you have parked here, you need to walk on an 800-meters-long hiking trail that starts at Matala’s southern end – this partially steep Red Beach Trail Matala goes along some large rocks and hills and it passes through a shepherd’s gate before leading to the beach.  There are signs around the trail that will lead you to the beach.  We recommend wearing sturdy shoes instead of flip-flops while hiking here because the area around the beach can get rugged.  In addition, we also recommend wearing layered clothing here because this beach can sometimes get windy. 

If you want to travel by boat, you can charter a boat to the beach at Matala Harbor for around €5.  We recommend visiting this beach early during the summers because the weather here can get hot during this time.

The beach here has red sand because of iron oxide-rich red rocks in the hills nearby – the iron within the rocks gradually gets weathered and deposited here, turning some of the sand red.  In addition, this beach was a popular tourist site with hippies in the 1960s and the 1970s.  In addition, sea turtles also use this beach as a seasonal nesting site.

There are many attractions near Red Beach.  Matala Beach is a popular beach that is known to have an interesting series of nearby caves named the Matala Caves.  In addition, this beach offers many fun activities including scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, swimming, and sunbathing.  Odigitria Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete – the large and beautiful monastery also has a museum that offers a unique insight into the grueling life of the monks who lived, worked, and prayed here.  The archaeological site of Phaistos has ruins of an ancient city belonging to the Minoan Civilization, between 3500 BC and 1100 BC.  The site also has a palace dating back to the Bronze Age.   Agia Triada – also called Hagia Triada – is an archeological site that has remains of many interesting structures dating back to the Minoan Civilization and the Mycenaean Civilization.  In addition, there is also a beautiful nearby church that dates back to the Middle Ages.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Agiofaraggo Martsalo Kefali is a rocky peninsula that has a beach named Agiofarago Beach and it also has many other things to explore including multiple caves, an old church, and rocky cliffs – this peninsula offers a fun rock climbing and hiking experience.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Red Beach.  There is a cafe near the beach that offers a variety of delicious snacks including Greek salad, eggs, sandwiches, and pizza, along with many refreshing drinks.  Plaka Matala is known for serving amazing seafood and it also offers many local Greek dishes.  Petra & Votsalo is a waterfront restaurant with a relaxed ambiance that offers many amazing dishes including seafood, eggplant, lamb chops, and beef stifado.  Taverna Sunset Matala is a waterfront restaurant that offers outstanding seafood and Greek dishes – it also serves pizzas, soups, spaghetti, salads, lamb chops, and pork chops.  George’s Yard offers excellent Greek and traditional Cretan dishes - this restaurant has also been praised by Lonely Planet magazine.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, the modestly-priced Poldo Snackbar offers a variety of great dishes including fries, sandwiches, burgers, and pizza – it also offers refreshing beverages.

If you are looking for a hotel near Matala Beach, there are many great nearby moderately-priced options.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Paralos Irini Mare is 42 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including gardens, a lobby with balcony, multiple bars, a restaurant, a library, multiple pools, a hot tub, a sun terrace, a gym, a sauna, a football field, tennis court, table tennis, playground, and car rental services.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Matala Bay Hotel that offers many amenities including a game room, a restaurant, a mini-market, a pool, a bar, a restaurant, and a playground.  Another moderately priced hotel is the 3-Star Matala Valley Village – also called Valley Village – that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a cafe/bar, two pools with nearby sun loungers, and a lawn.  As another moderately priced option, the 3-Star Fragiskos Hotel offers many amenities including multiple pools, a playground, a gym, a restaurant, a bar, and car rental services.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel Calypso offers many amenities including a gym, a bar, a garden, a table tennis, a volleyball net, and a swimming pool.