The Red Beach in Matala is known as the most famous nude beach in Crete. Although the official nude section is in the northern part of the beach, no one stops nude bathers from staying anywhere on the beach.

How to get to Red Beach

Go to Matala town. As you arrive, you’ll see Zafirias hotel on your left hand side. Right after the hotel, take a left turn and follow the road. Keep going when the asphalt finishes.

There’s another way to get to Red Beach, but you can easily miss the signposts. When you get to the town as for the easier (or alternative) way to get to the beach. You’ll have to pass by couple of bars and an old house to get to the road that goes over the hills.

Both paths join at a fence (was used to keep the goats away). There’s a gate opening on the path which leads to the beach.

Make sure to have enough water with you. During the hot days you need to drink enough water while hiking (and bring enough water to last for the day since there aren’t bars or tavernas around). Goes without saying that you’ll need a good pair of walking shoes, as well. And don’t forget to wear a bandana or hat to protect you head from the heat.

You don’t need to be an athlete to be able to tackle that hike but if you are in a good shape, you’ll definitely thank your workouts for making the hike easier for you.

What to do

Of course, the first thing that comes into mind is sun bathing…nude sun bathing, to be more specific. In the height of the season you’ll see quite a lot of people who don’t bathe nude. This is different from day to day and usually depends on who gets to the beach first: shy tourists or the not-so-shy.

You can rent umbrellas on the beach, as well as beds. But you should also take a spare towel with you in case you cannot find any available beds (or you just decide to go to a more remote place).

If you thing there are too much textiles on the beach, just ask around. Make sure you are still allowed to bathe nude and just…do it. Most people will strip as well if they see someone else doing it – after all , the beach is well known as a nudist beach! The northern part of the beach is usually where you’ll find the majority of nude bathers but that shouldn’t stop you from staying in the buff wherever you want to on the beach.

You can try to swim but firstly look for the boats that go to and from Matala. If they come by often, the water is not exactly clean and you should avoid swimming. However, you can always go for a walk right on the edge of the water, where it meets the sand. It’s a relaxing way to explore the area (and get a bit of workout in).

And speaking of exploring…if you don’t feel like staying on the beach, put your hiking boots on, your bandana and a lot of sunscreen and head to the path you came on. Then start exploring at your own pace. You’ll be dazzled by the beauty of the waves breaking on the cliffs.

>>more information on Top 5 Nude Beaches of Greece

>>more information on Crete’s Only Official Nude Beach: Filaki Beach

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