Top Matera Outdoor Activities

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed rock city of Matera stretches over a steep cliff, so exploring it on foot can be tiring. Explore as much as possible without getting tired with this tour aboard an authentic Italian Ape Calessino (Tuk Tuk). Zip through the streets of the historic Sasso Caveoso neighborhood to admire the main churches and squares and snap photos of the famous cave houses and views of the surrounding valley.

Matera is home to the Sassi cave churches and dwellings that make up one of the oldest cities in the world. Join your guide for an in-depth tour of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano districts to learn about their unique history and evolution. Discover rupestrian structures, stroll the steep and narrow lanes, and gain a deeper understanding of how this town, once called the “Shame of Italy”, is now a UNESCO-listed treasure.

Live a unique experience in the heart of the Murgia Materana Park, between uncontaminated nature and millennial history! With an expert guide, you will explore scenic trails that wind through spectacular canyons, ancient caves and rock churches carved into the rock. Admire the Sassi di Matera from breathtaking vantage points and discover the biodiversity of the park, with aromatic plants, birds of prey in flight and traces of prehistoric settlements. Let yourself be fascinated by stories about the communities that inhabited these lands and the traditions that still resonate among the stones. Each step is a journey through time, between legends and breathtaking views. Perfect for lovers of nature, photography and authentic experiences, the tour will give you unforgettable emotions and the feeling of being part of a magical place, where history and nature come together in a perfect balance. An unmissable adventure in the suggestive Basilicata!

Cover more ground and explore the UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera cave churches and dwellings in less than an hour with this Ape Calessino tour. Buzz through the steep, narrow lanes to see highlights in the Barisano and Caveoso districts plus Civita, the town's historic center. Learn about the history of this unique cliffside town from your driver and guide and pause to admire the top sights and snap photos.

The UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera is both captivating and mysterious. With this guided tour, take a deep dive into the history of this unique rupestrian city, named a 2019 European Capital of Culture. Explore its hidden dwellings and churches carved directly into the cliff, the setting for a number of films, including Ben Hur.

Discover the historical "Sassi" neighbourhoods with a high profile guide. Our guides are all very fluent in English. Starting from the upper part of the city centre, you will get to know the most alive part of the town, where the locals live. Moving towards the Sassi area, you will have the chance to better understand how this complex city developed over the centuries. Passing first by the Sasso Barisano which we will admire from a panoramic terrace, the tour keeps going on through the internal alleys of the Sasso Caveoso with several stops to dig into the depths of Matera’s historical, architectural and cultural background. Our choice on what to include in the tour has been made, taking into careful consideration which sites are most worthy of the presence of a guide. We decided to include a rock-hewn church: Santa Lucia alle Malve. At the end of the tour the guide will share with you infos on which other places it’s worth of visiting on your own.

Meet every day in Jazzo Gattini for a 2-hour exploration of the UNESCO Park of Murgia Materana. Discover its thousand-year-old Neolithic archaeological wonders, and then visit frescoed medieval rock churches overlooking the Gravina canyon and the Sassi di Matera, ancient cisterns, dry stone walls; a full immersion that travels through millennia of human history, from the dawn of time to the present day. This area boasts not only a wealth of history and archaeological wonders, but also an uncontaminated Mediterranean flora and fauna, immersed in a land that never ceases to amaze and amaze those who want to discover it. With us you can also let children participate with games and curiosities about fossils, flora and fauna.

Experience the top attractions of Matera—named the European “capital of culture” in 2019—on this guided excursion. After meeting up with a knowledgeable local guide, explore sites like the Cathedral of Matera, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, and Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Learn about the city’s history and culture, and enjoy scenic views of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Cavoso.

Organize with us your Private Tour in the Sassi and Murgia Materana. Aboard a comfortable 8-seater Mercedes van you can discover everything there is to see in the city. From Sasso Caveoso to Sasso Barisano, we will cross the Old Town until we reach the Belvedere with its breathtaking view! Bottles of water will be available to our Guests. We offer customers a “private tour” service that allows you to visit the length and breadth of Matera Everything is set up to allow you as much as possible to enjoy every single moment of your trip, and all in value for money! During the Tour in Van an audio guide service will be provided You can choose the following languages: Italian/English/Spanish/French/German/Portuguese/Bulgarian/ Czechoslovak/Danish/Chinese/Estonian/Polish/Russian/Hungarian Entrance to all listed sites is included during the Tour. In short, only with US you can visit EVERYTHING!

Unveil the secrets of the ancient “cave city” of Matera with this in-depth walking tour through the UNESCO-listed Sassi. Delve into the history of this unique city dug into the cliffside and visit a cave house and rupestrian churches in its two oldest districts. Learn about how residents once lived, marvel at the cathedral set at the town’s upper square, and take in sweeping views over the Murgia Materana Park.

Touring the cliffside Sassi di Matera on foot can be tiring. With this tuk-tuk tour, you’ll zip up the steep streets of the old town to take in the top sights in just hours. Delve into the Barisano and Caveoso districts to admire ancient cave dwellings and rupestrian churches and learn about their history via an audio guide. Navigate the warren of narrow lanes with a group leader to avoid getting lost.

Beneath Matera's main piazza lies a sealed underground city — Roman cisterns, a ninth-century church, and a tank that held five million litres of rainwater. This self-guided audio tour of the Sassi di Matera, delivered through an app, takes you past what most visitors never notice. You'll learn why families paid for better skull placement on a church door, how an assassinated count sparked a city motto about patient revenge, and why Hollywood chose these cave streets over the actual Holy Land. Your guide covers both Sasso districts, the cathedral, and cave homes where families of eleven lived alongside their animals. Start anytime, pause for photos, go at your pace — no group to follow, no fixed schedule. Works offline in the narrow streets. Over 20,000 travellers trust our self-guided tours, and every booking comes with a full refund guarantee. If you want to understand Matera rather than just photograph it, this Matera walking tour is built for exactly that.

Discover the magic of the Sassi of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a guided tuk tuk tour, a comfortable, original and suggestive way to explore one of the oldest cities in the world. Accompanied by an expert Guide, you will cross the famous Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, admiring rock churches, ancient houses carved into the rock and breathtaking views of Gravina. The tuk tuk allows you to reach even the most characteristic and panoramic points, making the experience pleasant and accessible to everyone. Along the way, the Guide will tell you about the history, curiosities and traditions of Matera, from its prehistoric origins to the cultural revival that made it the European Capital of Culture. Photographic stops are planned at the most iconic points to capture unique views. An ideal experience for those who want to get to know Matera in a relaxed, authentic and fun way, without sacrificing the charm and depth of the historical story.

Trekking Through the Sassi and the Murgia: History, Nature, and Adventure Explore Matera on a breathtaking hike through stunning landscapes and ancient history! Start from the heart of the Sassi, guided by an expert guide, and follow the itinerary n. 406, leading you deep into the canyon of the Regional Park of Rupestrian Churches. Cross the thrilling Tibetan Bridge, suspended between sky, stream, and rock, and climb up to reach the Murgia plateau, where wild nature meets the charm of rock-hewn sites, and ancient testimonies carved into the stone. After an unforgettable journey through canyons, caves, and breathtaking views, a shuttle will take you back to Matera, leaving you with lasting memories of this incredible experience in the heart of Basilicata. A light trek, but full of emotions! Are you ready to go?

what to do in Matera after visiting the beauty of the stones? you can live a unique experience, inside a cave, the underground escape room offers the visitor the opportunity to measure their intuition, trying their hand at mysteries, puzzles, tests of intelligence and logic. it is possible to book the escape with minimum 4 participants and maximum 8, for each time slot. To spend an hour, when the summer heat gives no respite or when the winter cold bites. To challenge yourself, your skills, your fears. To test the understanding between fellow adventurers To consolidate work teams. Everything is possible in one location, to MateraSum_Materasotterranea

A panoramic excursion in rocky habitats, flanking the Gravina di Matera and its stream which extends for 20 km, from the foot of the city of Matera, made famous for its Sassi and declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. We will follow the stream along the ridge of one side of the ravine, enjoying the landscapes of the Murgia Materana Regional Park. First by exploring the rock church of San Nicola all'Ofra, a farmhouse with its rooms dug into the cliff that communicate with each other: tunnels, stairways, cisterns, churches, developing on 3 levels of height. And then the karst Bat Cave, among the oldest evidence of human life in this area, a series of corridors, a breeding site for flying mammals, a place that hides the treasure of King Barbarossa between history and legend and where thanks research carried out in recent centuries revealed Paleolithic tools and fossils of extinct animals, such as the cave bear.

Discover the history of a city carved into the rock and inhabited until the 20th century. Matera is a unique place, to be visited at least once in a lifetime. Explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go to the 2 main districts carved into the rock, where you will discover cave houses and cave churches. During the tour, admire the view from one of the balconies overlooking the Murgia Materana Park. Discover the history and origins of Matera, one of the oldest cities in all of Europe. Finally, reach one of the highest points of the Sassi and visit the cathedral.

We’ll meet at Tramontano Castle, where I’ll explain the rules of the game and give you a map with riddles linked to the places you’ll need to discover. You’ll have 2 hours to solve them, using both your brain and your legs — but the reward will be worth it! Along the way, you’ll explore hidden corners and discover what I consider to be the true gems of the city. I’ll stay at the starting point to assist you or give you hints, if needed. At the end of the adventure, you’ll return to me to decipher the key and unlock the treasure chest together, while I share stories and fun facts about the places you’ve visited. Everyone will receive a certificate, but only the winner will take home the treasure! It’s the perfect activity to explore Matera in an original way, to give someone a special gift, or simply to enjoy a fun and unique experience! On request, small gifts or notes provided by you can be placed in the chest to make the experience even more personal.

Enjoy stunning aerial views of UNESCO-listed Matera during this small-group hot air balloon ride. Soar above the iconic hilltop city on a safe and panoramic journey, admiring the distinctive architecture and cultural sights with rare, bird's eye views. Small-group flights are capped at only eight participants and include an Italian breakfast.

The experience of our team will lead you towards the discovery of the true and authentic soul made in the south, made up of food and wine excellence, typical crafts and sites of historical and cultural interest. Our company is a true airline, the only Italian company in southern Italy authorized to perform commercial flights with passengers, as it has a license issued by ENAC, the National Civil Aviation Authority and specific aeronautical insurance.

We dive into the Park starting from the Sassi districts, across the suspension bridge that crosses the stream. Visit to the UNESCO Park of Murgia Materana with unspoilt nature, flora, fauna, art, ancient history and archaeology to discover. Rock churches (cut into the rock) with millenary frescoes, cisterns for collecting water, farms and tratturi crossed for millennia on the road between Rome and Jerusalem. Personalized tours with professional hiking environmental guide registered with AIGAE (Italian Association of Environmental Hiking Guides). Limited number of participants. It is a unique and exciting tour. You will discover nature, history and art through one of the oldest territories in the world. Bring hiking shoes, windbreaker, water and hat with visor.

Experience the thrill of a parasailing adventure departing from the beautiful Porto degli Argonauti. Glide high above the crystal-clear waters and take in sweeping aerial views along ancient Greek maritime routes. Between flights, enjoy a refreshing swim stop and savor fresh fruit and soft drinks on board. Suitable for individuals, couples, or small groups, this unique activity requires no prior experience—just a sense of adventure. Friendly, professional staff ensure your journey is both safe and unforgettable.

Discover Sassi di Matera through a unique e-bike experience inspired by the principles of slow tourism. This guided tour lets you explore Matera at a relaxed pace, connecting with its landscapes, history, and local culture while minimizing your environmental impact. Ride effortlessly through ancient stone alleys, scenic terraces, and lesser-known paths, reaching quieter areas beyond the main tourist routes. Continue towards the Palomba rupestrian area, where rural scenery and rupestrian landscapes reveal a different and more authentic side of the territory. Along the way, stop at a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Sassi and the surrounding landscape, offering breathtaking views and perfect photo opportunities. An eco-friendly and immersive way to discover Matera, combining nature, heritage, and active exploration.