Guided Tour of Matera Sassi
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Matera, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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OverviewAuto-translated
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.
- Learn about the history of the Sassi di Matera with the help of a guide
- See the highlights of this city carved directly into the cliff face
- Entrance to the rupestrian churches and Casa Grotta cave dwelling
- Choose from multiple languages and tour times
What's Included
- Local tour guide
- Entrance fees to a Rupestrian Church
- Entrance fees to a cave house
- 10% Discount Coupon at MòVado Food & Drink
- Transportation
- Food tasting
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via Alessandro Volta, 3, 75100 Matera MT, Italy
Please enter the Martulli Viaggi office and introduce yourself.
End point
- Via Bruno Buozzi, 75100 Matera MT, Italy
Itinerary
Via Alessandro Volta, 3/5 (Pass By)
Chiesa del Purgatorio (Pass By)
Piazza San Francesco (Pass By)
Sassi di Matera (Pass By)
1
Chiesa di S. Antonio Abate al Sasso Barisano
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Casa Grotta Sassi di Matera - C'era Una Volta
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Piazza San Pietro Caveoso (Pass By)
Piazzetta Pascoli (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Shared tour. This experience will be shared with other guests
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 200 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 1,440 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Claire_C, Jul 2026
Our tour guide was really engaging and made the experience really good fun. Make sure you wear decent footwear as there are lots of steps and it can be really slippery in places.
daniel_h, Jul 2026
Overall good experience.
Better to do early in the morning as quite hot in Matera during the summer.
Marco_C, Jul 2026
Great visit with Giusi. I definitely reccomend it. It is a pity to visit alone without knowing all the history.
Mike_O, Jul 2026
Maria was very knowledgeable about the history of Matera. She took us around all of the important sights and experiences. The folk singing and drumming in the cave house was very entertaining, if a little surreal. Overall a great couple of hours
Bradley_M, Jul 2026
Our Italian relatives were very excited about going on a tour of Matera as it a place that is an historical site that has been on their bucketlist for years. We both booked at the same time in the morning & we discovered that when we booked it that the same Italian tour was 50% less than the english tour. Fair enough, we know as tourists that we get ripped off but hoping that the tours were both similar. Our tour guide, Lorenza who was an also an anthropologist gave us hope that our tour would go over the majority of the history & the places in & around Matera.
Our tour finished off early & then we waited for our relatives for another 45 minutes to finish off their tour. When we compared notes of the two tours over lunch, we diacovered that our tour guide skipped over 2 sites & a lot less information wasn't passed along to us than our relatives had recieved. Everybody has their bad days but i feel like we were shortchanged on our tour.
Maria_M, Jul 2026
Very informative guide however she did speak English with a very strong Italian accent so not always easy to understand.
Fiona_R, Jun 2026
Our guide, from Ukraine, was well informed, patient and kind. We throughly enjoyed the tour and all the info. What a truly amazing historical place - a one off!Centuries of history
Dawn_L, Jun 2026
The guide did not do any justice to Matera, I got more information from asking the internet… she does not seem to have a good sense of history of the place. And simply pointing out “caves here” and “caves there”.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your feedback.
We are sorry to read that the experience did not meet your expectations. However, after speaking directly with the guide, we would like to clarify what happened during the tour.
According to the guide, the tour was not completed because you decided to leave after approximately 40 minutes. The reason given was that the route seemed too difficult and not suitable, especially due to the stairs and the walking path.
We would like to point out that Matera and the Sassi are a historic area built on different levels. Visiting them naturally involves walking through the old town, going up and down stairs, and following uneven stone paths. This is part of the authentic experience of discovering the Sassi, and it is not possible to fully explore this area without this type of route.
The guide also explained that the historical and cultural explanation of Matera was planned throughout the full itinerary. Since the tour was interrupted after a short time, it was unfortunately not possible to complete the visit or provide the full historical context normally included in the experience.
We would also like to mention that another participant from the same group left a very positive review about the same guide and tour, describing the guide as well informed, patient and kind, and stating that they thoroughly enjoyed the tour and all the information provided.
We always take customer feedback seriously, but in this case we do not believe it is accurate to say that the guide did not provide value to the tour, as the experience was not completed by the guests.
Thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Martulli Viaggi
Abigail_W, Jun 2026
Great Experience! It’s such a beautiful place with interesting history that you wouldn’t necessarily know without going on a tour! The tour stops at some great places including a visit to one of the grotto houses.
The tour also ran to schedule even with the million questions from the group.
Take water and a hat! It is hotttt and there isn’t much shade on the tour. The tour is also maybe not for someone who isn’t too mobile! Matera is quite hilly and you go down some steep and slippery steps! Overall a great tour!
Anonymous, Jun 2026
The instructor is very pro and friendly................................................................
Claude_G, Jun 2026
The guide was very knowledgeable, interesting and pleasant. She provided great historical information and fun facts.
Carlos_H, May 2026
Ângela has a lot of knowledge, did a great itinerary of the tour, through all the interesting places. She paced very well through the more than 2 hours around Matera.
Emer_K, May 2026
We booked the tour today for 2:30. We stood at the meeting point from 2:20 and were eventually told at 2:45 that the tour guide would not arrive until 3:00. Ten minutes later we were told the guide would not be here until 3:30. At this point we decided we had wasted enough of our time and asked to cancel. Getting a refund sorted took another 5 minutes. I asked if they could provide any information or brochures so that we could walk around ourselves. This was not something they could provide for us either.
I would not book with this company again.
Jacqueline_G, May 2026
The tour was a good way to learn about the sassi. Nice visit of a sassi house and church. Thank you to the guide who was very hrlpful
Bob_G, May 2026
Our guide, Maria, really took great pains to separate the rumors from truth about this rare and magical “City of Shame”. Such a worthwhile visit and we had a remarkably fun and cohesive group
Betsy_P, May 2026
Guide was easily distracted. Didn’t keep group moving or on tack. Too much trying to sell things on tour( man playing instrument), women selling thing in gift shop in typical cave dwelling). Not very informative in very interesting town. Guide was searching for pictures on her phone, which she was unable to find, for almost 10 minutes.
Kim_D, May 2026
The tour of Matera is excellent-Anna is a great guide. She explains the history and the culture and makes it very interesting. Her knowledge is very extensive and her English is clear and easy to understand even in a big group and with non English speakers joining
I think the tours are well priced-interesting areas and unique places to explore. Brava Anna. Thank you
Rebecca_P, May 2026
The experience started in the worst way: we got a call saying that our timeslot had been cancelled and we were therefore supposed to join and earlier or a later tour. We joined the English tour with guide Anna. The tour for some reason was double as expensive as the Italian tour and was not worth its money. The tour was a mixture of getting high level information about the Sassi and the history as well as the try to sell other tours.
Anna was fairly repetitive and didn’t manage to create an exciting experience, making the tour boring.
We, two young professionals, would have loved to be engaged by the unbelievable history of the city, but that did not happen.
Afterwards we went to Casa Noha which was 1000 times more informative, interesting and enjoyable. Not to mention the money, enjoyment ratio.
Madison_D, May 2026
Our tour guide Maria was spectacular! I recommend a tour to learn about the history Matera holds. Recommend 100%!
LisaMarie_e, Mar 2026
A must-do when you arrive in magical Matera. The tour really helped give you a sense of the history and layout of this most amazing town. The city is larger and more complex than you realize so a tour helps give perspective. We walked about 2 miles up and down - so be prepared and wear good shoes.
MaryAnn_M, Jan 2026
Maria gave a tour of the Sassi Matera. There is quite a bit of walking but she was patient with her tourists.
Dana_G, Jan 2026
Maria was a knowledgeable and engaging guide! The pace was perfect for two 70-somethings and our two 40-something daughters.
Michael_F, Nov 2025
Great walking tour with lots of history about Matera and Sassi. Luigi was very knowledgeable and pleasant. Would highly recommend.
Vicki_P, Oct 2025
We had a very interesting tour of Matera. Our guide was knowledgeable about the city and history. A small group too which was nice.
adrienne_p, Oct 2025
Very well worth the experience especially if you have not looked up the history beforehand.
Our guide Stella was supremely knowledgeable and patient with all our questions
Philip_M, Oct 2025
Group very large and lost people along the way as guide understandably couldn’t keep everyone interested
Mary_A, Oct 2025
The guide was amazing . She was a local and shared personal stories . Very knowledgeable. Highly recommend the tour
Mark_A, Oct 2025
Great tour. Angela was a passionate and knowledgeable guide. Would recommend. Tour went for two hours
Cathy_C, Sep 2025
A really interesting tour with lots of historical information, our guide was a lovely woman (can't remember her name), very thoughtful and engaging.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your kind words. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found the guide thoughtful, engaging, and rich in historical knowledge.
John_A, Sep 2025
The group was a reasonable size and our guide relayed some interesting information. However her accent was strong which made her difficult to follow and she seemed to jump between topics.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you appreciated the group size and the information shared. We take note of your comments regarding clarity and structure in the explanations, as they help us improve and make the tour experience even more enjoyable for future guests.
From $17.43
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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