Top Matera Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises

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.

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. Cap off the tour with a tasting of local specialties from Matera.

Private tour with a multilingual tour guide that will lead just you discovering the city and its history.

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.

The appointment is fixed in our base camp which, besides being a meeting point for the party, is also important for a safe excursion. We will explain the main rules of an activity in quad with basic, fast and not boring indications that will help you live the experience with more serenity. Our guide, who will accompany you in the wild territories of the Dolomiti Lucane, will explain the operation of the quad and give you practical tips for safe driving before starting the engines. Once this first informative phase is over, you will be able to spend moments without worries and be involved in uncontaminated territories, spectacular spiers, winding paths and lanes and locations with a strong adrenaline rush.

On this in-depth guided tour of Parca della Murgia, you’ll get an insider’s introduction to the stunning, underground Rupestrian churches that Matera is famous for. Get a peek at 150 rock churches, including fresco-filled San Falcion and 17th-century Madonna delle Tre Porte. Tours include admission fees to the park and a guided excursion.

The Sassi di Matera are one of the most fascinating sights in southern Italy, but these ancient cave dwellings can be difficult to interpret on your own. With this guided tour, see the most interesting cave homes and rupestrian churches in the cliffside town in just hours and enjoy insights into their history and significance from your guide. Stroll through the most picturesque squares in the historic center to snap photos.

A tour of the three neighborhoods in the historic center of the Sassi with panoramic stops and curiosities on the recent history of the city of Matera: from national shame to a city known and appreciated worldwide. The path lasts about an hour and in this time visitors will be able to observe the area of the Piano, that is the part behind the Sassi and learn about the historical places from another perspective. The area of the Piano is actually the first area built immediately after the Sassi at the turn of the Renaissance.

Delve into the history and mystery of UNESCO-listed Matera, home to the Sassi cave city that traces its history back to prehistoric times. Explore one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world with a guide, stopping to visit rupestrian churches and homes and learn about the evolution of this singular cliffside town. Stroll through the Sasso Barisano and pause to snap photos of the town and surrounding valley.

A tour of the three districts in the historic center of the Sassi with panoramic stops and curiosities about the recent history of the city of Matera: from national shame to a city known and appreciated worldwide. It will also be possible to visit a cave house and a rock church. The route lasts just over an hour and in this time visitors will be able to observe the Piano area, that is, the part close to the Sassi and get to know the historical places from another perspective. The Piano area is actually the first area built immediately after the Sassi at the turn of the Renaissance.

The 2-hour tour gives guests the opportunity to stroll in contact with nature with an assisted pedal bike. Crossing, in a fun and carefree way, the ancient "Sassi" districts (Barisano and Caveoso), they will reach the Murgia Materana National Park. Our guests will be accompanied on the nature walk by a leader who, at the head of the group, will indicate the right way to go. Within the tour, included in the ticket, stop and visit of the suggestive Madonna della Palomba Sanctuary, stop in an ancient tuff quarry still active, arrival on the panoramic point of Murgia Timone and free stop of 15 minutes.

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.

Unique panoramic tour on board the historic Piaggio Ape Calessino, it will give you an indelible memory of the splendid Matera. Customizable for your every need.

Explore the lovely Sasso Caveoso district in the city of Matera on a 2-hour tour walking tour with a knowledgeable local guide. Visit one cave, one church and the historical center, hearing about the fascinating history and subterranean architecture of the city. See parts of the famous Sassi of Matera, ancient cave dwellings that are still in use today and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The tour guide outside the Cathedral and walking tour, through culture, history, tales and legends, where in the bronze age, according the findings, a built up area was born to shape the first city.Secondly we will go to "Sasso Barisano" where we will find how life was spent in the past through old trades, customs, proofs and habits. Then we will cross the old town, coasting the "Civita", enjoying the view of the Park of Materana Murgia on the front side, so that we will head towards the rupestrian complex where you can see rupestrian churches and cave dwellings.

We will accompany you through the magical streets of the Old Town and the Sassi of Matera, transmitting stories and anecdotes, so that you can experience this special Lucanian city step by step, in the intense and engaging way with which our beautiful Matera deserves to be told. We will go together to discover the historic Casa Grotta, to understand how people once lived in the Sassi, we will admire the suggestive Barbarian Cemetery and you will fall in love with the colors and details of local craftsmanship. These places are a concentration of history and charm, unique in the world for their particularities: anyone who visits Matera remains deeply fascinated. This tour is not to be missed: it allows you to fully understand the beating heart of Matera and it is above all for this reason that the Tour of the Historic Center and the Sassi of Matera is specially designed for those people who plan to stay here for a short time, perhaps a weekend or just one day ...

A tiring and epic cycling; an uncontaminated region; a way of traveling that reduces everything to the essential and at the same time leads you to appreciate the little things and the encounters with the locals; Matera, Pietrapertosa, Craco, the San Giuliano reserve, the Gallipoli Cognato park, the badlands; the heart and eyes will be full of beauty at the end of a tiring and hard experience, but therefore regenerating

You will visit Matera with a local tour guide that knows the city and will lead you to discover it as only an inhabitant can do.

Located in a cave deep in the Mugia plateau outside Matera, this captivating rupestrian church known as the “Sistine Chapel of the south” is not easy to reach by car or bus. With this tour, explore one of the most important cultural sites in Basilicata with a convenient transfer and admire its ancient frescoes with the insight of a guide.

Private panoramic tour of the historic districts of the city, aboard the historic Ape Calessino Piaggio. You will not share the tour with other guests.

You have a wide choice of models and sizes. Before leaving, briefing on on the bike functions. The agency offers 24h tecnical assistance.

Discover the old mountainside city of Matera on a 2-hour private walking tour. Visit the city’s key landmarks like Palazzo Lanfranchi, the church of San Pietro Caveoso, the Sasso Caveoso, and visit a typical cave house from the region. Learn about the history of this centuries-old city from your informative guide and even walk the streets where Mel Gibson filmed scenes from ‘The Passion of the Christ.’

With our walking tours, you’ll skip the mundane historical tours and discover the city through a local’s eyes. Experience a tour that will transform the way you travel to make it as much about the people you meet, as it is the places you see. Our local guides (Lokafyers) are passionate about their city and eager to share their knowledge and perspective. Since Lokafyers are not professional guides and tour occasionally, they provide an experience that’s authentic and personal, like a friend showing you around their city. By the end of the tour, you'll feel comfortable navigating the city and confident that you have all the information you need to make the most of your stay.

Pietrapertosa is a small mountain village in Basilicata at 1088 meters above sea level. It is located inside the Park of Gallipoli Cognato and the Little Lucanian Dolomites and is surrounded by fantastically shaped sandstones. Pietrapertosa Saracen fortress acquired importance with the Normans. The guided tour will take you to know the area of Arabata, the oldest and most striking of Pietrapertosa. In the walking path in the historic center. The tour continues by visiting the solar clock, the sundial of Pietrapertosa and the many staircases: alleys carved into the rock. The guided tour ends with a visit to the magnificent Norman-Swabian castle, formerly Saracen fortress, dominating from the top of the rocks. As an alternative to the classic historical-archaeological itinerary, one can choose to undertake the "Path of the seven stones", a naturalistic-trekking path that connects the municipalities of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano to be covered in about ninety minutes