Where to Stay in Matera? The 5 Best Areas & Places to Stay

Matera is one of the most distinctive towns in Italy. Its Old Town, the Sassi, is carved into the rock above a deep ravine, and today you can sleep in the very caves that families lived in just a few generations ago. If you’re wondering where to stay in Matera, it helps to know that the town lies in Basilicata, about an hour from Bari.

It’s the cave hotels that make the choice tricky, because there are steps everywhere and no cars in the alleys. So deciding where to stay in Matera is mostly about how many steps you’re willing to climb. Here are my five suggestions, with three hotels in each area.

Where to Stay in Matera: The Best Areas

• Sasso Barisano - best area for first-time visitors
• Sasso Caveoso - best area for romance and cave hotels
• Civita - best area for views over both Sassi
• Piano around Via Ridola and Piazza Vittorio Veneto - best area for drivers and heavy luggage
• The countryside around Matera - best area for families and road trips

Below, I go through the areas one by one with a map, transport, price level and three hotels in each. The prices come from a search for a weekend in May for two people, so expect them to rise in high season and around the town’s festival at the beginning of July.

1. Sasso Barisano - best area for first-time visitors 🏘️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re staying in the Sassi itself. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto, you walk down the steps and reach Barisano in five minutes.
• 🚶 Transport: No cars run through the alleys, so you walk everywhere. From the car park on Via Saragat, the Linea Sassi bus runs roughly every half hour.
• ✈️ Time from Bari Airport: About 1 hour 15 minutes by bus to Matera Centrale and a 15-minute walk down into the Sassi, or about an hour by car to the car park.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £95 to £325 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Very safe. The biggest risk is slippery stone steps, especially after rain, so bring shoes with good grip.

The Sassi are Matera’s Old Town: two valleys filled with houses, churches and cisterns carved into the limestone and separated by the Civita ridge with the cathedral. Sasso Barisano is the northern and larger of the two, and it’s here you’ll find the most cave hotels, restaurants and wine bars. The houses often have an ordinary façade facing the alley, while the room behind it is a cave that continues into the rock. The town’s largest rock church, San Pietro Barisano, sits at the bottom of the district.

The Sassi and the rock churches of the Murgia are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in the 1950s the residents were moved out because conditions in the caves were so poor. It was only from the 1980s that people began moving back, and today many of the caves have been restored as hotels with vaulted ceilings, stone baths and soft lighting. If you’d like the history too, you can take a guided tour of the Sassi with a cave house and rock church for around €29 (about £25).

See hotels in Sasso Barisano here.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Matera and you want everything right on your doorstep. Barisano is closer to the Piano than Caveoso, so there are fewer steps up to the shops and buses. If you’re coming by train from Bari, Ferrovie Appulo Lucane takes about an hour and a half, and if you land in Bari, you could start with a night or two by the harbour. My guide to where to stay in Bari will help you choose a neighbourhood.

The downside applies to all cave hotels: you can’t drive right up to the door, and you’ll have to carry your suitcase down stone steps. Ask the hotel whether they can help with luggage, and pack light. The caves can also be a little damp and rarely get much daylight, so choose a room with a window if that matters to you.

Hotels in Sasso Barisano

Locanda di San Martino Hotel & Thermae Romanae - cave hotel with a pool and spa in the rock

Locanda di San Martino is on Via Fiorentini in Barisano and is built into a series of old caves on several levels. The hotel has an indoor pool, sauna and steam room in the rock, and with over 2,700 reviews on Booking.com it’s one of the most tried-and-tested places in the Sassi. Guests mainly complain about the many steps.

From one review: “Fantastic location, good breakfast. Lovely room.”

See photos and book Locanda di San Martino here.

Residence San Pietro Barisano - cave atmosphere with modern comforts

Residence San Pietro Barisano is on Rione San Biagio in the northern part of the district, close to the church of San Pietro Barisano. The rooms are set in caves with modern bathrooms, there’s a restaurant, and the breakfast gets praise. A few guests mention damp in the rooms, which is a classic drawback of sleeping in the rock.

One guest writes: “Location, breakfast, lovely cave atmosphere and modern facilities.”

See photos and book Residence San Pietro Barisano here.

Piano Piano Rooms - small guesthouse with a terrace and outstanding hosts

Piano Piano is on Recinto I Fiorentini right next to Locanda di San Martino and is a small guesthouse with a terrace and a shared kitchen. It was the cheapest of my three picks here when I searched, and its score of 9.7 is among the highest in Matera. Some guests miss daylight in the rooms, and you’ll have to carry your luggage up steps.

One guest highlights: “Fantastic location, fantastic hosts, clean and perfect for us.”

See photos and book Piano Piano Rooms here.

2. Sasso Caveoso - best area for romance and cave hotels 🕯️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re staying in the southern part of the Sassi. From Via Ridola it’s a five to ten-minute walk down to Piazza San Pietro Caveoso.
• 🚶 Transport: You walk everywhere, and it’s a long way up to the Piano, so expect plenty of steps every day. Small tourist tuk-tuks run around the area if your legs give up.
• ✈️ Time from Bari Airport: Around 1 hour and 15 minutes by bus to Matera Centrale plus a 20-minute walk, or around an hour by car to the car park.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost around £95 to £380 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe. The alleys are steep and poorly lit in the evening, so have the torch on your phone ready.

Sasso Caveoso is the postcard image of Matera that many people know from films. The houses are arranged like an amphitheatre sloping down towards the Gravina ravine, and on top of the Monterrone rock stands the rock church of Santa Maria de Idris. Down on the square is the church of San Pietro Caveoso, looking out across the ravine to the Murgia on the other side. The district has fewer restaurants than Barisano, and after dark it goes completely quiet.

This is also where you’ll find Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, a cave house furnished as it was when a family lived there, with a bed, a kitchenette and a stable for the donkey. A little further up is MUSMA, a sculpture museum in Palazzo Pomarici, where many of the works are displayed in the caves beneath the palazzo. It’s a good place to head when the midday sun is beating down.

See hotels in Sasso Caveoso here.

I’d choose Caveoso for a romantic trip or a honeymoon. This is where the most atmospheric cave hotels are, some with private terraces over the ravine and spas carved into the rock. In the evening, when the lights come on over the Sassi, you more or less have the view to yourself, because the day-trippers from Bari and the coast have gone home.

The honest downside is the steps. Caveoso sits low and furthest from the Piano, so you climb a lot of steps every time you need the supermarket, the train or the car. It’s not the right area if you have limited mobility or are travelling with a pushchair. If you arrive by car, it has to be left in a car park outside the zone, and only some of the hotels help with parking and luggage, so ask before you book.

Hotels in Sasso Caveoso

Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & SPA - five-star cave hotel with a spa

Aquatio is on Via Conche in Caveoso and is one of the few officially five-star hotels in the Sassi. The rooms are caves with modern design, and the spa has a sauna and steam room carved into the rock. Guests praise the staff, but several mention that the hotel is awkward to reach because it’s in the limited traffic zone, so you have to park and walk some distance.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel with efficient and helpful staff.”

See photos and book Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel here.

La Corte dei Pastori Luxury - terrace above Piazza San Pietro Caveoso

La Corte dei Pastori is on Vico Bruno Buozzi just above Piazza San Pietro Caveoso and has a terrace overlooking the square. It’s a guesthouse with only a few rooms, room service and a score of 9.7, and the price was less than half that of the big cave hotels when I searched. On the other hand, there are a lot of steps, which several guests mention.

From a review: “Excellent location, very beautiful room, cosy and authentic, excellent view.”

See photos and book La Corte dei Pastori here.

Alba Chiara Holiday Home - holiday home with its own balcony

Alba Chiara is a small holiday home on Via Sant’Angelo in the eastern part of Caveoso, with air conditioning and a terrace. It’s the cheapest of my suggestions in the district and a good choice if you want more space than a hotel room. There’s no reception, and one guest describes the stairs as a little wobbly.

One guest says: “It was fantastic having a private balcony.”

See photos and book Alba Chiara Holiday Home here.

3. Civita - best area for views over both Sassi ⛪

• 📍 Distance to the centre: Civita is the ridge between the two Sassi. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto, it’s about a ten-minute walk to the cathedral on Piazza Duomo.
• 🚶 Transport: You walk everywhere. From Civita, the steps lead down to both Barisano and Caveoso, so you have a shorter walk in either direction.
• ✈️ Time from Bari Airport: About an hour and a quarter by bus to Matera Centrale plus a 15-minute walk, or about an hour by car to the car park.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £85 to £370 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe and quiet in the evening. Watch out for the low walls along the ravine if you have small children with you.

Civita is the oldest part of Matera, a rocky outcrop between the two valleys that was the town’s fortified core in the Middle Ages. At the top stands the 13th-century cathedral, and from the square in front you look down over Sasso Barisano on one side, while a couple of minutes away you can gaze down into Caveoso. Along the eastern edge, Via Civita runs out towards the ravine with the Murgia directly opposite.

The neighbourhood is small and quieter than the two Sassi. There are fewer restaurants and shops, but you’re staying right in the middle of everything and have fewer steps to climb wherever you’re heading. That makes Civita my compromise if you want to sleep in a cave but don’t want to be walking up and down all day. In the evening, the square in front of the cathedral is also one of the best places to watch the lights come on over Barisano.

See hotels in Civita here.

Stay here if the view matters most, or if you want the most distinctive cave hotel in town. Sextantio has turned the old caves into rooms where the furnishings are kept as close to the original as possible, with stone floors and simple furniture. On the other hand, the cathedral square is right next door, so during the day tourists walk past just outside your door.

Civita is also the best place to start your day early. From the cathedral, you walk down into Barisano, round the edge of the ravine and end up in Caveoso before the coaches of day-trippers arrive. Remember that cars can’t get up here either, so you’ll have to carry your luggage the last stretch, just as in the rest of the Sassi. So ask your hotel where to park and whether someone can meet you at the car.

Hotels in Civita

Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita - caves furnished almost as in the old days

Sextantio is on Via Civita with views across the ravine towards the Murgia and is Matera’s most talked-about cave hotel. The rooms are old caves with stone floors and simple furniture, and the hotel has both a restaurant and a bar. The hotel helps with luggage, but one guest mentions that you feel a little on display to the tourists walking past.

One guest writes: “Beautiful rooms and a beautiful place with a fantastic location.”

See photos and book Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita here.

Giardini di Luce - garden, terraces and hot tub

Giardini di Luce is in Rione Vetera on the ridge and has a garden, terraces and a hot tub, which is rare in the Sassi. It’s a guesthouse with family rooms and a score of 9.5 from more than 400 reviews. Getting there involves a lot of steps, and that’s exactly what one guest complains about.

From one review: “Wow, what can I say? It was a fantastic place to stay.”

See photos and book Giardini di Luce here.

L’Arturo B&B - large room close to the cathedral

L’Arturo is on Via Tre Corone between the cathedral and the Piano, so you’re a short walk both up to the shops and down into the Sassi. It’s a B&B with a terrace and daily cleaning, and it was the cheapest of my three suggestions in Civita. Read the parking terms carefully, as one guest ended up having to pay extra for it.

One of the guests highlights: “Fantastic location, lovely big bedroom.”

See photos and book L’Arturo B&B here.

4. Piano - best area for drivers and heavy luggage 🧳

• 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re staying on the edge of the Sassi. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Via Ridola you look straight down into the caves, and it’s a five-minute walk down.
• 🚆 Transport: Matera Centrale on Piazza Matteotti is in Piano, and this is where the trains to Bari and the buses to the airport leave from.
• ✈️ Time from Bari Airport: About 1 hour and 15 minutes by direct bus to Matera Centrale.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £120 to £270 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe and lively in the evening, when the locals go for their stroll along Via del Corso and Via Ridola.

Piano means “the plain”, and it’s the part of Matera that sits on top of the rock around the Sassi. This is where the locals live and shop. Via Ridola and Via del Corso are the town’s main streets, lined with cafés, gelaterias and shops, and from the Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio viewpoint on Piazza Vittorio Veneto you look out over Sasso Barisano. Beneath the square lies the Palombaro Lungo, a huge cistern carved into the rock, which you can visit.

On Via Ridola you’ll find the archaeological museum, Museo Domenico Ridola, and from Piazza Vittorio Veneto trail 406 begins, heading down the steps to Porta Pistola, across a wooden bridge in the ravine and up to the Murgia Timone viewpoint. It’s the best view of the Sassi, and if you’d rather not walk it yourself, you can take a guided sunset tour to Murgia Timone with transport for around €42 (about £35).

See hotels in Piano here.

I’d stay here if you’re arriving by car, travelling with heavy luggage or have limited mobility. The Sassi and large parts of the historic centre are a restricted traffic zone that you’re not allowed to drive into as a tourist, and the council recommends the car parks on Via Lanera and Via Saragat. From Piano it’s a short walk to parking, the train and the bus, and the hotels usually have lifts and daylight. If you’re carrying on by train after Matera, you can read my guide to trains in Italy.

The downside is that you won’t be sleeping in a cave, and you’ll be climbing steps every time you come back from the Sassi. If you still want the atmosphere, choose a hotel on Via Ridola or close to Piazza Vittorio Veneto, where you can get a view over the caves from the terrace or your room. That way you get the best of both worlds.

Hotels in Piano

Eurostars Matera La Suite - five-star hotel with a spa on Via Lucana

Eurostars La Suite is on Via Lucana in Piano, a few minutes’ walk from the Sassi. It’s a five-star hotel with large rooms, a spa, a steam room and a lift, and the hotel has an arrangement with a nearby public car park where you can reserve a space. One guest complains about the plumbing and a shower where the thermostat didn’t work.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Fantastic place! Large rooms with luxurious materials.”

See photos and book Eurostars Matera La Suite here.

Albergo Italia - classic hotel on Via Ridola with views over the Sassi

Albergo Italia is on Via Ridola, right on the edge of Sasso Caveoso, and from the hotel’s terrace you look straight out over the caves. It’s a three-star hotel with a lift, a bar, a 24-hour reception and a private garage about 200 metres away. It isn’t a cave hotel, so you get daylight and a lift, but not the atmosphere of sleeping inside the rock.

From a review: “Excellent location for visiting the Sassi.”

See photos and book Albergo Italia here.

Residence Nazionale Matera - apartments with parking next door

Residence Nazionale is on Piazza Mulino in Piano, about a three-minute walk from the Sassi, and has apartments with a lift and private parking right next door. It’s the cheapest of my suggestions in Piano and a good choice for families who want a bit more space. Street parking is almost impossible, so reserve your space when you book the apartment.

One guest says: “Beautiful apartment, very clean and tidy, great location.”

See photos and book Residence Nazionale Matera here.

5. The countryside around Matera – best area for families and road trips 🫒

• 📍 Distance to the centre: Around 6 to 10 kilometres from the Sassi, depending on where you stay. Allow 10 to 20 minutes by car to the car park by the centre.
• 🚗 Transport: You’ll need a car. There are hardly any buses out in the countryside.
• ✈️ Time from Bari Airport: Around an hour by car.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three places below cost around £85 to £180 a night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Very safe and quiet. Drive carefully on the narrow country roads after dark.

Matera is surrounded by the Murgia, an upland plateau of wheat fields, olive trees and old farmhouses. Many of the large farms, known as masserie, have been converted into hotels with a pool, garden and free parking, and several of them are only a short drive from the Sassi. East of the town lies the Parco della Murgia Materana nature park, with rock churches and caves that belong to the same UNESCO site as the Sassi.

This is the right choice if you’re travelling with children, visiting in summer and want a pool, or doing a road trip around southern Italy. You drive into Matera in the morning, park outside the restricted zone and walk down into the Sassi, then head back to the pool when it gets too hot. You also get more space for your money than in the cave hotels.

See hotels in the countryside around Matera here.

Matera is close to the border with Puglia, and by car you can reach Alberobello in just over an hour and the coast at Polignano a Mare a little later. You’ll find all the best bases in the region in my guide to where to stay in Puglia. The easiest place to pick up a car is Bari Airport, and you can compare prices on car hire at Booking.com.

The downside is that you can’t walk home after dinner in the Sassi. One of you will have to drive, or you’ll need to book a taxi, and out in the countryside restaurants are few and far between. So don’t stay in the countryside if you only have one night in Matera, as you’ll miss the Sassi in the evening, which is the most beautiful time of day.

Hotels in the countryside around Matera

Masseria Fontana di Vite – four-star masseria with a pool and spa

Masseria Fontana di Vite is in the countryside around 10 kilometres from the Sassi. It’s an old farm converted into a four-star hotel with an outdoor pool, restaurant, garden and massages. Parking is free, and there are family rooms. Guests love the setting and the rooms, but several complain that the Wi-Fi is poor.

One guest writes: “An absolutely fantastic place, from the setting to the rooms.”

See photos and book Masseria Fontana di Vite here.

Masseria Torre Spagnola – peaceful farm with a pool and views

Torre Spagnola is around 9 kilometres from the Sassi and has a score of 9.8 from more than 1,400 reviews, one of the highest around Matera. There’s an outdoor pool with a view, a garden, a terrace and free private parking. A few guests find the rooms a little old-fashioned.

From one review: “A beautiful and peaceful place to stay.”

See photos and book Masseria Torre Spagnola here.

Vento Barocco Equitazione e Turismo – farm with horses, a pool and a playground

Vento Barocco is around 6 kilometres from the Sassi and is a riding centre with apartments, an outdoor pool and a playground. It was the cheapest of my three countryside suggestions and suits families who want space and animals around them. One guest did feel that breakfast was a bit limited, though.

One guest highlights: “An excellent choice for a family, a comfortable apartment.”

See photos and book Vento Barocco here.

Where not to stay in Matera?

North and west of the Piano lie modern residential areas such as Lanera and Spine Bianche, where flats can look cheap and central on the map. From many of them it’s a 20 to 30-minute walk to the Sassi along busy roads, and there’s not much going on in the evening. La Martella, around seven kilometres away, was built in the 1950s for the families who were moved out of the Sassi, and it isn’t a place for tourists either. If you can, also avoid staying in Bari or Altamura and doing Matera as a quick day trip, because the Sassi are at their most beautiful once the day-trippers have gone home.

Then there’s the Madonna della Bruna festival on 2 July, when Matera is packed and prices go up. If you love a street festival, book well ahead. If not, pick another week.

If it’s your first trip to Matera, I’d stay in Sasso Barisano and choose a cave hotel that helps with your luggage. If you’re a couple on a romantic break, go for Caveoso or Civita, and it’s worth paying a little extra for the view. If you’re arriving by car or with a heavy suitcase, the Piano is the easy choice, and if you’re travelling with children in summer, you’ll get the most for your money at a masseria with a pool.

Give Matera at least two nights, so you get both a full day in the Sassi and an evening when the lights come on above the ravine. And if you’re travelling on around the country, I’ve gathered the best regions and towns in my guide to where to stay in Italy.

Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇

• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers

Psst 👀 Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel and my Instagram where I provide more useful travel tips?