Matera Private Tours

A private tour of Matera costs about $280-350 for the whole group, and for that you get a licensed guide who walks the Sassi at your pace and answers your questions only. The featured Matera: Private Walking Tour takes about 2 hours in English or French and is rated 4.8 from 84 GetYourGuide reviews. It was priced at $281 for four people on 30 October and $348 for two on 7 November, so check your own date. Cave-house and church tickets are not included on that listing.

For two people, a shared two-hour walk such as the $33 Sassi tour with cave house and rock church comes to $66 with two entries included, against $348 for the private guide on that November date. For a family of four the gap shrinks to $132 against $281. A private guide pays off when the group is four or more, or when pace, privacy or a mobility need matters more than the cost.

Quick picks

• Your own guide for two hours, entries paid on the spot: the private walking tour above, about $280-350 per group.
• A larger group on one flat price: Matera Private Tour: Journey through the Sassi, UNESCO site, $320 for the group, the same for two people or four, for groups up to 25. Rated 4.2 from 74 reviews; see our breakdown.
• Entries and a tasting included: Matera: 3-hour Full Sassi Guided Tour Idris Church & Tasting, $281 for two or $348 for four on the private option, three hours, rated 4.5 from 343 reviews.
• Two or three people paying per head: Matera: Walking Tour with Cave House and Church Entry, $90 per person for 2.5 hours, with cave-house and church entry. Its 5.0 from 54 reviews is the top rating among the tours compared on this site.

How per-group pricing works out

Three of the four private listings charge one price for the group. On the featured tour, $281 for four people is about $70 each, and $348 for two is $174 each. The $320 flat-price private tour costs $160 each for a couple and about $53 each for six friends. The three-hour tour with a tasting runs $281 for two and $348 for four on its private English option.

The $90 walk works the other way: you pay per person. Two people spend $180, which undercuts every per-group price above. Four people spend $360, more than the per-group tours, so a family of four usually does better on a group-priced listing.

Entry tickets change the sum. If your guide takes you into rock churches on a tour that excludes tickets, you pay at the door. The three Oltre l’Arte rock churches (Santa Maria de Idris with San Giovanni in Monterrone, Santa Lucia alle Malve and San Pietro Barisano) cost €4.50 each or €10 for all three, and they need a booked date and time. Visitors with an authorised guide get a reduced rate of €2.50, €4.00 or €5.00 for one, two or three churches. The Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario charges €8 from April 2026. Our tickets and prices guide lists every site.

Who a private guide suits

Groups with a slower walker. The Sassi are a staircase of stone lanes, and the Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario warns that constant ups and downs are typical of the whole area. A private guide can set the pace, add rests and skip a descent you cannot face. No private listing here promises an accessible route, and the three-hour tasting walk lists itself as unsuitable for wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments. If stairs are the problem, a tuk-tuk or Ape Calessino ride cuts most of the walking.

Families with children. On the big shared walks, a few reviewers found it hard to hear the guide, and one tour was disrupted by noisy children. With your own guide, nobody else sets the rhythm.

Photographers. You decide where to stop and for how long. Note that the three-hour tasting tour does not allow video recording.

Couples who want the guide’s full attention. Questions get answered as you walk, and the route can bend toward churches, films or daily life in the caves.

What each private listing includes

The private walking tour includes only the guide. Its description covers both districts, cave houses and rupestrian churches, balcony views of the Murgia Materana park and a visit to the Cathedral, but the listing excludes cave-house and church tickets. Budget for them at the door.

The $320 flat-price walk runs 2 hours in English, French, Italian or German and starts in Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Its includes name San Pietro Caveoso, the rock churches of Santa Lucia alle Malve and Santa Maria de Idris, and the Cathedral, plus stories about films shot in the Sassi. The listing does not mention entry tickets, so ask the operator whether church entries are covered. Its own notes say excursions are non-refundable within 48 hours of the date, which is stricter than the 24-hour cancellation shown on the listing; read the terms before you pay. A couple of low-star reviewers felt the commentary added little to reading up alone, and one guide arrived late. The operator offers transfers to and from Bari airport or port on request.

The three-hour private tour with a tasting includes tickets to the rock church of Madonna de Idris, the Casa Grotta museum (listed as Casa Grotta Sassi - C’era una Volta in its itinerary) and the Church of Sant’Antonio, both Sassi districts, and a light tasting of taralli, local bread and vegetable spreads. The tasting is small samples, not a meal. Hotel pickup is included when you book the private option. A few low-star reviews say the walk finished well short of three hours, and one guest received no tasting.

The $90 per-person walk is booked as a private tour for your group, up to 15 people, and lasts 2.5 hours in English, German, Italian or Russian. It starts at Banco di Napoli, Piazza Vittorio Veneto 51, and includes entry to a cave house and a rupestrian church, neither named on the listing. It runs rain or shine, and the listing asks for comfortable or hiking shoes.

Private tours from Bari

If you are staying in Bari, From Bari: Private Half-Day Trip with Matera Guided Tour adds a door-to-door transfer: $337 for up to three people, 5 hours, rated 4.0 from 9 reviews. The guided walk on that trip can be shared or private, depending on the option you pick. Our Matera tour from Bari page compares the day trips.

Before you book

Pick the language first: the featured walk runs in English or French, and other private listings add Italian, German or Russian. Wear closed shoes with grip: the lanes are uneven stone and steps, and two of these tours run rain or shine. In July and August average highs reach about 31 °C, so a morning start is easier on the stairs. If you are still deciding between private, shared and vehicle tours, our which Matera tour guide sets them side by side.

Pick your date and check availability for the private walking tour, because the per-group price changes from day to day.