Manacor: Drach and Hams caves, Majorica pearls and Porto Cristo

Manacor is an inland town of about 49,000 people in eastern Mallorca, and it is not a beach resort: the sea, the two famous show caves and most of the hotels are in Porto Cristo, its coastal district 12 km away. Stay in Manacor town if you want a working Mallorcan town, a Monday market and the Rafa Nadal Academy close by. Stay in Porto Cristo if you came for the caves and the water. It is part of our Illes Balears guide.

Quick facts

• Where: Manacor municipality, eastern Mallorca, Balearic Islands. It includes the town of Manacor, the harbour town of Porto Cristo and the smaller coastal areas of S’Illot and Cales de Mallorca.
• Residents: 49,153 (2025), read in the INE municipal population series. The Balearic tourism board calls it the largest town in Mallorca after Palma.
• Beach: not in the town. Manacor is inland; the nearest beach is at Porto Cristo, 12 km away, and measures about 300 m by 30 m.
• Nearest airport: Palma, on the other side of the island. Manacor has a rail link to Palma via Inca, and the road is the Ma-15.
• Nearby towns: Artà is reached by the 29 km Manacor–Artà Green Way, and Capdepera and Son Servera are further up the east coast.
• Language: Catalan and Spanish are official; Mallorquí is what you hear in the streets, and English is common in Porto Cristo.
• Market: every Monday in Manacor, with local food and olive-wood crafts.
• Main sights: Coves del Drac and Coves dels Hams in Porto Cristo, the Majorica pearl factory and the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Where to base yourself

The municipality has two very different centres. Manacor is where people live and work; Porto Cristo is where visitors sleep. Pick on that basis, not on the name that happens to be on your map.

Porto Cristo

An old fishing harbour on a small bay that opens to the south-east, with a sandy beach near the port, hotels, bars, restaurants and a shopping area, according to the municipal tourism site. The two show caves are on its edge, so this is the practical base for anyone who wants the caves, the sea and an evening walk without a car. It is also the better choice for families. The downside is size: it is a small coastal town, it is busiest in summer and some places thin out in winter.

Manacor town

Mallorca’s second town has a pedestrian area for strolling, the church of Nostra Senyora dels Dolors and an everyday feel that resort towns lack. It is the right base for the Monday market, for the Nadal Academy and for walkers or cyclists who want to start on the Green Way from the town itself. The beach is a 12 km drive or bus ride away, and in the evening there is less choice for visitors than in Porto Cristo.

Which one?

Choose Porto Cristo for a first visit built around the caves and the water. Choose Manacor town for a quieter, cheaper-feeling base with a car, or if tennis, the market or cycling is the reason you are coming. The two are linked by road, so you can do either from the other.

Things to do

Coves del Drac (Cuevas del Drach)

The caves lie on the south-east coast in Porto Cristo. According to the caves’ own website the tour takes around an hour and follows a 1,200 m route down to 25 m below the surface, with a temperature between 17 and 21 °C. The Balearic tourism board gives the caves a total length of almost 2,400 m, which is the figure for the whole cave system rather than the visitor route, so do not mix the two. The route ends at Lake Martel, 117 m long, 30 m wide and 4 to 12 m deep, where a live classical concert of about ten minutes has been played since 1935. Afterwards you can cross the lake by boat or on foot over the bridge at no extra cost. Opening times and ticket prices change through the year, so check the caves’ website before you go (checked October 2026).

Coves dels Hams

The second cave is smaller and quieter. It was found by the Mallorcan speleologist Pere Caldentey on 2 March 1905 and opened to the public in 1910, the first cave in Spain to do so, according to the town’s tourism site. The name comes from the fish-hook shaped stalactites (hams in Catalan). If you have time for only one cave, the Drac is the larger and more famous; the Hams is the one to add if you like cave formations and want to avoid the biggest crowd.

Majorica pearls

Manacor is known for pearls, but they are imitation pearls, not natural ones: the Balearic tourism board describes the Majorica factory as an imitation pearl factory. Do not expect cheap natural pearls; expect a well-known local jewellery brand. Opening and visit arrangements change, so confirm on the Majorica website before building a day around it. The factory is not a reason to stay overnight, but it fits a rainy morning.

Rafa Nadal Academy

The tennis centre named after Rafa Nadal sits in Manacor, his home town. The academy’s website lists junior and adult tennis and padel camps, an annual programme, a shop and a museum. It does not state opening hours or museum prices on the page we read, so check before you go. Skip it if you are not interested in tennis; it is a training centre first and an attraction second.

Old town and the Green Way

The town centre rewards a slow walk, and the 29 km Green Way follows the former railway line from Manacor to Artà through Sant Llorenç des Cardassar and Son Servera. It is the only Green Way on the islands, according to the Balearic tourism board, and suits hikers and cyclists of any level.

Beaches and places nearby

Manacor itself has no beach. Everything on the water is in the Porto Cristo area.

Porto Cristo

The main beach is about 300 m long and 30 m wide, fine sand and shallow water, next to the port, according to the municipal tourism site. Cala Petita is a small cove reachable only on foot, and Cala Murta lies at the other end of the town. The same source recommends glass-bottom-boat excursions from the harbour. Near the harbour mouth the Torre dels Falcons watchtower dates from 1577 and a lighthouse was built in 1851.

Beyond the municipality

Further north the coast continues through Son Servera and Capdepera, where Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida are the bigger beaches. Inland, Artà is the natural next stop by Green Way or road.

Other town guides nearby: Petra (about 10 km in a straight line), Santa Margalida (about 17 km in a straight line), Sineu (about 19 km in a straight line).

Food and drink

Manacor is a market town, so the Monday market is the place to see local food products and olive-wood crafts. Porto Cristo has restaurants around the harbour, with fish and rice dishes common near the water, and Mallorcan staples such as ensaimada pastries and sobrassada sausage are sold in bakeries and delis across the municipality. Menus and owners change quickly, so we do not name restaurants we could not check. In Manacor town, look for the ordinary neighbourhood places away from the main sights, which cater to locals rather than coach groups.

Where to stay

Porto Cristo has the widest choice for visitors: hotels and aparthotels near the harbour and beach, plus holiday apartments. Manacor town has fewer places aimed at tourists, mostly small hotels, guesthouses and rural fincas in the surrounding countryside; the municipality also lists rural tourism accommodation. Prices follow the season, with summer clearly the most expensive and winter the cheapest, and some seaside places reduce service in winter. Book early for July and August, and for Porto Cristo first. If you want to be near the caves, stay in Porto Cristo; if you want quiet and a car, a rural stay near Manacor is the alternative. Mallorca also charges a tourist stay tax per night of stay, so look for it on your bill.

Getting there and around

Fly to Palma, which Aena places 8 km from the city, then continue across the island. The municipal tourism site says trains run from Palma (Plaça d’Espanya) via Inca to Manacor and that the road from Palma is the Ma-15, by car or by bus. It gives no times or fares, so check the timetable on tib.org, which also lists the bus network.

Regional bus line 411 runs between Cala Rajada and Manacor, and in June 2025 TIB introduced a line 411e express between Cala Rajada and Palma that avoids a change in Manacor, saving about 30 minutes, according to its announcement. The announcement says the express services will run from April to October from 2026. We could not confirm bus lines to Porto Cristo from the sources we read, so check TIB before relying on a bus there. Porto Cristo is 12 km from Manacor, and a car is the easiest way to combine the town, the caves and a beach in one day. Parking in Porto Cristo is tight in summer, so arrive early.

Best time to visit

The caves are open all year and stay at 17 to 21 °C inside, which makes them a good wet-weather or very hot day choice. For the beach, come from late spring to early autumn. At Palma airport, the nearest AEMET station with published normals, the July mean for 1981–2010 was 24.8 °C and August 25.1 °C, while January averaged 9.5 °C and October 18.5 °C. The east coast can differ from Palma, so treat these as a guide. Winter suits the town, the Green Way and the Nadal Academy better than the sea. Fiesta dates change from year to year; ask the town hall or the tourist office for the current calendar rather than trusting a printed date.

FAQ

Is Manacor worth visiting?

Yes if you want a real Mallorcan town with a Monday market, the Rafa Nadal Academy and a base for the caves. Skip the town as a day stop if you only want a beach; go straight to Porto Cristo.

Are the Drach caves in Manacor?

They are in the municipality of Manacor but in Porto Cristo, 12 km from the town itself. The visitor route is 1,200 m and takes about an hour.

Are Majorica pearls real pearls?

No. The Balearic tourism board describes Majorica as an imitation pearl factory, so you are buying a well-made local brand rather than natural pearls.

Is there a beach in Manacor?

Not in the town. The nearest is the beach at Porto Cristo, about 300 m long and 30 m wide, and there are small coves nearby.

What day is the market in Manacor?

Monday, according to the Balearic tourism board, with local food and olive-wood crafts.

Sources and freshness

Last checked: October 2026. Sources: Balearic tourism board, Manacor; Balearic tourism board, Caves of Drach; Balearic tourism board, Coves del Hams; Cuevas del Drach (tour, depth, temperature, concert); Visit Manacor, Porto Cristo; Visit Manacor, Coves dels Hams; Visit Manacor, how to arrive; Rafa Nadal Academy; Majorica; INE (population 2025); TIB, line 411 and 411e; Aena, Palma de Mallorca Airport; AEMET, Palma airport normals.

Main photo: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.