Drach caves from Palma

Where the caves are

The Cuevas del Drach lie near Porto Cristo, a small fishing town on Mallorca's east coast, in the municipality of Manacor. The caves go by several names: Cuevas del Drach in Spanish, Coves del Drac in Catalan and Drachenhöhlen in German. The cave's address is Ctra. Cuevas s/n, 07680 Porto Cristo. The cave's own page says the harbour of Porto Cristo is a 15-minute walk away, which makes the town an easy addition to the visit. The town's name dates to 1260, during the Christian reconquest of the island, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia counts them among Mallorca's main tourist attractions.

By coach from Palma

The excursion on this site leaves from a central meeting point in Palma and takes about five hours in all. The coach is air-conditioned, and a guide on board speaks Spanish, English, German and French. The itinerary runs in a simple pattern: about an hour on the coach, a little over two hours at the caves, and about an hour back. The visit inside takes around an hour, and the rest is free time in the gardens, at the bar or at the pearl exhibition nearby. The trip is designed to return to Palma in the early afternoon. Your confirmation names the meeting point and the start time. It is a direct service, which the operator contrasts with tours that make up to 16 pickup stops before leaving the resorts.

By car

Porto Cristo is about an hour's drive from Palma, according to mallorca.com. The caves have a large free car park for cars, coaches and motorbikes, with spaces for visitors with reduced mobility. From the car park a path of about 200 metres leads to the entrance. Do not leave valuables in the car, and note that overnight parking is not allowed. A hire car gives you freedom after the caves, because Porto Cristo's harbour, its beach and the Caves of Hams are all close. The price of that freedom is a timed ticket you must buy yourself, with no changes or refunds. Plan to arrive about 15 minutes before your slot, as the cave asks.

Read next: Cuevas del Drach tickets

By public bus or taxi

The cave's page says public buses reach the area from different parts of the island, and it sends visitors to the island bus operator, TIB, for timetables. It does not name a direct Palma service, so allow extra time for connections and check the route planner for your date. A taxi stand at the caves covers the way back, and the cave lists several taxi companies for the way there. Boat excursions to Porto Cristo's port also run from some places on the coast, and the port is a short walk from the caves. The cave also says guided tours can be booked through hotel reception.

What you walk through

The route runs through galleries hung with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites, which sometimes join into columns. The rock is carbonate laid down in the Upper Miocene, between roughly 11 and 5.3 million years ago, from coral reefs and sea shells. Stalactites grow by 0.2 to 1.6 millimetres a year, so the largest took a very long time. The system is commonly described as four connected caves, and the path ends at Lake Martel, which the cave calls one of the largest underground lakes in the world. The cave's visit page describes the route as about 1,200 metres and reaching a depth of 25 metres below the surface. The colours come from minerals the water carries.

Steps, damp and what to wear

The excursion's notes put the visit at about 320 steps in total, 119 of them uphill, on well-kept paths with lighting and handrails in the main places. Inside it is 17 to 21 °C, and the relative humidity runs at 90 to 95 per cent, according to the cave's history page, so the floor can be slippery. The lake water is around 18 to 19 °C. A thin layer suits every season, but shoes with grip matter more. Bare feet are not allowed, and neither are food or drink inside the caves. The caves have no toilets along the route. The cave asks visitors not to go ahead of the group, fall behind or climb over railings.

The concert and its rules

At the lake a quartet of cello, harpsichord and two violins plays four works of classical music from small boats, in about ten minutes. Visitors stay silent, and the cave bans photography and filming during the concert. Afterwards the lights brighten slowly in an effect called Sunrise on the lake. You cross the lake by boat or on foot over the bridge, at no extra cost. Outside the concert, photos without flash are fine, but tripods and selfie sticks are never allowed. The cave asks groups to keep together and to stay on the path. The cave says the concert has been part of the visit since 1935.

Read next: The Drach caves concert

When to go

Opening times change with the season, so the cave points visitors to its schedule page for your date. Its FAQ says the calmer slots tend to be the first of the day and the late-afternoon ones. The temperature inside is steady, so the caves suit both a hot afternoon and a wet day. Online tickets go on sale about 30 days ahead. On an excursion the start time is fixed by the operator, and your confirmation shows it. Whichever you choose, aim to arrive about 15 minutes before your slot, as the cave advises. Every slot runs in groups, so even the calmer ones are not empty. The cave's schedule page marks 25 December and 1 January as closed.

After the caves

Outside the caves you can walk in the gardens and visit the bar, the shop and the pearl exhibition nearby. Porto Cristo's harbour and its small beach are a short walk or drive away, and the town is still a working fishing village. The Caves of Hams lie about a kilometre west of the town, if you want a second cave on the same day. Allow a longer day if you are travelling independently, because public buses run less often than a coach, and your own timetable is the one that matters. The cave also has a picnic area, so you can bring your own lunch for after the visit. The municipality of Manacor, which Porto Cristo belongs to, is the centre of the island's pearl industry.

Families and accessibility

Children under 12 must stay with an adult, who is responsible for their safety. Buggies and wheelchairs cannot enter, but a baby carrier or a child carried in arms is fine. The bar, the shop and the adapted toilets beside the shop are accessible, and so is the reserved parking, but the route is not. Toilets are at the entrance and exit only, so use them before you go down. The cave does not recommend the visit for people with heart conditions or claustrophobia, and anyone with a health concern should ask a doctor first. Pets are not admitted, except guide dogs.

Who this isn't for

Wheelchair users, and anyone who cannot manage steps, will not be able to follow the route. If you hate crowds, expect groups: the visit runs on timed slots, and travellers mention queuing inside the cave, especially for the boat. And filming the music is out, because the cave bans cameras while it plays. Finally, if you would rather not spend a morning on a coach, drive or choose a longer stay near Porto Cristo, since the excursion's time at the caves is a little over two hours. Visitors travelling with a pet should also plan elsewhere for the dog, because only guide dogs are allowed in.