Porto Cristo – a small fishing village, in the past – the main naval port in Mallorca, involved in the Spanish Civil War, and later – one of the largest seaside resorts, before the appearance of Cala Millora.
Today it is still an important port, but now it is a fishing and recreational, as well as a popular family resort, where there are many nice restaurants, bike routes and the main local attraction – the Dragon Caves.
According to A2zgov, the name of the city in Spanish means “Port of Christ”. It is connected with the fact that once a boat was thrown ashore here, in which they found the crucifixion of Christ.
How to get to Porto Cristo
The nearest airport to Porto Cristo is located in the capital of the island Palma de Mallorca, where Aeroflot direct flights from Sheremetyevo and Es Seven from Domodedovo operate from Moscow, and Ural Airlines connects during the season. The journey takes 4 hours 45 minutes.
The distance from the airport to the resort is about 70 km. Regular bus No. 412 of the Tib carrier will take you in 1.5-2 hours, the fare is 8-12 EUR per passenger.
The taxi ride will last 50 minutes and cost 75-90 EUR.
Transportation
Porto Cristo is a small town, within the center you can move around on foot. It is convenient to ride around the area on bus number 412, which goes from Palma de Mallorca and further along the coast to the north. The ticket price depends on the distance, for example, the road to the Cala Millor resort will cost 1.85 EUR.
A taxi ride around the city costs from 1.60 EUR (a bit more expensive at night) per km plus 4 EUR landing.
Porto Cristo hotels
There are few hotels in Porto Cristo, there are several 4 * hotels, and most are inexpensive “three rubles” and apart-hotels without “stars”. Accommodation price: 50-70 EUR per night for a double room with air conditioning and bathroom; sometimes breakfast is included. It is worth booking in advance, rooms in inexpensive hotels end first, especially in high season.
The most luxurious hotel in the resort is Rural Son Mas 4*. It is housed in a 17th century mansion. All rooms are suites or junior suites, in summer – from 350 EUR per day for a double room.
There are two adults-only hotels in Porto Cristo, both located in the central part of the city. THB Felip – Adults Only 4 * is within walking distance from the port – from 120 EUR per day for a double room. The second hotel – only for women – Som Dona Women Only +18 4 *. From here it is only 200 m to the Dragon Caves. Accommodation prices also start from 120 EUR per night for a double room.
Beaches
The coastline of the resort is heavily indented and consists of many small coves. It is easy to find a secluded place here, all beaches are sandy, most of them are equipped.
The main beach of Caminito is located near the port, next to the central promenade and bus stop. It is always crowded, there are cafes and bars, as well as sunbeds and umbrellas (for an additional fee), entrance to the beach is free.
Local beaches are not considered the best in Mallorca, mainly due to the proximity of the port, so the water here is not the cleanest. More pleasant beaches can be found in the nearby resort of Cala Millor. Bus number 412 will take you there in half an hour.
Of the water activities in Porto Cristo, diving is especially popular. The resort has a large dive center Skualo Dive, they organize diving, including in cave lakes, and those who wish can get a PADI certificate.
Shopping in Porto Cristo
In Porto Cristo, you can’t count on a variety of shopping, the prices here are quite high, and the choice is small. However, it is worth buying pearls and jewelry from it. The world-famous Majorica imitation pearl factory is located in nearby Manacor. Local craftsmen have been doing this for over 200 years, and only a professional will distinguish their handmade pearls from natural ones.
The brand store of the factory – House of Majorica (off. site in English) – is located next to the Dragon Caves, where you can buy pearls at factory prices, fakes are excluded. Prices for faux pearl bracelets start from 8-10 EUR, and for pearl necklaces – from 15-20 EUR.
Cuisine and restaurants
There are many restaurants in Porto de Cristo of different price categories, most of them serve seafood, some traditional Spanish cuisine. Almost everywhere, grilled fish and seafood, pork sausages, lamb with vegetable stew and “tombet” (local stew made from potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and other vegetables) are excellently prepared.
Expensive restaurants are concentrated on the central promenade and in the port. One of the most popular is Sa Pedra. Despite the fact that it is considered tourist (there is also a Russian menu), the quality of food remains at the level. Paella, octopus and grilled shrimp are especially well cooked here, there is an excellent wine list, and as a bonus, a very beautiful view of the pier. Prices for main courses – 10-18 EUR, portions can be safely divided for two.
Of the budget establishments, it is worth visiting La Marina, they also sell seafood, as well as pizza, burgers and other dishes of Spanish and European cuisines.
Entertainment and attractions of Porto Cristo
The main attraction of Porto Cristo, which people come to see from all the surroundings, is 4 Dragon Cavesconnected by passages. Today it is an equipped tourist route more than a kilometer long with huge stalactites and stalagmites and the underground lake Martel – one of the largest in the world, you can ride a boat on it. The caves are beautifully illuminated, and thanks to excellent acoustics, classical music concerts are regularly held here. The caves can be visited both independently and with a guided tour; there are special routes in the footsteps of the heroes of Jules Verne’s novel Clovis Dardantor.
Local residents say that a fabulous dragon supposedly lived in these caves and kept his untold wealth here. According to another, more plausible version, the treasures were indeed kept here, but they belonged to pirates.
Near the Dragon Caves, there are other, less well-known, Ams Caves. They are smaller in size, and stalactites and stalagmites resemble fishhooks in their outlines. These caves also have their own underground lake, it is called the Venetian Sea.
Neighborhood
A 40-minute drive from Porto Cristo is a zoosafari park (on the official site), where you can watch wild animals in their natural habitat. There are giraffes, zebras, monkeys and other animals that are not at all afraid of people. On the territory of the park there is a zoo where dangerous predators live in special enclosures. You can get there by bus number 412.
Weather
Porto Cristo has a Mediterranean climate, it is comfortable to relax here at any time of the year. Summers are dry and hot, but the heat is quite easily tolerated by the sea breeze. The beach season officially lasts from May to October, but you can usually swim in November (if you are not afraid of periodic rains). Winter here is moderately cool, cloudy and rainy. Most precipitation falls in November and February.
