Are the Caves of Drach worth visiting?

Yes — the combination of the floodlit chambers, Lake Martel and the live classical concert played from boats makes Drach one of Mallorca's signature experiences. Sessions are timed and sell out in July and August, so book a ticket or a tour with pickup (from around €55) a few days ahead.

Caves of Drach or Caves of Hams — which should I choose?

Drach is bigger and has the famous lake concert; Hams is quieter, cheaper (tours from around €40) and has more unusual formations. They are a 20-minute walk apart in Porto Cristo, and combined full-day tours from around €78 let you skip the choice and see both.

How do I get to the Caves of Drach without a car?

Porto Cristo is about an hour east of Palma. Public buses exist but are slow with connections, so most visitors book a half- or full-day tour with hotel pickup — the ticket, the timed cave session and the transport are then all handled for you.

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Half day+ · Mallorca itinerary

Caves of Drach & Mallorca's East Coast: The Underground Itinerary

Mallorca's east coast hides its best sights underground: the Caves of Drach with their vast subterranean lake and live classical concert, the neighbouring Caves of Hams, and the fishing harbour of Porto Cristo in between. Here is how to plan a half day — or a full one — on the island's cave coast, with the top-rated tours to book.

At a glance

1Caves of Drach & Lake Martel concert
2Lunch in Porto Cristo harbour
3Caves of Hams next door
4East-coast coves before sunset

The Caves of Drach and the Lake Martel concert

The Cuevas del Drach near Porto Cristo are Mallorca's most visited natural attraction for good reason: a kilometre-long walk through floodlit chambers ends at Lake Martel, one of the largest underground lakes in Europe, where musicians drift across the water playing a short classical concert from rowing boats. Entry runs on timed sessions that sell out in summer, so book ahead — half-day tours from Palma with hotel pickup start from around €55.

Porto Cristo: lunch between the caves

Both cave systems sit on the edge of Porto Cristo, a working fishing port wrapped around a sheltered natural harbour. Full-day tours build in a couple of hours here — enough for grilled fish on the seafront and a look at the small town beach. If you are travelling independently, the caves are a 20-minute walk apart with the harbour in the middle, which makes the logistics refreshingly simple.

The Caves of Hams: smaller, stranger, quieter

The Cuevas dels Hams draw a fraction of Drach's crowds but reward the detour: their hook-shaped white formations (hams means fish-hooks in Mallorquí) are lit in a botanical-garden entrance and finish with a light show over their own underground lake. Tours with hotel pickup start from around €40, and combined Drach-plus-Hams full days from around €78 cover both systems with transport handled.

Round it off above ground

If you have a full day, pair the caves with the rest of the east: tours often add a pearl workshop in Manacor, and the coast north and south of Porto Cristo is stitched with pine-backed coves like Cala Romántica and Cala Anguila for a late swim. Prefer to see it all at once? Full-island day tours from around €100 thread a cave visit into a circuit of Mallorca's highlights.