Porto Cristo

Porto Cristo (or Puerto de Manacor) is a port town belonging to the municipality of Manacor, in the eastern part of Mallorca, an autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. On the Mediterranean coast, near this town are the towns of La Marineta, Cala Anguila-Cala Mandía, Cala Romántica, Cala Morlanda, s'Illot, sa Coma and Son Carrió.

The name of Puerto de Manacor (Port de Manacor in Catalan) is its official name, and it comes from being the main port of the municipality to which it belongs. The name of Porto Cristo comes from the landing of a boat with an image of Christ and one of the Virgin with the Child in her arms, around the year 1260. The crew of the boat, after surviving a storm at sea, promised they would leave the images of Christ and the Virgin if they arrived at a port alive; they finally arrived safely at the bay of Cala Manacor, so the images were released there as promised. The name comes from the Latin porto, from portare and christ in reference to the disembarked image, because by then the town had not yet been founded. This image is currently in the Iglesia de los Dolores, in Manacor.

Known for its magnificent caves, two of the most popular tourist points in this locality are the caves of Drach and the caves of Els Hams, Porto Cristo is governed by a district board, a smaller local entity, within the municipality of Manacor.

Places of interest

Caves of Drach. Set of underground natural caves with a length of 1900 yards and with one of the largest underground lakes in the world.

Cuevas dels Hams. The first set of caves in Mallorca open to visitors since 1910, with a length of about 900 yards and two small lakes.

The Torre dels Falcons. A 16th century watchtower located at the end of Avenida Joan Servera Camps with excellent views of the bay, the lighthouse and the nearest coastal towns.

Basilica of Sa Carrotja. Remains of an early Christian basilica from the 4th century.

The White Caves. Other caves facing the sea that were inhabited by fishermen until the end of the 19th century, due to their whitish color, are accessed by a walk that runs along the bay.

Cala Petita. Virgin sandy cove, located 1600 yards from the town center.

Bars and Restaurants facing the natural bay with a wide and renowned gastronomic offer.