Things to do in Manacor

Manacor is the second town of Mallorca and makes no effort to charm anyone. It lives on furniture, pearls and farmland. The interesting parts are underneath it and twelve kilometres east, at the coast.

Under Porto Cristo

The Coves del Drac were mapped in 1896. The man who did it, Édouard-Alfred Martel, left his name on the lake at the bottom. The visit runs about 1,200 metres through chambers of stalactites.

Lake Martel is roughly 117 metres long and 30 wide. A string quartet plays from rowing boats on the black water, and afterwards you can cross by boat. The neighbouring Coves dels Hams are smaller and quieter.

Pearls, rackets and the plain

Manacor pearls have been made here since 1890. Made is the word: they are manufactured around a glass core, not fished out of anything. The factory shops on the ring road are the source, and the pricing reflects it.

• Rafael Nadal. Born here in 1986. His academy and its museum opened on the edge of town in 2016.
• The plain. Dry-stone walls, almond trees and windmills, flat enough to see weather coming.
• Balloons. That flatness and the still dawn air are why the island's balloon flights launch from here.

Practical

• Balloons go at sunrise. Flights last about an hour, with another hour on the ground either side. Wind cancels them, and rebooking is normal.
• Two ways to fly. A seat in the shared basket costs around 200 euros. Taking the whole balloon runs close to ten times that.
• Caves. Coach parties arrive from late morning. Go at opening, and bring a layer, because it holds about 20C inside.
• Getting here. The train from Palma ends at Manacor, and the drive takes about 45 minutes.
• Market. Monday mornings, in the centre, and the town parks badly on that day.
• Coast. Porto Cristo, Cala Varques and Cales de Mallorca are the local beaches, all within twenty minutes.
• Almond blossom. February turns the plain white, and it is the one time winter here is worth a trip.