East Mallorca guide: Artà, Capdepera, the Llevant and Drach caves

East Mallorca is the island's quieter side: two hill towns crowned with walls, a natural park of bare ridges and empty coves, and a coast of small harbours and long bays. It suits walkers, cyclists and families who want a beach in the morning and a village square in the evening, rather than a scene.

The area runs from Artà and Capdepera in the northeast down through Sant Llorenç des Cardassar to Manacor and Porto Cristo. Base yourself in one of the inland towns and the whole of it is within half an hour's drive.

What is east Mallorca like, and who does it suit?

It is farming country that meets a rocky, varied coast. Inland you drive between almond and carob trees, dry stone walls and low hills; the coast alternates between resort bays such as Cala Millor and stretches with no building at all.

The east suits people who like to move: the Llevant hills are among the best walking on the island outside the Serra de Tramuntana, and a former railway line is now a car-free path for bikes. It suits families too, with shallow sandy bays and the caves at Porto Cristo. If you want beach clubs and nightlife, the southwest is a better fit; Cala Rajada is the one lively exception.

Which towns and villages in east Mallorca are worth knowing?

Artà is the one to plan around; Capdepera and Porto Cristo are the best half days. This table is where we would start.

Artà

Artà is a market town of honey-coloured stone stacked up a hill. At the top, inside battlemented walls, stands the Sant Salvador sanctuary, reached by a long stairway of about 180 steps from the parish church of the Transfiguració. The view from the walls takes in the town's rooftops, the Llevant hills and the bay of Alcúdia.

Less than a kilometre from the centre is Ses Païsses, a talaiotic settlement from Mallorca's prehistory, with a monumental stone gateway and a walk among holm oaks. The Tuesday market fills the streets around the centre.

Capdepera and Cala Rajada

Capdepera is a small town below a walled castle. Around 1300 King Jaume II ordered a fortified village to be built on the hill, and the walls, towers and chapel at the top are what remains. Each May, around the third weekend, the town holds its Mercat Medieval, with stalls, music and falconry in and around the castle.

Three kilometres down the road, Cala Rajada is a fishing harbour that grew into a resort. Walk out to the lighthouse at Cap de Capdepera, the island's easternmost point, and swim at Cala Agulla, the long pine-backed beach north of town. Sa Torre Cega, a villa above the harbour, has gardens with a collection of contemporary sculpture; visits are guided and booked ahead, so check before you go.

Manacor and Porto Cristo

Manacor is Mallorca's second town, a working place rather than a pretty one, best on a Monday morning when the market is on. Rafael Nadal grew up here, and his academy on the edge of town includes a museum about his career.

Its port, Porto Cristo, sits at the end of a narrow inlet with a small beach in the shelter of the harbour. Just outside it are the Drach caves: about 1,200 metres of chambers reaching a depth of 25 metres, ending at Lake Martel, one of the largest underground lakes in the world, where the visit closes with a live concert. Buy tickets online to secure your time slot.

Sant Llorenç des Cardassar

Sant Llorenç is a small inland village between Manacor and Artà, with a parish church, a few cafés and little else to do but slow down. Its municipality reaches the coast at Sa Coma and part of Cala Millor, separated by the Punta de n'Amer, a protected headland of pines and dunes with a late 17th century defence tower at its tip. It is also where we would book dinner in the east.

Surprise Menu Every Night · Sant Llorenç des Cardássar

Es Patí Restaurant

A village house in Sant Llorenç serving a five-course menu that changes every day, the best reason to stay inland for dinner.

See on our guide →

Which are the best beaches and coves in east Mallorca?

For wild beaches, go to the northeast: Cala Torta and Cala Mesquida. For easy family swimming, choose Cala Agulla or the sandy bays of Sa Coma and Cala Millor.

• Cala Torta: a wide bay of coarse sand about 10 km from Artà, reached by the Racó road from beside the town's football pitch, then a rough final stretch. There are no real facilities, so bring water and shade.
• Cala Mesquida: a broad beach backed by dunes in the municipality of Capdepera. A coastal path from its western car park leads towards Cala Torta and the coves beyond.
• Cala Mitjana and Cala Estreta: two small coves next to Cala Torta, inside the public estate of sa Duaia and part of the natural park.
• Cala Agulla: Cala Rajada's main beach, long and sandy, with pines behind and the busiest of the four in summer.
• Sa Coma and Cala Millor: long sandy bays with shallow water on either side of the Punta de n'Amer, the practical choice with small children.

Where can you walk in the Llevant natural park?

The Llevant natural park covers the hills and coast north of Artà, and it is the east's best walking. It was created in 2001 and extended in 2023; it now covers about 17,100 hectares, of which roughly 10,900 are land, across Artà, Capdepera, Sant Llorenç and Santa Margalida. The highest summit is the Talaia Freda at 564 metres, followed by the Bec de Ferrutx.

There are more than 30 marked walking routes. Start at the s'Alqueria Vella information centre on the MA-3333 road out of Artà, which opens daily in the morning and early afternoon and lends audio guides. Several mountain refuges in the park, including S'Arenalet on the coast, are booked online through the Balearic government's refuge system. Access to the Talaia Moreia between 15 August and 15 January needs 48 hours' notice to the park office, so check before you go.

For something gentler, the Via Verda follows the old railway line between Manacor and Artà for about 29 km, through Son Carrió, Sant Llorenç and Son Servera. It is closed to cars and open to walkers, cyclists and riders, with restored stations along the way; a gravel or electric bike is better than a road bike.

Where should you eat, and which markets are on in the east?

Eat locally and simply at lunch, and book one proper dinner. Markets run somewhere in the east on almost every day of the week; this is the order we would use them in.

For the full island calendar, see our guide to Mallorca's weekly markets and the markets pages. Look out for local cheese, almonds, carob products and seasonal fruit from the farms inland.

For dinner, Es Patí in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar is our pick. There is no à la carte: Felix and his team cook a five-course menu that changes every day, drawing on traditional family recipes, international cooking and seasonal produce from the region, while Sarah runs the room and chooses wines from Mallorca and the Spanish mainland. In warm months you eat on the patio or the covered terrace. It opens in the evenings, Tuesday to Saturday, and takes a short break in November, so check before you go and mention vegetarian or allergy needs when you book. More addresses are in our restaurant selection.

Where should you stay in east Mallorca?

Stay inland if you want character, and on the coast if you want to walk to the sea. The countryside around Artà, Capdepera and Sant Llorenç has converted farmhouses and small rural hotels, many with pools, that make the best base for walking and the northeast coves. Cala Rajada and Porto Cristo have hotels within walking distance of a beach, and Cala Millor has the large resort hotels.

A car is close to essential if you stay in the countryside. Our hotel selection covers our recommended places to stay across the island.

How do you get to east Mallorca, and when should you go?

Drive. Artà is around an hour from Palma on the MA-15 through Manacor, and Porto Cristo a little less. A train runs from Palma to Manacor, and buses link the main towns, but the coves and the park need a car or a bike.

April to June is the best time: green hills, wildflowers, warm days for walking and the first swims. September and October bring the warmest sea and fewer people. July and August are hot and Cala Rajada is busy, so walk early and swim late. In winter the coast is quiet and many hotels close, but the hill towns and markets carry on.

What does one perfect day in east Mallorca look like?

Start in Artà, spend the middle of the day on the coast and finish with dinner in Sant Llorenç. On a Tuesday you also get Artà's market.

1. Morning: climb to the Sant Salvador sanctuary in Artà for the view, then walk out to Ses Païsses.
2. Late morning: drive to Capdepera and walk the castle walls.
3. Lunch and afternoon: swim at Cala Mesquida, or at Cala Torta if the sea is calm, with a picnic.
4. Late afternoon: drive down to Porto Cristo for the Drach caves; book the slot in advance.
5. Evening: dinner at Es Patí in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, booked ahead.

To combine the east with the south coast on a longer trip, read our guide to south Mallorca, and for the east's village festivals, our calendar of Mallorca's fiestas.