Artà Caves

The scale is what stays with you. Formations and vaulted chambers rise more than 40 metres overhead, and that height is what sets these caves apart from the others on the east coast, Drach and Hams included.

Every tour goes with a guide who walks the group through each chamber and explains the stalactites and stalagmites along the way. The commentary switches between English, Spanish, German and French, depending on who is in the group. The walk takes 45 minutes to an hour and includes a short light show.

The wait before the tour is part of it too: the waiting area is breezy and shaded, and it looks out over the sea.

• The route inside climbs and drops over many steps, and water dripping from the roof can leave them slick. There are plenty of railings.
• Tours start at intervals, so expect to wait 10 to 20 minutes for the next one.
• The entrance is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors with limited mobility can park directly outside the caves.
• Toilets and a counter selling snacks and drinks are at the entrance. There is no drinking-water point nearby, so buy drinks there or bring your own.
• Tickets are bought at the shop outside, which takes cards.

Most visitors arrive by car. Parking sits right in front of the entrance, and a second car park with an asphalt surface lies about 235 m away in a straight line, further down the road. The sea is in view from that stretch of road, with dolphins offshore on some days and goats picking their way over the rocks.

The nearest bus stop, Canyamel - Coves d'Artà, is about 750 m away in a straight line, so arriving by bus means a walk along the road to the caves.

Best: a rainy or very hot day.

Avoid: the last hour before closing.

A cave holds one temperature through the year and the waiting area outside is shaded, while tours leave at intervals and take 45 minutes to an hour, so a late arrival leaves little room for the wait and the walk.