Coves de Campanet

The path twists through the rock like a labyrinth, and each bend brings another cluster of stalactites and stalagmites into the lights. Numbered signs mark the order, and nobody hurries you along: stand at a formation for as long as you like, then follow the next number.

The approach is part of the visit. Flower-filled terraces climb to the entrance past the café, and the hillside setting opens wide views over the countryside. On a hot day the cave earns its place on its own, because underground air keeps the same cool temperature all year and the walk is a real break from the Mallorcan sun.

• The ticket is expensive for the time underground: the walk through takes from under ten minutes to about forty.
• The route has quite a few steps, and the entrance has no wheelchair access.
• The café by the entrance serves coffee, sandwiches, drinks and ice cream, and there are toilets on site.
• Bring a layer on a hot day: the cave stays cool whatever the weather outside.

The car park sits right next to the caves, about 40 m away in a straight line, and there is street parking nearby as well. From the car, flower-filled terraces lead up past the café to the cave entrance.

Without a car the caves are harder to reach. The nearest bus stop, Campanet, is about 2 km away in a straight line, and the stop at Menestralia (Ma-13A) about 3.2 km. Distances by road are longer than that.

Best: a hot afternoon in late spring or early summer. May and early June afternoons are quiet, with room to take the route at your own pace, and the cave's steady cool is at its most welcome when the sun is fierce outside.

Avoid: the peak of the summer holidays. Mallorca is at its busiest then, and a show cave is where a hot island crowd goes to cool off.