On the eastern coast of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, lies the ancient fishing village of Porto Cristo, located in a long bay where the El Rivet river meets the sea, it is now a popular holiday resort with a quiet, friendly atmosphere.

Boating the finest sheltered harbour on Mallorca’s east coast, Porto Cristo was formerly a significant naval base and it was the only town on Mallorca to see action during the Spanish Civil War, when Republican troops landed in 1936 in an attempt to take control of Mallorca from General Franco and his Nationalists, the attack failed and the island remained under Franco’s thumb for the rest of the war.

There is not a great deal to do in Porto Cristo, but most of its visitors are happy to simply relax in the sun and enjoy a meal in one of its excellent restaurants. Porto Cristo does have a wonderful sandy beach and a super aquarium where an interesting variety of fish can be seen.

Porto Cristo still operates as a fishing village and the fishermen can still be seen setting off from the harbour as they have done for centuries.

Visitors will probably want to take a trip to the nearby caves at Coves de Drac (Dragon Caves) and Coves del Hams, these caves are among the most popular tourist attractions on Majorca, and hundreds of visitors each day enter the dark, humid caves to see among other things the biggest underground lake in Europe (in Coves de Drac).

Porto Cristo once served as the port for the town of Manacor and is located on the PM-402 close to that town on Mallorca’s east coast