Artà
The Town
The The town of Artà lies in the middle of a large wide valley at the foot of a small hill, overlooked by the walled precincts of Sant Salvador and by the Gothic church. The town has a population of about 5,500 permanent inhabitants. One should make a point of visiting the old quarter, dominated by the courts and seigneurial mansions that at one time belonged to the lords of the country estates, the great farms of the municipality. At the same time, the fact that the town has not directly received the impact of tourism has meant that old traditions have survived virtually unscathed - fiestas like those of Sant Antoni (St.Anthony, infebruary), with its demons and bonfires; handicraft like Majorcan embroidery and articles made with palm fibre; typical foodstuffs such as panades (pies of lamb and peas), robiols (sweet pasties), sobrassada (spicy pork with paprika sausage) - and have helped to preserve the characteristically hospitable and lively atmosphere of a Mediterranean town. (Urban itineraries)
Coast
Artà coastline, 254 kilometres in length, still preserves its natural state and has been protected from development. Parts of the coastline of special interest include the beach and sand dunes of Sa Canova, the coastal plain of Colònia de Sant Pere, the high cliffs of Cape Ferrutx, which are the refuge of some of the rarest species of the flora and fauna of the island such as the peony Paeonia cambessedesii, the osprey and the peregrine falcon, and finally a whole series of small coves with sandy beaches that dot the coast from Cala Torta to the sands of Albarca (Routes 1, 2 and 3).
Click HERE to view other beaches near Artà
Talaiots
Archaeological remains provide evidence that human occupation of the Artà area started in the pre-talayotic period, since most of the sites that can be seen today date from the talayotic megalithic age (for example the settlement of Ses Païsses and the talayot of Sa Canova).
| Ses Païsses Talayotic Settlement | |
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Less than a kilometre from the town centre in a south easterly direction, Ses Païsses is one of the most important archaeological remains not only in the municipality of Artà but in the whole of eastern Majorca. |
| Sant Salvador | |
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Sant Salvador is without any doubt the most distinctive landmark of the town. Within its walled grounds there is a chapel and the rooms of the lay brother. |
| Parish Church Of The Transfiguration | |
The present church is Gothic with a single nave with a vaulted transept. In 1573 work began on the new building destined to replace the old parish church. |
| Sa Canova Talayot | |
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This talayot is located on the Sa Canova estate, about 150 metres from the road that goes from Artà to Colònia de Sant Pere. Just like Ses Païsses, it clearly belongs to the Talayotic Age and is thought to date from between 1300 to 1000 BC. |
| The Betlem Hermitage | |
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About ten kilometres from the town, the Betlem Hermitage stands on what used to be the lands of the Ferrutx estate. It was founded in 1805 by members of the hermit orders of Randa and Valldemossa, following the donation of a small plot of land to the hermits by Jaume Morei, and with financial aid from other benefactors such as Cardinal Antoni Despuig. |
| Artà Caves | |
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Artà Caves are located on the coast in the municipality of Artá, in the Cap Vermell, surrounded by mountains that tower over the sea. The caves have been visited since times gone by and it is very likely that the island’s primitive inhabitants knew of them, as did the various populations that later inhabited the island. |