Highlights of Mallorca & Palma de Majorca

Spend a day in the city of Palma

Palma comes as a surprise to many people - it is stylish, sophisticated, intimate yet bursting with life. Half of Mallorca's population live here, enjoying the island's best restaurants, shops and nightlife as well as a thriving arts scene and a lively cafe society.  Palma's masterpiece is its Gothic cathedral, rising out of the city walls which once marked the edge of the sea. Close to here is the old Arab quarter, its maze of narrow streets hiding museums, palaces and exquisite courtyards. But do not explore old Palma at the expense of its modern side. 

Mallorca's Best Beaches

The beaches in Mallorca range from long white sandy beaches, to isolated rocky coves. Many of them are popular with tourist and locals alike, but it is still possible to find a peaceful spot if you are prepared to get off the beaten track. Some of the nicest beaches tend to have resorts attached to them, so they are busy but the upside of this is that they have extensive facilities and are great for families and children.

Boat Trips around Mallorca

With so many sights to see around Mallorca's coastline, there is no better way to see them than from a boat.  If you don't fancy chartering your own boat, you can take a trip on one of the many boats that are on offer from most of Mallorca's main resorts. There is a wide choice of small boats, large boats and catamarans (which is reflected in the price you will pay) and some have glass-bottoms so you can admire the fish and sea vegetation below.  You can take a day trip, which usually encompasses lunch and a stop-off at one of the remote island beaches.  Or take a sunset cruise in the evening and enjoy the views with a glass of bubbly.  If you are looking for something a little more edgy, you could consider a ride on a speed boat to get the heart pumping!

Enjoy a meal at a quayside restaurant

Mallorca's fabulous coastline offers many opportunities to find a dining spot by the sea. All the islands ports have at least one restaurant on the front, or the pier, and most will specialise in fresh fish. Or head to one of the marinas where you can indulge in some people watching - and enjoy a different sort of view! It is worth calling up the restaurant in advance if there is a group of you - you may well be offered a whole fish for your party that has been freshly caught that morning.

The Royal Carthusian Monastery in Valledemossa

Visit the monastery at Valldemossa, where Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838-9. The Real Cartuja (Royal Carthusian Monastery) was originally a royal residence, until Carthusian monks occupied the building from 1399 until 1835. It has white-arched corridors leading to 'cells' containing museums on various themes. Visit the old pharmacy - you can almost smell the herbs - then look into the library, where the monks would meet for half an hour a week, their only human contact. There is a fine modern art museum, with works by Picasso, Miro and Juli Ramis, and of course there is Chopin's cell...

Serra de Tramuntana

The 'mountains of the north wind' which run the length of Mallorca's north coast are home to the island's most spectacular landscapes. Pine-covered slopes almost lean into the sea; as you climb higher, forested hills give way to barren crags and peaks. The people of Mallorca have good reason to be grateful to the mountains - in winter they act as a buffer, shielding the plain from the fierce tramuntana wind and absorbing most of the island's rain and snow. In summer they provide a cool retreat from the heat of Palma and the south.

Take in a hilltop sanctuary

Drive (or walk) to a hilltop sanctuary to experience 'the other Mallorca'. There are several ermitas, hermitages, santuaries and monastries dotted throughout Mallorca, mainly dating back to Medieval times. Originally inhabited by monks, they were places of pilgrimage. Nowadays, they provide excellent starting points for hikes, and you can spend the night in some of them in fairly basic but cheap rooms.

Shopping in Palma

The main shopping areas in Palma are Avinguda Jaume III and the Passeig des Born for up-market boutiques, and the pedestrian streets around Placa Major for small specialist shops. There is also a modern shopping mall and hypermarket complex - the Centro Comercial Porto Pi - 2km from the centre. For the shopper, the relatively small size of Palma is of great advantage.

Scenic Train Ride from Palma to Soller

The opening of a railway line from Palma to Soller in 1912, and a tram linking Soller to its port the following year, brought the northwest coast within easy reach of the capital. The vintage carriages are still in use, providing a joyride for tourists and a relief for locals from the terrors of the Palma-Soller road. Five trains a day leave from Placa d'Espanya in Palma - the 10:40 is labelled the 'turistico' but all you get for the extra cost is a more crowded train and a short photo stop.  The train, all mahogany panels and brass fittings, leaves Palma amid a bustle of hisses, hoots and whistles before rattling down the city streets and into the suburbs.  Soon you are out on the plain, passing small country stations and pigs rooting beneath the trees. You can get off at Bunyola and visit the Tunel factory where Mallorca's herb-based liqueurs are made - the label shows a train emerging from a tunnel.  Stay on the train and soon you start to climb, entering a 3-km tunnel before returning to daylight for the drop, through a dizzying series of bends, to Soller.

The 'Orange Express' tram to Port de Soller runs hourly, connecting with the arrival of the train. Stand on the platform as it clatters through orchards and back gardens and you can imagine you are living 50 years earlier.  It takes 20 minutes to complete the 5-km journey to the port. If you do not want to return the same way, buses leave from the jetty for Palma via Deia and Valldemossa.

Visit Palma / Soller Train website

Celebrations & Commemorations

Find yourself swept along by the atmosphere of a traditional fiesta and you will get a completely different picture of Mallorca. Most are religious in origin and a few date back to the time of the Christian conquest. Every town and village has its saint's day, whose eve (revelta) is marked by a verbena, a street party with music, dancing, fireworks and fancy dress. Battles are acted out between devils and heroic women, or Christians and Moors; people prance about as horses, and a good time is had by all. For more information during your stay in Mallorca, visit the local tourist information office to find out what is on. Public transport is very good and well linked, especially in the holiday resorts.