A perfectly restored walled city on the site of a Roman settlement, with remains of Roman houses and an amphitheatre. This is a gem of a place, a maze of narrow streets enclosed by medieval ramparts, carefully restored as a mode of Mallorca's new tourist image. There were Phoenician and Greek settlements here, but the town reached its heyday in the 2nd century BC, when the Roman invaders made it their capital, Pollentia, meaning 'power'.
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Algaida is a typical Mallorcan town, all green shutters, narrow streets without pavements and a central square dominated by a sandstone church. Few visitors make it into the town centre; the attractions are all on the outskirts, on the Palma-Manacor road. The main one is Ca'n Gordiola, a glass factory housed in a mock castle. The ground floor contains a workshop (though it looks more like a church with its arches and stained glass) where you can watch glass being blown; upstairs there are museums devoted to both glass and perfume. A further 2km along the road to Manacor is a string of well-known restaurants, where the people of Palma head at weekends for old-fashioned Mallorcan cuisine.
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Like many towns around the coast, Andratx was built several kilometres inland from its port in a bid to deter pirate raids.Today the town is reaping an unexpected benefit - tourists pour into the port, spending money that the town collects in taxes, yet except on market day, Andratx sees little of the visitors and its people are left to get on with their lives. Surrounded by orange groves and almond trees, which leave a 'snowfall' of blossom each February, Andratx is a sleepy town that only really gets animated on Wednesdays, when the streets are taken over by market stalls selling vegetables, cheeses and fish. When you have finished your shopping, climb to the top of the town to see the 13th-century church of Santa Maria.
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Derived from the Arabic word jertan ('garden'), Arta has been occupied for at least 3,000 years, as evidenced by the remains of a Bronze Age site at Ses Paisses just outside the town. Nowadays, Arta is a prosperous little town near the coast that gets particularly lively each Tuesday, which is market day.
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People come to Banyalbufar to see one thing - its terraced hillsides, sloping down to the sea. Developed by the Moors and divided by drystone walls, these terraces speak powerfully of man's ingenuity in creating farmland out of inhospitable cliffs. Until recently it was the custom for each generation to add a further tier. In Moorish times the town, whose Arabic name means 'vineyard by the sea', was famed for its Malvasia wine. Nowadays the terraces are mostly used to grow vegetables, though a few vines have been planted once again. Banyalbufar's popularity with foreign artists has led some people to conclude that it will be the next Deia.
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If you order Mallorcan wine in a restaurant, it will probably come from Binissalem. Viticulture was introduced here by the Romans and has survived in much reduced form. The reputation of Binissalem red wines, made with the local grape Manto Negro, has been growing in recent years. The best-known bodega, Jose L Ferrer, is on the right as you enter the town from Palma. If you are buying, remember crianza is good, reserva even better, gran reserva the best.
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More than anywhere else in Mallorca, Cala Figuera retains the atmosphere of a working fishing port. White-painted houses reach down to the water's edge and fishermen sit on the steps mending nets. If you get here early enough in the morning, you might even see the catch coming in. A path follows around the tiny harbour and onto the cliffs, offering good views back towards the bay. The nearest beach is 4km to the south at Cala Santanyi.
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Cala Major and its neighbour Sant Agusti were two of Mallorca's earliest resorts; now they are virtually suburbs of Palma. The tourists have moved elsewhere and there is a definite feel of an area that has seen better days. The king still comes though, to his summer residence Marivent, where frequent guests include Britain's Prince Charles. Mallorca's most important art collection is here in Joan Miro's old house and studio.
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Fifty years ago this was a lonely dune-covered shore; now it has become the major resort on Mallorca's east coast. The main attraction is its fine sandy beaches; from Cala Bona ('the good bay') to Cala Millor ('the better bay') they stretch unbroken for 2km. In summer it is 'lively', travel-agent speak for brash, and best avoided unless you like discos and late-night bars. In winter it takes on a new atmosphere, as a resort for the 'young at heart', another travel-agent euphemism. To see what this coast used to be like, walk to the headland at Punta de n'Amer.
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This fishing port on Mallorca's eastern tip, surrounded by fine beaches and pretty coves, has two different characters depending on when you go. In winter it virtually shuts down, apart from a few permanent locals and a handful of bars on the promenade. In summer it is a crowded resort, with windsurfing, snorkelling and numerous discos. Many Germans have second homes here; there have been complaints in the Mallorcan press that it is becoming a 'German colony'.
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Each of the various calas (bays) along the east coast has its own distinctive character; in the case of Cala d'or the word is 'chic'. Former fishing harbours have been turned into marinas. People come here to sail, dive and drink champagne at waterfront bars. The villas are white and flat-roofed, in Ibizan style, designed in the 1930s by Pep Costa Ferrer, and the effect is surprisingly attractive. Nowadays, Cala d'or is the collective name for a string of resorts, beaches and coves; they include Porto Petro, around a horseshoe bay 2km to the south, and Cala Mondrago, a further 4km south, where a pair of sandy beaches are linked by a concrete path.
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Calvia is like an old lady who has won the lottery and doesn't know how to cope with her success. Until recently an unassuming country town, Calvia hit the jackpot when tourists discovered the nearby beaches and it is now said to be the richest municipality in Spain. There are a few ostentatious signs of wealth, like the sparkling new town hall and sports stadium, but mostly life continues as before, with ochre-coloured houses, a handful of shops and bars, and chickens scrambling between the olive trees.
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Midway from Llucmajor to Santanyi on the C717, Campos was founded by Jaume II in 1300 on the site of earlier Roman and Arab settlements. A painting of Christ by the Sevilian artist Murillo hangs in the parish church of Sant Julia. Next door to the church is a museum with a large collection of offertory bowls. To visit both the church and the museum, collect the keys from the Casa Rectoria - follow the signs. Campos has a busy market on Thursdays and Saturdays and its port adjoins the resort of Colonia de Sant Jord to the south.
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Once the post for the market town of Campos, Colonia de Sant Jordi is now a busy resort, on a rocky promontory close to Mallorca's southern tip. Its small beach looks out over several islets, with good views all the way to Cabrera. There are two further sandy beaches to the east and the long stretch of Platja Es Trenc begins just west of town. To the north are the hot springs and spa hotel of Banys de Sant Joan. The main reason for coming here, though, is to take the boat trip to Cabrera.
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An idyllic village of green-shuttered, orhre-coloured houses that has become a millionaires' hideaway in the shadow of the Teix mountain. Deia could have been just another pretty Mallorcan village had Robert Graves not decided to make it his home.
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Felanitx is at the centre of Mallorca's second wine producing area and is also known for its capers, or 'green pearls'. You can buy them at the Sunday morning market, which spills out onto the streets around the church of Sant Miquel, with local pottery displayed on the church steps. The church facade contains a memorial to 414 people who died when a wall collapsed in 1844. Further up, beneath the rose window, you can see the arch angel Michael standing on the Devil's head.
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Fornalutx, in the hills above Soller, calls itself the prettiest village in Spain and it is hard to disagree, unless you accept the claims of its neighbour Biniaraix. There are several terrace restaurants and bars, where you can sit and soak in the views of olive and orange groves climbing ever higher until they reach the pine-clad foothills of Puig Major.
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This pretty village, 460m above sea level, in the shadow of the great peak of Puig de Galatzo, gets crowded out by day-trippers who come to sample the views from the church terrace. On a good day you can see far out to sea, while eating tapas outside the church and listening to the echo of sheep-bells on the hillsides. The nearby village of Puigpunyent is also justifiably popular and is surrounded by orange groves - as well as being the base for visiting La Reserva.
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Mallorca's third-largest town styles itself 'city of leather', and if you come on an organised tour you will undoubtedly be taken to a leather factory. Shop around; the bargains these days are few and far between. Better to come on Thursdays, when the streets around Placa d Espanya are taken over by Mallorca's largest weekly market, Plenty of leather here, of varying quality, plus jewellery, carved olive wood, lace and fresh produce from across the island. Placa d Espanya itself becomes an open-air flower show. Near here are a smart coffee-house, Cafe Mercantil, with upholstered leather chairs, and Ca'n Delante (Carrer Major 27), one of Mallorca's top pastry shops. Inca is also known for its sellers, old wine-cellars turned into restaurants featuring traditional dishes at reasonable prices.
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You could easily miss Mallorca's smallest village, which consists of little more than a bend in the Deia - Soller road. With just a handful of houses and a hotel, it would make an ideal base for a walking holiday in the nearby mountains. The views are postcard perfect in fact you are far more likely to see it on a postcard than you are to actually go there. Picasso once lived in the village during a short stay on Mallorca.
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This ordinary country town, the largest in southern Mallorca, has a place in history - it was the site of the battle in 1349 where Pedro IV of Aragon killed his relative Jaume III to end Mallorca's brief spell as an independent kingdom. Jaume's death is commemorated by a statue at the end of Passeig Jaume III. Near by, on Carrer Obispo Taxaquet, is another statue in honour of Llucmajor's cobblers. Shoe making is still a significant industry here, Almonds and apricots grow around the town and make good buys at the market, held twice a week in Plaza d'Espanya.
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More than anywhere else in Mallorca, Magalluf has been blighted by the curse of mass tourism. During the 1980s it became a byword for all that was wrong with Mallorca: foreign TV crews would flock here to film drinking Competitions, wet T-shirt contests and teenagers throwing up on the beach. In the 1990s Magaluf has tried hard to change its image. High-rise hotels have been destroyed, a new seafront promenade has been built, and the council has introduced activities from guided walks to tai chi on the beach, But still the lager louts come... and if you want cheap sun, sea, sand and sangria, there's no better place.
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Mallorca's second city is the nearest thing the island has to an industrial town. Despite the lack of obvious sights, the narrow streets behind the church make a pleasant place to stroll and soak up the atmosphere of everyday Mallorca. The church, Esglesia dels Delors de Nostra Senyora, was built on the site of a mosque and its minaret-style tower can be seen for miles. Look inside to see the figure of Christ with scrawny hair and a skirt - pilgrims queue up to kiss his bloodstained feet.
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High on a ridge surrounded by old stone windmills, the village of Montuiri is probably the most impressive sight along the Palma-Manacor road. The eight mill-towers of the Molinar district, redundant since the 1920s, are the symbol of the village; the best views are from the Ermita de Sant Miquel, a 19th century hermitage on top of a small hill 2km to the east. Montuiri is the setting for one of Mallorca's most spectacular festivals: each August Cossiers, accompanied by dancers with bagpipes, flutes and drums, dress up as women and devils and perform a dance, the origins of which stretch back at least 400 years, where evil is overcome by good.
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This small town between Inca and the S'Albufera marshes has one overriding attraction - the Museu Etnologic de Mallorca. This museum, housed in a former mansion, gives fascinating glimpses into Mallorca's past. The kitchen contains pottery similar to what you see in the markets today, the recreated pharmacy has a pair of scales in the shape of a crucifix. Upstairs there is a fine Collection of siurells (clay whistles) featuring men on horseback, carrying water and playing guitars. A courtyard with a well, a waterwheel and orange trees leads to more exhibits blacksmith's and cobbler's workshops, a collection of carriages, and tools once used by siversmiths, sculptors and spoonmakers.
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Nervous drivers should not even think about tackling the road to Orient from Bunyola, with bends at alarming angles and little in the way of barriers to stop you tumbling to your death (there is a much easier approach from Alaro). But those who make it to this village are rewarded with a marvellous sight - one of Mallorca's tiniest hamlets, with a population of less than 30, nestling among olive trees at the foot of Puig d'Alfabia. Orient is popular with walkers - numerous walks start from here, including an ascent to Castel d'Alaro - and with weekend day trippers from Palma, who visit its three restaurants for Sunday lunch.
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The good, the bad and the ugly sides of Mallorcas tourist development meet along a 25-km stretch of coast. The former villages of S'Arenal and Magaluf sit facing each other across Palma Bay. Once upon a time, a fisherman casting his net into the sea at S'Arenal could have gazed around an empty coastline where the only buildings to stand out would have been Palma's cathedral and castle. Nowadays he would barely be able to distinguish them among a continuous stretch of hotels - a concrete jungle extending all the way to Magaluf. And he wouldn't be there anyway as there are few fish left to catch.
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There are people who can remember when this was just a village; then along came the tourist boom, and 'new Palma' became the favoured resort of the British. More restrained than Magalluf, less exclusive than Portals Nous, Palma Nova occupies a prime position on the western side of the bay of Palma. It makes a good base for a family holiday, with nearby attractions including Marineland and Aquapark, as long as you don't mind sharing your family holiday with a thousand others.
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This beach resort, popular with German tour operators, was the first in Mallorca to have its own artificial beach, created from imported sand. Once on the main road from Palma to Andratx, it has become much more peaceful since the construction of a bypass and the opening in 1996 of a seafront promenade. Just outside Peguera is Cala Fornells, a chic resort of terracotta houses set around a pretty cove.
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This sleepy town of sand coloured houses would be completely off the tourist map if it were not the birthplace of Mallorca's most famous son, Fray Junipero Serra. Born in 1713 he became a priest in 1730 and worked as a missionary in Mexico from 1749 to 1763. At the age of 54 he was sent to California; the missions he established there grew into some of the USA's largest cities including San Diego and San Francisco.
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At the eastern end of the Serra de Tramuntana and tucked between two hills, each topped by a sacred site, Pollenca is the perfect Mallorcan town. Large enough to avoid being twee but small enough to wander round in a morning, it has none of the feel of other towns which have succumbed under the sheer weight of tourism. Foreigners have long been attracted here, but Pollenca has learned to accept and adapt to tourism without losing its soul. Cafe life is still the rule; if you want to join in, come on a Sunday morning when the Placa Major is filled with market stalls and the locals congregate after church to relax in the Cafe Espanyol.
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Porreres is typical of the small towns on the Mallorcan plain - nothing much to see, but an easy-going atmosphere and a good place to while away a couple of hours. The main street Avinguda Bisbe Campins, runs from the church to the town hall and is lined with bars and cafes. Inside the town hall is a small modern art gallery with two works by Salvador Dali. Just outside Porreres is a former hilltop hermitage, Santuari de Montesio, with a simple chapel, irregular cloisters and views across the plain and out to sea. You can stay here in very basic rooms.
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As the name suggests, this was once just a port serving a city - now the port has completely outgrown the town that it serves. The biggest of the resorts on Mallorca's northeast coast, it stands at the head of a 10-km stretch of sandy beach which continues around the bay of Alcudia as far as Can Picafont. The area around the fishing harbour is the most attractive; the promenade on Passeig Maritim faces a row of fish restaurants. Near here is the commercial port, where passenger ferries leave for the Menorcan city of Ciutadella.
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Dress up to come here, or you will feel seriously out of place. Port d'Andratx is one of Mallorca's classiest resorts, popular with the yachting fraternity and with film stars whose Italian-style villas can be seen climbing up the hillsides. But don't let that put you off; come here all the same. The harbour is one of the prettiest in Mallorca and a table at one of the waterside bars is really the perfect place to watch the sunset.
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This genteel, old-fashioned resort at the mouth of Pollenca bay is particularly popular with families, and with older visitors in winter. There is also a large community of foreign residents, mostly retired British. The promenade along Passeig Voramar, all whitewashed villas and pine trees leaning into the sea, is perfect for an early evening walk. Look out for the bust of Hermen Anglada-Camarasa, the Catalan painter who spent many years in Pollenca and whose work is displayed in the Fundacio la Caixa in Palma. A favourite walk from Port de Pollenca is the 3-km hike across the Formentor peninsula through the Boquer valley, a paradise for ornithologists and lovers of wild flowers.
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This small resort, set around a fish shaped natural harbour, has the only beach of any note along the entire north coast. It is the starting point for several boat trips along the coast; the trip to Sa Calobra is one of the few to run throughout the year. Port de Soller is also a good base for walks. A climb of less than an hour brings you to Cap Gros lighthouse for panoramic views of the bay and the mountains behind; a longer path, through rock gardens and olive groves, connects with an old mule track from Deia to Soller.
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This is one of the more exclusive resorts in the bay of Palma - not many high-rise hotels here, just rows of private villas and apartments dominating the shoreline. Puerto Portals marina, opened in 1987, is the summer home of the jet-set. King Juan Carlos has been known to moor here, and the younger royals can be seen frequenting the waterfront restaurants and bars. Don't even think about looking in the smart boutiques unless you have a high credit card limit. More ordinary mortals can make do with a visit to Marineland.
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This fishing village, once the port for Felanitx, was named in honour of Christopher Columbus, who is said - without much evidence to have been born here. Until the late 19th century Porto Colom was busy supplying wine to France; but when phylloxera killed the vines, its role as a post diminished and it has only recently discovered a new life as a tourist resort Popular with Mallorcan and Spanish visitors and set inside a deep natural harbour, it still has the feel of a small fishing port with boats around the quay and pastel-coloured houses lining the Waterfront, each with its own anding-stage. Cala Marcal, 2km south, has a wide sandy beach leading to a narrow rocky cove.
...read moreThis was one of the main resorts on the east coast until Cala Millor came along so much the better; with bigger and better beaches elsewhere, Porto Cristo has carved out a role as a friendly, family resort, taking advantage of a superb position at the end of a long, sheltered inlet. Once the port for Manacor, Porto Cristo was the only place in Mallorca to be caught up in the Spanish Civil War, when it was briefly captured by Republican forces in 1936. There is not much to do but swim, sunbathe and dine at the terrace restaurants which are perfectly placed to catch the lunchtime sun - but day-trippers come in droves to visit the nearby caves. Other nearby family attractions include an aquarium and a safari park.
...read moreThe neighbouring villages of Portol and Sa Cabaneta, between Palma and Santa Maria del Cami, have become something of an artists colony. Unlike in Deia and Banyalbufar, though, the artists are Mallorcan - potters taking advantage of the rich local soil. The only reason for coming here is to visit the ollerias (workshops), where prices are much lower than in the tourist shops. Good buys include greixoneras (heavy earthenware cooking pots) and ollas (clay storage jars), as well as simple brownglazed plates and plats morenos, glazed bowls painted with symbols (some of the designs go back to Arab times). Several artists specialise in the clay whistles called siurells.
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Sa Pobla, 4km north of Muro, is Mallorca's vegetable basket. This fertile area of marshes reclaimed as farmland is referred to as 'the land of a thousand windmills' and is also the home of one of Mallorca's most unusual festivals, the Revelta de Sant Antoni. For two days each January pets are led through the town to be blessed outside the church, dancers drive out the devil for the coming year, and everyone eats pastries filled with spicy spinach and marsh eels.
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The main reason for visiting Sant Elm, a laid back resort with a fine sandy beach, is for the views of Sa Dragonera. You can take a boat to the island from the jetty at the end of the main street, or sit outside the fish restaurants on the same jetty.
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People argue over whether the mountains or the coast represent 'the real Mallorca', but the heart of the island is to be found in villages like this. The bars are frequented by local farmers and make few concessions to tourism; there is nothing to see as such, just marvellous views across to the serra where the mountains rise out of the plain and you can just make out the white sanctuary church above the ruins of Castell d'Alaro in the distance. The old 6-km cart track to Sencelles offers good walking and more views, over the postcard village of Biniali.
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This market town on the Palma-lnca railway has developed a reputation as one of Mallorca's artistic centres. Most of the island's potters work close by, in Porto, and Santa Maria is the centre of manufacture of roba de llengues ('cloth of tongues'), cotton woven into bright zigzag patterns and used in curtains, bedspreads and upholstery. Just off the main square is Ca'n Conrado, former Carmelite cloisters and a peaceful retreat from the traffic on the Palma road.
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Santa Ponsa may look like just another beach resort but it has a permanent place in Mallorcan history. It was here that Jaume I landed in 1229 to begin his conquest of Mallorca, a conquest he described as 'the best thing man has done for a hundred years past'. A relief on a large cross above the marina, erected in 1929, records the event.
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Do not be surprised if the buildings in Santanyi look just that little bit more mellow than everywhere else - this small town is the source of the golden sandstone used in Palma's cathedral and La Llotja among others. The old gate, Sa Porta Murada, seen as you enter the town from Palma, is a good example of Santanyi stone and a reminder that this was once a walled town. The parish church of Sant Andreu Apostel contains a massive rococo organ, designed by Jordi Bosch and brought here from a convent in Palma. The streets around the church are the focus for one of Mallorca's liveliest markets.
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The name of this village means 'small caves' and this is believed to refer to Roman burial chambers on the same site. Nowadays people come here for one thing - to get to Platja Es Trenc, a 3-km stretch of fine white sand backed by gentle dunes. There are a number of half-finished developments along the coastline.
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This genteel resort, with its white villas and old fashioned hotels, is for many people the most attractive in the whole Badia de Palma. Two small beaches look out over a pair of Metes (islets), the larger one crowned by an old watchtower. Its proximity to Palma means that you will never be alone here; in summer the buses from Palma to Ses Illetes are packed out at weekends. But if you want a base near the capital, combining a city break with a beach holiday, this could be just the place.
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This small town between Santanyi and Colonia de Sant Jordi is named after the nearby saltpans, which act as a magnet for migrant waders and wildfowl on their way from Africa to their breeding grounds in Europe each spring. Cap de Ses Salines, Mallorca's southernmost point, is another good spot for birdwatching. The town itself makes a pleasant place to stroll, with an abundance of local Santanyi sandstone which turns golden in the sun. Just outside Ses Salines, on the road to Santanyi, is Botanicactus, one of Europe's largest botanical gardens, with bamboo and palm trees and, extraordinarily diverse in form, dozens of varieties of cactus.
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Sineu, at the geographical centre of Mallorca, comes alive each Wednesday morning at the island's most traditional market. It takes place on several levels. The sound of bleating leads you to the livestock market, where weatherbeaten farmers haggle over the price of sheep before heading for the town's celled restaurants for an early brunch. Further up, on the way to the church, you pass the symbol of Sineu, a winged lion; near here are numerous stalls selling leather, lace and pearls.
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Set in a lush valley of orange groves between the mountains and the sea, Soller is popular with day trippers who arrive on the vintage train from Palma and seem to do little but sit outside the cafes in Placa Constitucid soaking up the atmosphere and the sun. With several tapas bars, a fine selection of pastry-shops, local ice-cream and freshly squeezed orange juice, there is little temptation to move on.
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The small town in the mountains where Mallorcan tourism began one cold, damp winter in 1838.
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As you drive through this small town on the road from Palma to Manacor, you cannot help noticing the strings of vegetables hanging outside several of the shops - peppers, aubergines, garlic and, above all, tomatoes. These are the famous tomatigues de ramallet, sold on their stalks to be spread over pa amb oli. Vilafranca is also known for its honeydew melons, whose harvest is celebrated with a large melon festival each September. The other reason for coming here, apart from food, is to visit Els Calderers, a manor house between Vilafranca and Sant Joan. This was once at the centre of a great wine estate but like so many others it fell victim to the phylloxera disease. Reopened in 1993, the 18th-century house is now a museum of Mallorcan furniture and traditions; you can visit the wine cellar, granary, bakery, chapel and wash-house as well as wander around the main house with its paintings, guns and toys.
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