A Day In Pollensa

With your little selection of pastries, not forgetting the typical Mallorcan ensaimada, head to one of the shady benches just opposite in the garden of Joan March, relax and enjoy your morning repast. This is a good place to start from as the tourist office is located here and you can get a free street map of the town of Pollentia, as the Romans named it. The church and cloister contain a museum with archaeological finds, Gothic altar pieces, ceramics, exhibitions, a Kalachakra Mandala made out of sand that was a present from the Dalai-Lama and a pretty little garden.

Heading in to the centre and the main square you will be spoilt for choice for places to sit and have a coffee or a freshly squeezed orange juice. Take your time, sit and watch the world go by before you decide in which direction to go exploring. The parish church on the main square is worth visiting to appreciate its Baroque touches and the marvellous tiles bearing the town’s symbol, the cockerel.  Wandering through the winding cobbled streets away from the main square and behind the church you will come to another little square also full of charming bars and restaurants and the Marti Vicenç  art gallery, which is free admission. Here you will find the famous Calvario steps. There are 365 of them to climb to reach the top but the view surely is worth the ascent. Fuelled by your pastries and coffee you’ll make it up in no time, the steps are shaded by tall cypress trees and when you reach the top you can sit for a moment in the cool shade of the little chapel. There is a little bar selling drinks and ice creams if you feel the need for a little refreshment while you take in the view of the town below and the port over to the left of the far ranging vista.

From here you can either go back the way you came or take one of the side streets that branches off to the left on the way down. Take a wander through the narrow streets and marvel at the lovely, little stone houses with flowers on their window sills and the shutters painted in charming colours. From this area you can take a walk to the northern end of town and see the old Roman bridge over the Torrent de San Jordi. As you are on the north side of town as you wind your way back you may come across this lovely restaurant, El Celler del Moli. Here you will find a very reasonable lunch menu for €12 per person for three courses, bread, olives and wine. This place is frequented by locals and it feels more authentic being slightly off the beaten track and away from the main square. With a belly full you can take a gentle amble back towards the main square and stop off in some of the fantastic shops along the way, in the windy cobbled streets, where you can pick up ceramics, woven baskets and bags, clothing, jewellery, walking and hiking goods and of course food. Ensenyat delicatessen, just down from the main square, has a fantastic selection of wines, cheeses, cured meats, olive oils and so much more. La Merceria is a fabulous shop on a windy little backstreet towards the Monti-Sion church, where amongst the eclectic wares on offer, you can pick up delicate ceramics, vintage pieces, beautiful baby garments and so much more.

After having strolled the streets and window shopped you could pass through the main square and pick up an ice cream at the Gelats Valls stand or perhaps a refreshing citrus slush and then head to the Puig de Maria. Head to the southern edge of town and cross the main road, walk along to the information board where you can learn about the local flora and fauna and then start your walk up to the top of the Puig. It will take about 45 minutes to an hour of steady walking up the roads and cobbled paths but it is certainly worth it for the amazing views of Pollensa, the port and all the way over to Alcúdia.

After your descent from the Puig head back towards town and a well-earned drink. In the main square you have the Birreria for a nice, cold, refreshing beer and while you drink this you can ponder where to go for your supper. If you fancy a paella you could go to Bar Nou or La Fonda which are just off the main square, the paella never disappoints at either establishment. For Italian you could head to Spira or La Trencadora, away from the main square. If it’s tapas that you are after you can head to Dos Hermanas or Manazanas y Peras. There is such a large choice of eating establishments in Pollensa and the atmosphere in the town and restaurants is always lively, welcoming yet very relaxed. This is a place where the locals gather in the main square to catch up over a drink while the children play late into the night, it’s a family oriented place with a very convivial feel about it.  

You’ve made it to this point in the day, dinner is finished but perhaps you want a little digestif, then you should head to U Gallet, just off the Calvario steps (the start of them, don’t worry, you don’t have to climb them again!). The locals call it El Gallito or the English locals know it as Neil’s bar, on account of the English owner whose name is…Neil of course. Neil and his co-worker Karina will knock up a lovely cocktail for you that you can drink at one of the sidewalk tables outside or you can prop up the bar and listen to Neil tell you amusing stories.

After you have spent a day in Pollensa you will surely want to come back and spend many more, you can get lost in the cobbled streets and marvel at new discoveries you make each time. 

Read more about Pollenca.