The most popular resorts
lie around the bay of Palma and each one is often preferred by a
particular nationality, for example, S'Arenal is more popular with
German tourists whilst Magaluf and Palma Nova are more often frequented
by Brits. The north tends to offer more exclusive options with Puerta
Pollensa a popular destination for villa holidays.
Geographically the island offers stunning scenery and its interior is
one of the jewels of the Mediterranean with quaint villages, spectacular
mountains and hidden bays rarely discovered by the typical tourist. The
drive through the Serra de Tramuntana from Soller to Port d'Andratx one
of the most beautiful excursions you'll ever experience. The capital of
Mallorca is Palma which is just a few minutes from the airport. It has a
beautiful historic centre dominated by an enormous Gothic cathedral.
Many visitors never make it to the city and miss one of the island's
main attractions.
With its hot summers and mild winters
Mallorca has long been a year round tourist destination. And never has
this been more so than now in the age of the budget airline. EasyJet,
RyanAir and practically all of Europe's other budget airlines offer
cheap flights here making Palma's Son Sant Joan one of the continent's
busiest. There is a price to pay for mass tourism which leaves little
accommodation available during the peak tourist season. Autumn is a
great time to visit when most tourists have gone home yet the climate
remains very pleasant or come in spring to enjoy mild temperatures and
the beauty of an island with six million almond trees in bloom.
Mallorca Sightseeing and Tourist
Attractions
City of Palma de Mallorca
With a population of over 300,000, Palma
is the only real city of the Balearics yet its slow pace of life is
quite distinct from the Spanish city's of the mainland. The centrepiece
of its beautiful historic quarter with grand Renaissance mansions and
Baroque churches is its Gothic cathedral which took over 500 years to
build and as an attraction compares favourably with the better known
cathedrals of Spain.
Most of the main sights of Palma are
contained within the city walls and it's easy to explore on foot. If you
can be there after nightfall it is a spectacular sight to see the
floodlit Cathedral and the Almudaina Palace from the waterfront. As well
as the historical interest of Old Palma there is also good shopping for
the day visitor and a pleasant café culture to enjoy.
Cathedral of Palma
As is the case all over Spain, Palma's
Cathedral, Sa Seu, was constructed on the site of a former Arab mosque.
According to legend, whilst sailing to Majorca in 1230 to recapture it
from the Moors, Jaime I's fleet was hit by a major storm. He prayed to
the Virgin Mary and vowed that if he survived the storm he would build a
church in her honour. Work on it began in 1306 and has continued to this
day with controversial touches added in the 20th century by Gaudi.
Bellver Castle
Bellver (meaning "beautiful view") Castle
dates from the 14th century and is unique amongst Spanish castles thanks
to its circular design. Built originally as a royal fortress located
above the city, it attracts many visitors these days thanks to its
magnificent views across the Bay of Palma towards the airport and beyond.
The easiest way there is to take a taxi or to walk up through the woods
behind the El Terreno part of town.
Beaches of Mallorca
The island of Mallorca has outstanding
beaches along all of its coastline. And with over 300 days of sunshine a
year you can't go far wrong in choosing this island paradise for your
beach holiday destination. Here we've added a list of Mallorca beaches.
The larger beach resorts with excellent sand include Magalluf and Palma
Nova to the west of Palma and Pollenca and Alcudia on the north coast.
Sierra de Tramuntana
Standing at 1445 metres above sea level,
Puig Mayor is the highest point in Mallorca. Relatively few visitors
leave their beach resorts so don't appreciate what a mountainous island
they are on. A day spent driving down the west coast from Pollenca to
Andratx is simply stunning with notable stops at Sa Calobra where
you must follow a coastal path through tunnels in the cliffs to the
amazing limestone gorge at Torrente de Pareis. You must also visit the
village of Deià which has long been known as an artist's hang out where
the likes of the poet Robert Graves and the artist Joan Miró resided.
The monastery at Lluc is another important stop and you'll love all the
villlages you pass through en route notably Banyalbufar and the quaint
beach resort of San Telmo with the island of Dragonera just off it.
Train from Palma to Soller
A great day out from Palma is to take the
train to Soller. This narrow gauge train has covered this route through
the Serra de Tramuntana mountains since 1912. The one-hour trip leaves
Palma from the rail station in Cala Eusebi Estada near the Plaça de
Espanya. The journey is beautiful as the vintage train goes through some
stunning countryside with orange, lemon and almond trees everywhere. On
arrival in Soller you can get on Mallorca's first electric tram which
will transport you at a snail's pace to the Port of Soller 5km away.
There are different summer and winter timetables for this service.
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| Caves of
Drac - Majorca |
Caves of Drac
Mallorca has some spectacular caves at
various locations around the island. Probably the most spectacular are
the Caves of Drac (Coves del Drac) at Portocristo. Today they represent
one of the island's top attractions in which four spectacular chambers
with thousands of stalactites are made even more impressive by the top
quality lighting arrangements. A mini concert takes place on one of the
underground lakes and visitors can take a boat ride steered by a
gondolier at the end of the visit.
Valldemossa
In 1838 Frederic Chopin George Sand
arrived in Mallorca to continue their love affair in this idyllic town
in the Tramuntana mountains just 18km from Palma. Today in Valdemossa
you can still buy the book "Winter in Mallorca" which George Sand wrote
there in spite of the fact that it has little to say of a positive
nature about their stay on the island. Apart from the natural beauty of
the town, the principal architectural attraction is the Royal Carthusian
Monastery which contains a selection of interesting museums dedicated to
a variety of themes as well as the monk's cell where Chopin and Sand
spent their brief time here.
Things to Do and See in Mallorca
(Majorca)
Here we list some of the main things to
do and see on the island of Mallorca.
| 1 |
Visit Palma
Cathedral |
| |
|
| 2 |
Visit
Bellver Castle |
| |
|
| 3 |
Take a Train
Excursion from Palma to Soller |
| |
|
| 4 |
Drive the
stunning north west coast from Alcudia in the north to Andratx in
the south |
| |
|
| 5 |
Visit the
quaint towns of Deia and Valldemossa in the mountains |
| |
|
| 6 |
Dine on
traditional Mallorquin dishes at Celler Sa Premsa in Palma |
| |
|
| 7 |
Visit the
Caves of Drac near Porto Cristo |
| |
|
| 8 |
Drive to Cap
de Formentor for spectacular views at the northern tip of the island |
| |
|
| 9 |
Visit the
Monastery at Lluc |
| |
|
| 10 |
Enjoy lazy
days on the great beaches all around the island |
Beaches West of Palma
Cala Mayor has a small golden beach
looking up to the Marivent Palace and San Agustin a little further west
has a similarly small but pleasant stretch of sand. Illetes consists of
two pretty coves with pine trees stretching as far as the shore. Portals
Nous has a small beach lying between holiday developments. Both Palma
Nova and Magaluf have excellent beaches with great sand. It's no wonder
this is one of the most developed tourist sections on the whole island.
Santa Ponca is yet another beach with fine sand and crystal-clear waters.
Peguera has beaches with fine sand surrounded by pine trees. Camp de
Mar, is highly recommended whilst Andratx is pleasant because it is
quieter than in the big resorts. Further along is the delightful town of
San Telm off the south west coast which is sheltered by Dragonera island.
Beaches on the North-West Coast
Heading up the north-west coast from San
Telm you come to the beautiful small village of Estellencs on a road
offering some spectacular rocky coastline views . Further on is
Banyalbufar with its small beach and rocky coves. Valdemossa does have a
small port a few kms from the historical town. The quaint village of
Deia has a small beach nearby and the Llucalri cove. The Port of Soller
offers a fair size beach whilst further along the coast Sa Calobra is a
fascinating cove near the Torrent de Pareis. Cala Tuent is the most
attractive beach around this area.
Beaches on the North-East Coast
Some of the most pleasant resort beaches
can be found up this way. Although the area is popular with tourists it
never feels that is suffers the excesses of some of the mass tourism
resorts west of Palma. A beautiful beach lies at Cala de Sant Vicenc
before arriving at the popular destination of Puerto de Pollenca. A
great excursion from Pollensa is along the Peninsula de Formentor which
has spectacular coastal scenery. The Platja de Formentor offers some of
the best views on the island. Puerto de Alcudia has an excellent main
beach with fine, clean sand as well as smaller bays locally. Other
popular spots as you continue east along this coastline include Can
Picafort which again has a great beach with pine groves growing upto the
start of the fine sand.
Beaches on the South-East Coast
Cala Ratiada is where you'll find the
Arta Caves. It has impressive beaches at Son Moll and Cala Guia. Cala
Bona and Cala Millor are popular resorts with magnificent sandy beaches
in a lovely bay surrounded by pine trees. Mass tourism is now part of
the summer season in these two resorts so beaches do get overcrowded.
Cala d'Or consists of eight coves and is the most upmarket spot on this
coast. Colonia de Sant Jordi is a popular resort with a nice beach
looking towards the national park of Cabrera. Nearby is the quaint
little beach of Es Trenc which was not so long ago one of those 'hidden
treasures' but the secret's out and the beach now attracts more than its
fair share of visitors. |
