Overview to Palma de Mallorca: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Palma de Mallorca Information
- Things to do in Palma de Mallorca
- Where to stay in Palma de Mallorca
- Palma de Mallorca street map
Mallorca, much like the rest of the Balearic Islands, is known for the liberal doses of sun, sea and sand it provides. And, nestled into the southwest corner of the island, Palma - Mallorca’s capital - isn't short on attractive quarters or absorbing sights.
The Old Town, or Portela quarter, is a shady grid of eye-catching streets just waiting to be explored. Here, fine old houses are fronted with striking balconies and offer glimpses of the most lavish courtyards.
The tree-lined boulevard of Passeig de Born is the city’s main thoroughfare, while its Ramblas (not unlike that of Barcelona) is home to flower sellers in the shade of the plane trees. The attractive Placa Mayor is made (a little) less pleasant by crowds bussed in from the coast.
Palma has an enormously grand Gothic cathedral, the Seu, which rises dauntingly above the city. In places, the remains of the medieval walls that once held the city in and protected it from pirates can still be seen.
The dramatic Castell del Bellver lies just outside the city. Built on the remains of an existing Moorish castle, unusually, it’s laid out on a circular plan. There’s more evidence of the Moorish presence in the city’s impressive (and well-preserved) Arabic Baths.
Palma has some excellent shopping in the boutiques that line the smarter streets between Avenida Jaume III and Plaza Weyler. The Placa Olivar, on the other hand – home to a great market that hums to the chatter of stall owners – offers an altogether more alternative experience.
The charming restaurants and tapas bars of the Old Town are overflowing with some of Europe’s best seafood. As the evening lengthens, the bars of La Llotja, the Paseigg Maritim and (for something a lot less restrained) Magalluf begin to fill up.
But there is another Mallorca: away from the built-up strip of beaches and resorts lies an unspoilt island of hidden coves and pine forests stretching away. For backpackers in Mallorca, Palma is only the beginning.
