BalearicIslands
3
Day Itinerary •
Spain
The Balearic Islands are far more than the package holiday cliche. Mallorca contains a UNESCO World Heritage mountain range, a medieval city with Arab baths and a Jewish quarter, prehistoric stone towers unlike anything else in Europe, and some of the most beautiful hidden coves in the Mediterranean. This 3-day route ignores the resort coast entirely and explores the real Mallorca. The extraordinary hidden layers of Palma's old town, the dramatic mountain villages of the Serra de Tramuntana where Chopin spent the winter and Robert Graves lived for 50 years, and the wild eastern coastline of hidden calas accessible only on foot that most visitors to Mallorca never find.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 90 to 140 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
PALMA DE MALLORCA
MORNING
PALMA OLD TOWN, THE HIDDEN LAYERS
Palma's old town contains extraordinary layers of history that most visitors walk straight past. The Arab Baths from the 10th century are the finest surviving Moorish structure in the Balearics, hidden in a small garden in the old Jewish quarter. The Call, Palma's medieval Jewish quarter, is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways with Hebrew inscriptions still visible on some doorways. The Palau March, a private palace opened to the public, contains one of the finest collections of sculpture in Spain in a rooftop terrace with views of the cathedral. Drive: 10 min walk to hidden courtyards
MIDDAY
PALMA'S HIDDEN COURTYARDS, THE PATIOS DE PALMA
Hidden behind the stone facades of Palma's old town are some of the most beautiful private courtyards in Spain. On certain days throughout the year local residents open their patios to the public, revealing extraordinary Gothic and Renaissance courtyards with fountains, orange trees and centuries of hidden architectural beauty. Even outside these events, many can be glimpsed through open doorways. The streets of Sant Jaume, Santa Eulalia and the Almudaina area are the richest hunting ground. Drive: 15 min walk to Santa Catalina
AFTERNOON
SANTA CATALINA, PALMA'S COOLEST NEIGHBOURHOOD
Santa Catalina is the neighbourhood most visitors never find, a 10-minute walk from the cathedral. The covered Mercat de Santa Catalina is the best food market in Palma, packed with locals shopping for fresh fish, local cheeses and Mallorcan sobrassada sausage. The surrounding streets are full of independent restaurants, natural wine bars and local shops that reflect the real Palma rather than the tourist centre.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Bastion de Sant Pere viewpoint above the old town gives the finest panoramic view of Palma, the cathedral and the bay. Almost entirely unvisited despite being free and extraordinary. Walk up through the old Arab walls to the bastion and the view opens suddenly over the entire city and the Mediterranean beyond.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Bar Bosch, Palma The most traditional cafe in Palma, on the Plaza del Rei Joan Carles since 1908. Essential first morning ritual. | Lunch: Mercat de Santa Catalina Eat at the market stalls. Freshly grilled fish, local olives and Mallorcan wine. The finest lunch in Palma. | Dinner: Restaurante Marc Fosh, Palma One Michelin star in the Convent de la Missio hotel. Outstanding modern Mallorcan cuisine. Book well ahead.
DAY 2
SERRA DE TRAMUNTANA
MORNING
VALLDEMOSSA, WHERE CHOPIN SPENT THE WINTER
Valldemossa is the most visited village in Mallorca for good reason. Perched at 400 metres in the Tramuntana mountains, it is famous as the place where Frederic Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838 in the abandoned Carthusian monastery, now a museum. But arrive before 10am and Valldemossa belongs to the locals and the morning light on the stone streets and flower-draped facades is extraordinary. Drive: 20 min drive to Deia
MIDDAY
DEIA, THE VILLAGE OF ARTISTS AND POETS
Deia is one of the most beautiful villages in the Mediterranean. Nestled in a valley between the Tramuntana peaks and the sea, it has attracted artists, writers and musicians since the 1930s. Robert Graves lived here for over 50 years and is buried in the small church cemetery. The village is small, perfectly preserved and largely free of mass tourism. Walk to the Cala de Deia, the tiny hidden cove below the village, reached by a 15-minute footpath. Drive: 30 min drive to Sa Calobra
AFTERNOON
SA CALOBRA, THE MOST DRAMATIC COVE IN MALLORCA
Sa Calobra is reached via one of the most extraordinary roads in Spain, a 14km descent of hairpin bends through the Tramuntana mountains to a turquoise cove below. The Torrent de Pareis, a narrow gorge that opens dramatically onto the beach, involves walking through a narrow canyon between 200-metre walls. The cove is well-known but the gorge walk through the canyon is extraordinary and largely avoided by day-trippers.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The viewpoint of Sa Foradada near Deia is a dramatic rocky headland with a circular hole bored through the rock by the sea. Reached by a 40-minute walk through olive groves from the road above Deia, the view from the end of the headland over the Mediterranean with the Tramuntana mountains behind is one of the finest in Mallorca. Completely free and rarely visited.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Valldemossa village Several excellent cafes in the stone village. Order a coca de patata, the local Mallorcan sweet pastry. | Lunch: Restaurante El Barrigon, Deia Outstanding restaurant in a stone terrace above the village. Local seafood and Mallorcan wine with mountain views. | Dinner: Ca Na Toneta, Caimari One of the finest traditional restaurants in Mallorca. Farm-to-table Mallorcan cuisine in a village house. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 3
THE HIDDEN EAST COAST
MORNING
CAP DE FORMENTOR, THE WILD NORTHERN TIP
Cap de Formentor is the northernmost point of Mallorca, a dramatic limestone headland jutting into the sea with extraordinary views over the Bay of Pollenca and the open Mediterranean. The road along the cape passes through pine forests with views of turquoise coves far below. In summer a shuttle bus runs from Port de Pollenca as the road is closed to private cars during peak hours. The lighthouse at the tip is the finest viewpoint in northern Mallorca. Drive: 25 min drive to Pollenca
MIDDAY
POLLENCA, THE ART TOWN THE TOURISTS MISS
Pollenca is one of the finest small towns in Mallorca, largely visited only by those who know the island well. The 365-step Calvari staircase climbs to a tiny chapel with extraordinary views over the town and mountains. The weekly Sunday market in the arcaded main square is the best on the island. The cloisters of the former Dominican convent host one of the finest summer music festivals in the Mediterranean. Drive: 30 min drive to hidden east coast calas
AFTERNOON
THE HIDDEN CALAS OF THE EAST COAST
The eastern coastline of Mallorca contains dozens of extraordinary hidden coves accessible only on foot. The Cala des Moro near Santanyi requires a 15-minute walk through pine forest and is widely considered the most beautiful cove in Mallorca. The Cala Llombards, Cala Figuera and Es Pontas rock arch nearby are equally extraordinary. These calas look almost Caribbean in the afternoon light and have almost no development.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Coves del Drach near Porto Cristo are the most extraordinary sea caves in the Mediterranean. Four connected cave chambers contain Lake Martel, the largest underground lake in the world. Classical music concerts take place on the lake by candlelight. Entry approx 16 euros and guided tours run every 30 minutes. One of the most remarkable underground experiences in Europe.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe near Cap de Formentor Stop for coffee at the Port de Pollenca beachfront cafes before driving to the cape. | Lunch: Plaça Major restaurant, Pollenca Eat under the arcades of the main square on market day Sunday. Local seafood and house wine. | Dinner: Restaurante Ca Na Marquesa, Santanyi Outstanding local restaurant near the hidden calas. Fresh fish caught that morning and Mallorcan wines.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Palma, Night 1 Hotel Convent de la Missio, a boutique hotel inside a 17th-century convent. Approx 150 to 230 euros per night. Tramuntana, Night 2 Hotel La Residencia, Deia. The finest hotel in the Tramuntana with extraordinary mountain views. Approx 200 to 350 euros. Budget Option Palma: Hotel Calatrava from approx 70 euros. Tramuntana area: rural finca stays from approx 90 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Valldemossa gets crowded after 10am. Arrive before 9am for the morning light and empty streets.
2. Cala des Moro has only 80 parking spaces. Arrive before 9am or park 1km away and walk.
3. Cap de Formentor road closes to cars 10am to 8pm in July and August. Take the shuttle bus.
4. Book Marc Fosh or Ca Na Toneta restaurants at least 2 weeks ahead. Both fill up extremely fast.
5. The Sa Calobra road has a speed limit of 30kmh. The hairpin bends take 30 minutes to descend.
6. Mallorca sobrassada is a cured sausage unique to the island. Buy it at Mercat de Santa Catalina.
Total Budget
100 to 170 euros/day