Palma Cathedral
Palma is a wonderful city in which just to wander around, but it also has a number of monuments that you should be sure to visit.
- The gothic Cathedral (picture, above) with its stained-glass windows is the best known landmark of the city. The cathedral dominates the waterfront and backs onto the oldest part of the city where churches of medieval, gothic and baroque periods are found along with Renaissance style buildings (like the City Hall) and stately homes with beautiful patios. The maze of streets at the back of the cathedral leads to the beautiful Banys Àrabs, the old Moorish bath house which is worth a visit.
The Palau de l'Almudaina stands opposite the cathedral entrance. L'Almudaina used to be the palace of the Moorish governors and later of the Mallorcan Kings.
The Castell de Bellver (the Castle of Bellver) is a beautiful well-preserved fortress dating back to the 14th century. It is located west of the city centre, on the top of a wooded hill and has spectacular views over Palma Bay.
Take a tour around old Palma
The Conselleria de Turisme of the Govern de les Illes Balears (Council of Tourism of the Balearic Government) runs four guided tours through the old quarter of Palma: Palma and the sea, the Jewish Quarter, The “las Capuchinas” Convent and Modernist Palma.
In addition, the Ajuntament (city Council) offers a tour around some of Palma's most impressive patios. The patios – courtyards of the stately homes of the old quarter (see image, above) - were central to city life during the 16th and 18th centuries.
Both the Ruta dels Patis (courtyard route) and the four Govern itineraries offered are a fascinating, beautiful way of walking back through the history of Palma.
Visit its museums and art galleries
Es Baluard Museum
Palma has a good selection of museums and art galleries which exhibit works by both international and local artists from all periods. Some of the museums and art galleries worth visiting are:
The Museu d'Art Espanyol Contemporani (Spanish Contemporary Art museum), which includes works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, and other 20th century Spanish artists.
Es Baluard is located in the southwest corner of the old Reniassance city wall. With a spectacular view over Palma Bay, Palma’s newest museum houses works by Cezanne, Picasso, Miró and Barceló, among others, along with temporary exhibitions.
The Museu de Mallorca (Mallorca Museum) is an impressive museum relating the history of Palma through the ages and displays wonderful archeological findings.
Join in the nightlife
Many of the late-night bars of Palma are situated along the Avinguda Gabriel Roca (also known as the Passeig Marítim). On that same road, Pachá and Titos's (two of the most popular and crowded clubs in the city) are found.
Eat out!
Many of Palma's most popular cafés, restaurants and tapas bars are located around the city centre, especially in the side streets of the Passeig des Born and the Avinguda d'Antoni Maura.
However, to try typical Mallorcan dishes in an authentic Spanish atmosphere, why not visit Génova, a little village just 15 minutes away from the centre of Palma with many popular Mallorcan restaurants to choose from.
Head for the coast
Mallorca offers a wide variety of beaches: sandy beaches such as Es Trenc on the south coast of the island or the Formentor beach in the north; small coves on the rocky northern coast like Cala Deià or resorts like S'Arenal only 10 kilometres away from Palma.
Mallorca important telephones numbers
Mallorca Institutional Information
· Council of Palma de Mallorca: http://www.palmademallorca.es/portalPalma2/home.jsp?language=en
