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Palma de Mallorca Travel Guide: 1,065 reviews and 1,772 photos
What a beautifully brilliant Sunday it was when we arrived in Palma de Mallorca, "The Pearl of the Balearic Islands." Arriving by cruise ship, we had a sweeping, panoramic view of the marina, Palma's spired Cathedral "Le Seu" and the round tower of Castell de Bellver perched on a hill high above the Bahia de Palma. The skies were cloudless and the temperature soared under a firery sun.
It took about 15 minutes and about 3 Euros each roundtrip for a bus to take us from our ship along the Passeig de Sagrera and along the waterfront to a point across from Le Seu Cathedral. We walked across the Autopista de Levante near the Parc del la Mar and then up the hill to get to Le Seu and the old center of the Palma. From this vantage point, no matter in which direction you looked, the scenery was fantastic --- Le Seu and Almudaina Palace rising before you, the colorful, boat-filled marina and the blue Bay of Palma just behind and over your shoulder. The magnificent Moorish architecture and the palm trees standing like centurions along the Passeig de Sagrera of Palma de Mallorca made an impression I won't soon forget.
We had only been walking a few minutes before the the heat and humidity became really oppressive. We looked for relief in shaded passage ways, in a sidewalk cafe, and in the cathedral itself.
We stopped at the "Almoina" Cafe directly next to a side door of Le Seu Cathedral to grab a little shade and a cool drink before going any farther. It was not cool enough inside to really feel better but it did give us a chance to soak in a little of Mallorca. The Cafe's interior seemed very exotic-looking to me and had an interesting Moorish decor with the exception of the display of a suit of armor! We could have chosen to sit outside at the cafe's sidewalk tables which were not full, but chose to sit inside because of the shade and ceiling fans. There was also a nice little spot with shaded tables & surrounded by wrought-iron gates and greenery, but I was glad to be where I was able to get some photos of the inside of this atmospheric cafe.
Soon after our brief interlude at Almoina we stopped at Le Seu, then we continued along the old streets to the beautiful Town Hall on the Placa de Cort with its ancient olive tree, viewed the gardens around the Almudaina Palace and the fountain & gardens memorial to Joan Alcover, and strolled along the palm-lined Passeig to see the statue of Ramon Llull, and saw Sa Llotja, but only from the outside of course.
Some people opted for horse-drawn carriage rides, and although I was happy that the horses didn't have to stand in the sun waiting for passengers any longer, I did feel sorry that they had to pull a carriage in this heat with several heavy guests.
We missed many other places that we would have liked to have seen but without a good map at hand, a cold bottle of water and the luck of arriving on a day other than Sunday, it was not to be. We never found the Tourist Info. office to get maps or other useful information while we were in Palma. I only found where it was located while doing research for this page. Oddly enough, while travelers often hope & pray for streets devoid of tourists, empty streets and passages while in Palma were almost too eerie, such as the shopping street in the accompanying photo.
I would have liked to explore the beaches and other charms the island had to offer. A little very little amount of souvenir and postcard shopping rounded out my day in Mallorca before catching the bus back to the ship. My hubbie ended his day in Mallorca by finding a genuine Irish pub!! See my tip on MacGowan's Irish Pub.
- Pros:Beautiful architecture, beautiful views!
- Cons:Summertime extreme heat and humidity! Where is that sea breeze?
Reviews (13)
Castillo de Bellver
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Sailing into the Bahia de Palma, one of the first sights we saw was Castillo de Bellver, meaning "lovely view" in... more travel advice
The Legend of Le Seu
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There is a famous legend about Le Seu (also known as El Seo). The legend relates that when King Jaime I was returning to... more travel advice
Le Seu Cathedral ~ Crowning Glory of...
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(11)
Perched on a hill rising above the Bahia de Palma, the gold limestone structure of "Le Seu", Palma's Cathedral, may be... more travel advice
Genuine Irish Pub in Palma de Mallorca
Restaurants
(2)
When my husband and son felt they had had enough sightseeing for one day, they somehow found this genuine Irish pub,... more travel advice
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Palma de Mallorca Travel Guide
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Comments (16)
I have never been to Mallorca, but Palma looks like a lovely town with many interesting buildings. Sounds like you found a nice café next to Le Seu Cathedral.
We are to spend one day there on a cruise back to the USA in October. We hope to see as much as you, and thanks so much for the great insight and comments with fine pictures to help guide us.
I'm going to re visit Mallorca next month. Ciao!
"Antigüedades Linares is an antique shop with 1.800m2 area, found within the limits of the old city of Palma de Mallorca."
Excellent tips and pics as usual and I want to go now! :-)
I've heard Palma de Mallorca is absolutely beautiful. The Palacio de la Almudaina is certainly stunning.
Excellent picture and a lot of information! Spain is my favorite country in Europe! Keep travelling! Nikos
Never thought Mallorca has to offer such nice architecture. Good tips and info. Greetz and happy travelling from Belgium.
Great page. So many monumental buildings in one island. An island in the sun. Cheers, SL :)
Quite an interesting little stop-over you had in Palma de Mallorca! I was really impressed by the appearance of Castillo de Bellver! Excellent information on the many historic buildings here - a place my wife's brother regularly holidays in from England!
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