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Mallorca walking routes: Route around the city of contrasts

Written by Elisabeth Blue | Jun 12, 2018 11:57:00 AM

VIVA Palma de Mallorca! The capital of the Balearic Islands; a European landmark city for tourism, sun and beaches that’s also home to a great cultural, gastronomic, sports and leisure offering.

What more could you ask for? Mallorca is perfect for a fantastic holiday.

We’re going to focus on the capital, Palma de Mallorca, and we’d recommend a tour around the must-see places that you can’t miss out on during your visit to Palma, also known as “the city of contrasts”.

Plaza Mayor and the Old Town

Filled with terraces and a great atmosphere, this is the perfect place to start your route or to stop for a rest between each visit.

The square is surrounded by plenty of interesting buildings and wandering around the main streets and neighbourhoods in the old town is delightful!

You can’t miss out on the Iglesia de Sant Miquel, just next to the square. This 13th century Church is the oldest Christian place of worship in the city.

Palma Cathedral

“The Cathedral of Light”, “The Cathedral of the Sea”, “The Cathedral of space” …it’s known by many different names as it always arouses passion and emotions. In Mallorca, it’s known as La Seu as is declared as an Artistic and Historic Monument and is perhaps the most important symbol of Mallorca. It also holds a record title…it’s the Cathedral with the biggest rose window in the gothic world!

 

Museo Palau March

A work by architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto and almost wall-to-wall with the Cathedral is the Palacio March, one of the most emblematic buildings in the old town.

Inside are displays of works by famous names such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Max Bill, Pietro Consagra, Rodin, Chillida…

 

Mercado del Olivar

A real treat for the senses! The Mercado del Olivar was built in 1951 and since then, it’s been home to a great variety of food stalls such as fishmongers, butchers, grocery stores, etc. Here you’ll experience the most traditional side to local life.

  

The Lonja de Palma de Mallorca

An original and unique building. A master piece of gothic architecture built between 1420 and 1450.

 

Palacio Real de la Almudaina

There’s no better way to explore Mallorca’s history than to visit this palace. It’s of Roman origin and following Islam’s domination of Spain, it was refurbished with the arrival of the reconquest, in this case under Jaume II’s orders, and since then, it’s been home to a number of Kings. Inside, you can visit a number of rooms with period decoration, in addition to one of its patios and the chapel.

 

Bellver Castle

One of the city’s “must-sees”. It’s located high up on a hill with an incredible view of the Bay of Palma.

It was built at the start of the 14th century under the orders of Jaume II and today it’s home to the city’s History Museum. This fort was designed as a royal residence as well as for defence purposes and is one of just a few in Europe, in addition to being the oldest circular castle.

 

El Portixol

An old fisherman’s neighbourhood located just outside the city centre, but you’ll love the wander along the seafront and its sunny terraces!

 

Tapas tour

If you’re in Palma on a Wednesday, you can’t miss out on the tapas tour which starts at 7pm. The majority of bars and restaurants join in, offering pinchos (bread topped with a variety of ingredients) and drinks at reasonable prices.

Come and enjoy Mallorca!