Palma de Mallorca

The old town and the cathedral

Palma is the capital of Mallorca and a proper city, not just an airport for the beaches. La Seu, the Gothic cathedral, rises over the seafront walls with one of the largest rose windows in the Gothic world; inside, twentieth-century work by Antoni Gaudí and later Miquel Barceló adds a modern layer. Behind it the old town is a maze of sandstone lanes and courtyards. Passeig del Born is the elegant boulevard, while Santa Catalina, once a fishermen's quarter, is now where locals go for late brunch, the market and tapas at night. Bellver Castle, a rare circular Gothic fortress on a pine-covered hill, gives the best view over the bay.

Beyond the city

Palma is also a base for the rest of the island. The wooden train to Sóller climbs into the Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO-listed mountain range, and a tram links Sóller to its port. The coves of the south and east, such as Caló des Moro and Es Trenc, are the turquoise-water Mallorca most people picture, but they need a hire car or an organised transfer; buses to them are infrequent, especially outside summer. In the city itself the beaches, like Ciutat Jardí, are simple and local.

What to eat and getting there

At breakfast try an ensaïmada, the spiral pastry dusted with icing sugar; on toast, sobrassada, the spreadable cured sausage; in summer, tumbet, a baked vegetable dish. Son Sant Joan airport is about 8 km from the centre and linked by the A1 bus and taxis. From Tirana, connections tend to be seasonal and often involve a change, so the route matters more than the date. The most common mistake is booking on the Platja de Palma strip: it is handy for the airport and the sand but far from the old town. Decide first whether you want the city or the resort, then write to us and we will match the two.