Mallorca Voyage Tips and guide

Mallorca or Majorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, and a classic among European travel destinations. Mallorca is known as an easy-to-reach destination for fans of sunny beaches, amazing landscapes, wonderful mountains and affordable Mediterranean food, with a coastline of more than 550 km.

Serra de Tramuntana The mountain range along the north western coast of the island, including Soller and Lluc.

Palma de Mallorca The area surrounding the island's capital and its only city, Palma, which has a massive cathedral, a charming old town, and lots of hotels, shops and restaurants.

Pla de Mallorca The agricultural plains of the island.

Raiguer The region of the Raiguer and in particular the city of Inca are known as the centre of the shoe and leather craft in Mallorca.

Migjorn The southernmost region of the island has many beaches and bays for swimming and sunbathing.

Llevant Hills and mountains, fertile fields, cliffs with embedded bays and sandy beaches make the landscape a kind of Mallorca concentrate.

39°31′48″N 2°55′12″E

Map of Mallorca

• 39.5666672.6497221 Palma de Mallorca is the island's capital, with lots to see and do, and a long beach strip.
• 39.5666672.5166672 Calvià is the municipality that includes Magaluf, Palma Nova and Portals Nous.
• 39.7663442.7153023 Sóller is best known for its heritage train and tram.
• 39.8772053.0164344 Pollença has a well-preserved old centre.
• 39.85253.1191675 Alcúdia retains its old city walls and has a long beach strip.
• 39.6052783.3861116 Cala Millor is the main resort on the southeast coast.
• 39.573.217 Manacor is a typical inland town, and hosts the Nadal tennis academy.
• 39.3172.9938 Colònia de Sant Jordi has a cactus garden and boat trips to Cabrera.

• 39.8229172.8844441 Santuari de Lluc is a monastery in the Tramuntana mountains.
• 39.84362.79252 Sa Calobra and Torrent de Pareis are Mallorca's "Grand Canyon".
• 39.455533.185453 San Salvador Monastery sits atop a mountain near Porto Colom and Felanitx.
• 39.1583332.9666674 Cabrera is the largest island of an uninhabited archipelago and National Park 20 km south of Mallorca.

In high season the island receives about 8 million tourists from around the world. This is both a blessing and a curse for the inhabitants, and they are well prepared for it and provide a very well-organized tourist infrastructure.

Nevertheless, Mallorca can show another face when you leave the coastline and take a look at the inner country. Prices fall with each kilometer you move away from the coast, and reach the usual Spanish standards in the centre of the island or even some parts of the mountain area.

Geographically the 3640-km² island can be divided into three parts. The Serra de Tramuntana rocks extend from southwest to northeast, while the Serra de Llevant stretches along the eastern coast. Between them lies the central plain (Es pla).

The climate of Mallorca is Mediterranean, with mild and stormy winters and hot, bright, dry summers. Precipitation in the Serra de Tramuntana is markedly higher. Summers are hot in the plains, and winters mild, getting colder in the Tramuntana range, where brief episodes of snow during the winter are not unusual. The two wettest months in Mallorca are October and December.

Catalan and Spanish are the official languages in the Balearic Islands. Most people can speak both languages, although the natives converse amongst themselves in Mallorquín, a sub-dialect of the "Balear" variety of Catalan.

In tourist areas, you will frequently come across people speaking English, German, French and other common European languages.

There are frequent flights from many European cities to Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI ^IATA). In particular, many of the discount airlines have daily flights.

There are also flights from Menorca and Ibiza, but these are about double the price of the ferries from these islands, and save only about an hour.

From the airport, public buses run frequently to central Palma. Many car rental agencies have their offices at the airport.

For the frugal, bus 35 costs 2 euro (cash only) from Can Pastilla ses Fontanelles 2500 metres away. (200 m of it is slightly unsafe)

Ferries sail to Mallorca from Barcelona (7 hr), Denia (5 hr) and Valencia (7 hr). Most sailings are to Palma, but some call at Alcúdia on their way to Menorca. Inter-island ferries sail to Palma from Ibiza (2-4 hr), Formentara (4 hr) and Mahon on Menorca (6 hr).

Ferry lines are Trasmed, Baleària and GNV. There are no ferries to Mallorca from France, Italy or North Africa.

Cruise liners often call at Palma as they tour the Med.

With your own boat, Palma is the Port of Entry to clear immigration and customs if your last port-of-call was in a non-Schengen country.

Toll-free highways radiate from Palma. The principal routes are:

• Ma-1 west to Magaluf and associated resorts,
• Ma-11 north to Sóller,
• Ma-13 northeast to Inca and Alcúdia,
• Ma-15 east to Manacor and Cala Ratjada,
• Ma-19 southeast past the airport to Campos and Cala d'Or.

Car hire is available at the airport and main resorts.

TIB buses run to all the main cities from Palma city and airport, roughly hourly, daily. For a few small places such as Lluc or Colònia de Sant Jordi, you change buses at an inland town.

TIB trains run every 20 min from Palma to Inca, where they either terminate or branch to Sa Pobla or Manacor.

A heritage train runs from Palma to Sóller, where you change to the wooden tram to the port. These are so crowded with tourists that they're no longer practical for locals, who complain mightily, while secretly preferring the bus which hurtles through the Ma-11 tunnel.

• Caves - several caves are open to the public, the Dragon Caves (Coves del Drach in mallorquin) in Cala Millor being the most visited

• Hiking — the Serra de Tramuntana offers some fine trails.
• Cycling — in spring the island's roads are popular with several professional teams in preparation for the next season.
• Palma — the island's capital offers the famous cathedral as well as a nice city centre to stroll around. Cultural visits, shore excursions and trips to the Jewish quarter and other sites and villages around the Island.
• Golf — there are eighteen 18-hole golf courses on the island that are open to the general public. These are Andratx, Alcanada, Bendinat, Canyamel, Capdepera, Poniente, Pula, Golf Park Puntiró Mallorca, Golf Maioris, Santa Ponsa 1, Son Antem East, Son Antem West, Son Termens, Son Vida, Son Muntaner, Son Quint, Son Gual & Vall d'Or. There are two 9-holes courses open to the general public; Son Servera & Pollença. The courses Santa Ponsa 2 & 3 are 'members only' and finally there is a 9-hole golf course in the grounds of La Reserve Rotana, a boutique hotel in the north-east of the island, just outside of Manacor.
• Nature
  • S'Albufera is a large salt marsh near the town of Alcudia. Large numbers of bird species can be seen, including many species of heron, waders, ducks and warblers.
  • The cliffs of Formentor are good for sea birdwatching and are among the best places for a chance to see the rare Elenora's Falcon.
  • One-day boat tours are available from Colonia de Sant Jordi to the Cabrera Island National Park which is about 18 km south of Mallorca. The Cueva Azul (Blue Cave) on Cabrera is spectacular.
• Free classical music concerts — during the summer, free open-air classical music concerts are usually organised on Saturday evenings on the Bendinat Golf Course.
• Deep Water Solo / Psicobloc — the island's unique geography has helped it become the premier destination for rock climbers wishing to experience deep water soloing or psicobloc, rock climbing above deep water.

This is what most people come for. The main tourist areas are on the southern and eastern coast but places may be crowded in high season. Mallorca has beautiful white sand and crystal water beaches, so most are base for package tourists nowadays. In more remote areas you might find very rarely visited beaches. More secluded and quiet beaches can be found on the island but expect a difficult route (e.g. cliffs) and minimal parking. A must visit is Es Trenc, near the Colonia de Sant Jordi, but there are also many beaches not that popular worth a visit. If you are looking for a quieter beach than the 5 km strand (Platja de Palma), take the line 3 of the town's public bus company "EMT" (blue and white buses) all the way to its Western terminus "Illetes", which is simply called Playa. It is a wonderful little cove set about by rocks, with a local restaurant right on the beach. There are other coves in either direction, but this is the most welcoming.

• Cala Figuera Beach in Pollença is deep within a cove with high mountains on both sides of the water. Spectacular view.
• Cala Murta Beach is a small secluded beach with fine white sand. Transparent water.
• Cala Sant Vicenc (Cala San Vincente Beach) is a beautiful beach on the north west coast of Mallorca. Fine grained white sand and very clear water.
• Magaluf Beach in Magaluf city is a beautiful 900-m-long beach with fine sand and clear water. New and stylish promenade is close to the town centre.
• Es Trenc Beach is a large, not developed beach with fine white sand and crystal clear water. Protected area now.
• Es Carbo Beach is a quiet, hardly developed beach. An alternative to overcrowded beaches. Finest sand, turquoise water.
• Son Serra De Marina Beach is a very long little known virgin beach without facilities on the north east coast of Mallorca.

One of the best ways to discover Mallorca and the stunning Balearic islands is by boat. When it comes to yachting in the Mediterranean, you have several options: chartering, sailing aboard your own vessel, or fractional yacht ownership.

• Yacht charter and sailing
• Shared yacht ownership is a sound alternative to chartering a yacht in Spain. Yacht fractional ownership allows you to own a yacht at a fraction of a cost and avoid many maintenance hassles and costs.

Majorcan cuisine, like that of similar zones in the Mediterranean, is based on bread, vegetables and meat (specially pork), and uses olive oil throughout. A simple popular dinner, especially during the summer, is the Pa amb Oli: Bread with olive oil, tomato, and any available condiments such as cheese and tunafish. Another one is Trampó, the same but with various vegetables instead of bread.

Other local dishes include Frit Mallorquí (meat and vegetables cut up in small pieces) and Sopes Mallorquines (a simple, healthy dish made of bread and vegetables, optionally with meat, eggs, wild mushrooms, etc.). The seafood version of Paella is very recommended while in Mallorca.

Sobrassada, a sausage made of pork, paprika, condiments, etc. is eaten plain or toasted, on a slice of bread, and it's also used in preparing other dishes. It is normally not spicy.

For breakfast, instead of croissant, try the typical Ensaïmada (a spiral-shaped bun made of dough with pork fat), and for dessert the Gató (a cake made with almond) with almond ice cream.

Bunyols (sweet pastries)- they are typical only in autumn. Bunyols are commonly made of boiled potatoes, flour, eggs, butter or lard, yeast and sugar; they are fried in hot oil and then sprinkled with sugar. (A fried Donut)

Palma is most known place for dining, having probably more restaurants than the rest of the island.

For out-of-cities dining, head to Algaida: there are several great restaurants around the village.

Most restaurants are happy to host children, even infants, but make sure to ask at the more expensive restaurants if they have a specific policy to that effect.

Drinking is allowed if you are 18 or older, as in the rest of Spain. While alcohol is widely sold, pursuant to local laws only bars, restaurants, discothèques and the like are allowed to serve it after 10pm.

Spanish people go out quite late and, while in the main tourist resorts you can find people drinking and chatting from early hours, you will not see many locals before midnight.

The main nighttime areas are:

• Magaluf: well known to be the British capital in the island, this is the place for clubbing. Bananas Disco and BCM Empire Disco are a must.
• Paseo Maritimo: A profusion of bars can be found at Paseo Maritime in Palma, the main road by the sea. Abraxas (former Pacha) and Tito's are the main discos, catered mostly to a young party crowd. Gay oriented bars can be found around Plaza Gomila (must visit: Hotel Aries Pub and the Black Cat Disco).

Also, you must know that while drinking in the street is allowed, big groups drinkings are not tolerated and the police will fine you if you leave any rubbish in the street. In any case, is better to carry a plastic bag for any rubbish you could have.

You should consider trying the Sangria, a mix of wine, fruit juice and brandy. Another option are the excellent local wines. Many bodegas offer tours with free tastings.

• Ses Nines "Negre, Binissalem D.O.", a real bargain, this pleasant red wine will accompany your barbecues. €5.
• José L. Ferrer "Blanc de blancs, Binissalem D.O.", a light and tasty white wine to drink with a fish soup or grilled sardines. €7.
• Mont Ferrutx. "Pla i Llevant D.O.", a solid red wine bottled by Miquel Oliver, to accompany a grilled pork chop. €7. 
• Macia Batle crianza, "Binissalem D.O.", a fine, tasty and elegant red wine, bottled by Macia Batle [1] in Santa Maria del Cami. €10.
• Mortitx. "Vi negre, Vi de la Serra de Tramuntana", a deep red wine with red fruit taste. €10. 
• Moli de Vent "Blanc, Pla i Llevant D.O.", a fine white wine with a subtle citrus fruit parfum, bottled by Jaume Mesquida [2]. €10.
• GVIVM "Merlot-Callet, Pla i Llevant D.O.", a strong red wine with character, bottled by Pere Seda. €15.
• Negre de sa Colonia "Pla i Llevant D.O.", a fine red wine with a deep oak taste, bottled by Toni Gelabert. €20.
• Son Puig. "Vi de la Terra Mallorca", red and white wine bottled by Raimundo Alabern at Bodega Son Puig. €12. 

Safeguard valuables, beware traffic including water traffic when swimming, and steer clear of antisocial drunks. Magaluf has the worst reputation for binge drinking and street rowdiness, and the discos thump-thump-thump into the small hours.

Palma and the nearby coastal strip groan under the weight of tourist accommodation. This is overwhelmingly in mid-price modern chain hotels, with little in the way of small independent pensions and next-to-no camping. Most visitors are on packages, which are extremely good value: in effect you pay the standard room rate, and get your return flight from Britain or Germany free. Standards are high, as the package company reps are zealous about quality, it's their job on the line if the guests succumb to food poisoning. All the larger coastal towns have a good selection of hotels and room-only aparthotels, but there are few inland.

Fincas or "Agroturismo" are the way to stay inland, in converted farmhouses on working farms and vineyards. They're upmarket with fine dining, and family-friendly; you'll need your own car.

You need to be an EU citizen, and to speak reasonably fluent Spanish, same as on the Spanish mainland. Palma has the most work opportunities in its hospitality sector.

• Ferries and inter-island flights link Mallorca with Ibiza and Menorca.
• Ferries ply to Barcelona and other ports on mainland Spain.