Mallorca🇪🇸

The 14th-century Gothic cathedral on the seafront ramparts of Palma, with its 44-metre nave and the largest rose window in the Gothic world (12.55 m diameter, 1,236 pieces of stained glass). Antoni Gaudí restored the interior between 1904 and 1914 — the wrought-iron canopy over the high altar is his — and Mallorcan painter Miquel Barceló added a startling 300 m² ceramic chapel in 2007 depicting the loaves and fishes in cracked, glazed clay. Twice a year (2 February and 11 November) the morning sun aligns the rose window onto the western wall, creating the so-called "figure 8 of light." Entry €9 (free for worshippers); allow 60–90 minutes.

A 26-hairpin road carved by Italian engineer Antonio Parietti in 1932 that descends 800 metres over 12 km from the Coll dels Reis pass to the tiny cove of Sa Calobra on the northwest coast. The "Snake" curl — the road folding back on itself at 270° under its own bridge — is one of the most photographed asphalt features in Europe. From the cove, a 10-minute walkway through two sea-blasted tunnels reaches the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis gorge, where freshwater meets the Mediterranean between vertical 200-metre walls. The drive is best done early (before 10:00) or late (after 16:00) to avoid coach traffic. The Tramuntana boat shuttle from Port de Sóller is a less stressful alternative.

The dramatic northern tip of the island — a 20-km drive from Port de Pollença along a knife-edge ridge of sea cliffs that rise 384 metres straight out of the water. The lighthouse at the end was built in 1863, automated in 1962, and converted into a small visitor centre in 2024. The Mirador des Colomer viewpoint, 8 km in, is the most photographed cliff on Mallorca. From mid-June to mid-September private cars are banned 10:00–19:00 — a shuttle bus runs from Port de Pollença (€4 return). Outside those months drive yourself, but allow 90 minutes for the road itself.

The narrow-gauge railway that has run from Palma to Sóller through the Tramuntana mountains since 1912 — preserved 1929 wooden carriages, brass fittings, the original hand-cranked turntables, a 5-tunnel mountain crossing of the Coll de Sóller. The 27-km ride takes 60 minutes and ends in Sóller's plane-tree-shaded plaza. From Sóller, the connecting 1913 wooden tram trundles 5 km down to Port de Sóller for €7 each way. Round trip from Palma €32; book online for the 10:10 morning departure to beat the coach groups. A genuine survival rather than a re-creation.

The hilltop village in the Tramuntana where Frédéric Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838–39 in two cells of the disused Reial Cartoixa monastery. Sand wrote A Winter in Majorca (deeply unflattering to the islanders) here; Chopin composed a fair share of the Preludes Op. 28 and his Pleyel pianino still sits in cell number 4. The monastery cells, the pharmacy, the church, and the cloisters all visit-able for €11. Plan around the daily 12:00 piano recital — 20 minutes of Chopin on a period instrument, included in the ticket. Stone-paved village lanes outside reward an hour's wander; the Coca de Patata almond pastry at Ca'n Molinas is the local sweet.

The 1,200-metre cave system at Porto Cristo on the east coast, descending 25 metres beneath the surface to Lake Martel — a 117-metre underground lake reckoned among the largest in the world. Tours run hourly, last 60 minutes, and end with a classical quartet (Pachelbel's Canon, an Albinoni adagio) playing from rowing boats on the lake while the audience watches in semi-darkness. Pure tourist theatre, executed with a straight face since 1922, and somehow lovely. €18, advance booking essential in summer. Combine with a beach lunch at Cala Mendia or Cala Romàntica.

The 14th-century circular fortress on a 112-metre hill overlooking Palma Bay — one of only four perfectly circular castles in Europe and the oldest. Built 1300–1311 for King Jaume II of Mallorca, used variously as royal residence, mint, and political prison (Spanish Civil War). The two-storey courtyard with concentric arcades is architecturally the highlight; the rooftop walkway delivers a 360° view of Palma, the bay, the cathedral, and the Tramuntana behind. €4. A 30-minute walk uphill from Plaça Gomila or take bus 50.

A protected coastal park on the southeast coast where two undeveloped sandy coves (S'Amarador and Cala Mondragó) sit beneath low limestone cliffs and pine. The 30-minute coastal path between them threads garrigue scrub and three smaller swimming inlets. Free, lifeguarded in season, with a single chiringuito beach bar serving fish and pa amb oli. The contrast with the over-developed nearby Cala d'Or — five minutes' drive away — is the case for the natural-park designation. Park at Camí de Ses Fonts (€5) and walk in.

The honey-coloured hill village where English poet Robert Graves settled in 1929, wrote I, Claudius, and is buried in the small churchyard above town. Deià is 10 km north of Valldemossa, on the cliff road between the mountains and the sea, and a 90-minute lunch at Sa Foradada (the seaside restaurant accessed via a 30-minute coastal walk) is one of the best meals on the island. Continue north through Sóller, Fornalutx (regularly voted Spain's prettiest village), and on to Lluc Monastery for a full Tramuntana day.