Palma has changed considerably, thanks to consequent city planning and extensive renovation measures in the old town. The so-called “pearl of the Mediterranean” is today more beautiful than ever, and the Mediterranean flair which attracts thousands of visitors can be felt in every corner.
The narrow alleys around the Plaza Mayor are lined with small boutiques and shops, while Palma´s high streets, Jaime III and Paseo del Borne, offer the elegant labels of the fashion world. Culture abounds, with numerous galleries having opened during past few years, and museums Es Baluard and Palau March offer diverse exhibitions and classical music concerts throughout the year. The quarters of El Terreno, Santa Catalina and La Llonja, as well as the bustling Paseo Marítimo on Palma´s seafront, are thriving with an abundance of new restaurants and bars, making them popular areas with the party crowd. The music bars offer live entertainment from rock and Cuban sounds to flamenco and young Spanish bands, and stay lively until the early morning hours. The city vibrates with energy.
Sóller became wealthy because of the valley’s abundant citrus groves. In the 19th century, when the area was isolated from the rest of Mallorca by mountains, the oranges were shipped to France from nearby Puerto de Sóller (or Port de Sóller). Many local people went to work in France, and returned here – using their acquired fortunes to build some of the handsome Modernist properties that still grace the town.
Since the 1990s the Sóller road tunnel has provided an easier route to Palma and the rest of Mallorca, avoiding the snaking mountain pass. The old narrow-gauge wooden train, linking Sóller with Palma’s Plaza de España, opened in 1912 to transport fruit to Palma. The 28 km railway journey – through 13 tunnels and breathtaking scenery – has become one of the island’s best-loved experiences.
The main square – Plaza de la Constitución – is Sóller’s beating heart, lined with numerous bars and cafés, and dominated by the distinctive valley landmark, Sant Bartomeu church. The tram linking town and port clunks its way regularly through this splendid square.
The town of Valldemossa is only around 20 minutes’ drive from Palma into the Tramuntana mountains, but feels a world away from the capital. Perched on a hilltop, surrounded by terraced terrain, it was named after the area’s original Moorish landowner, Muza. The highest town in Mallorca is probably best-known as the place where the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin and his lover, the writer George Sand, spent the winter of 1838/9, staying in rented rooms in the monastery. And, as a result, it’s probably Mallorca’s most visited town.
You can visit Valldemossa’s Real Cartuja (Royal Carthusian monastery), including the church, cloisters, old pharmacy, and the cells said to be where Chopin and Sand stayed (containing the composer’s piano and other artefacts). Part of the monastery is King Sancho’s palace – later gifted to Carthusian monks, who converted it and other buildings into the monastery. It probably has more visitors than any other building in Mallorca, apart from Palma’s cathedral, La Seu. A ticket for the Real Cartuja includes a short Chopin piano recital. For more chances to hear a variety of international musicians playing music from the composer, visit in August, when Valldemossa hosts the annual Chopin Festival.
Port d’Andratx has a picturesque setting some 5km from Andratx town and many consider it the loveliest harbour in the Mediterranean. It’s a stylish port, with a well-maintained and equipped yacht club offering more than 450 berths. Although it has plenty of restaurants (and some good seafood) to suit the yachting set, Port d’Andratx is still a working fishing port where you can sit outside one of the many cafés and bars watching the bustle of daily maritime life. The beach here is very small but you’ll find larger beaches nearby at Camp de Mar (once home to Claudia Schiffer) and at the small resort of Sant Elm, reached from Andratx on a road which leads through the small village of S’Arracó and attractive wooded countryside.
From Sant Elm (also known as San Telmo), you can take a boat trip in the summer over to the uninhabited island of Sa Dragonera, named for its dragon-like shape. It’s now a nature reserve, with a visitor centre and some interesting walks. Take your binoculars for good views of seabirds such as ospreys, shags and gulls.
Golfers visiting Andratx or Port d’Andratx will find an excellent 18-hole course at Golf de Andratx, at nearby Camp de Mar.
The centre of the island is one of the most authentic regions of Mallorca and is characterised by agriculture. Open fields, vineyards, olive groves and innumerable almond trees define the scenery. Tranquil villages such as Algaida, Montuiri or Santa Eugènia are far off the usual tourist track and in some places it seems like time has stood still. You’ll be looking in vain for souvenir shops and nightclubs.The centre of the island is one of the most untouched regions of Mallorca and is characterised by agriculture. Open fields, vineyards, olive groves and innumerable almond trees define the scenery.The tranquil villages such as Algaida, Montuiri or Santa Eugènia are far off the beaten tracks of the tourists and in some places it seems like time has stood still. You’ll be looking in vain for souvenir shops and nightclubs, in exchange you’ll find a wide variety of almost car free biking tracks and hiking routes. At night people gather in the local bars for a chat with their Mallorcan neighbours or dine in one of the excellent restaurants serving authentic Mallorcan food in a very relaxed atmosphere.
The Serra de Tramuntanta is Mallorca’s magnificent mountain range, stretching 90 km from Andratx in the southwest to the Cap de Formentor, in the far north of the island. The highest mountain in the range is Puig Major, at 1,445 metres; other impressive peaks are Teix, Massenella and Tomir.
Deià, Valldemossa, Fornalutx and Sóller are all located in the Tramuntana, in a setting of dramatic mountains and olive tree-clad terraces. It’s also where you’ll find the dramatic Torrent de Pareis, the island’s Cúber and Gorg Blau reservoirs, and the much-loved Lluc monastery.
The Habsburg Archduke Ludwig Salvator (Luis Salvador) came to Mallorca in the 19th century and acquired important estates in the Tramuntana: Son Marroig, Miramar, and S’Estaca (now owned by Hollywood actor Michael Douglas). Son Marroig is the venue for the annual Deià International Music Festival concerts.
The Tramuntana is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, reflecting its importance as an example of the combination of Islamic and Western cultures, and man’s ability to work in harmony with the natural environment. Ancient irrigation systems from the time of the Arab occupation of Mallorca still exist, and the dry stone terraces – built to create space to grow produce in a somewhat challenging agricultural landscape – are a distinctive feature of the mountain landscape.
There is an offical website of the SerraTramuntana which is highly informative.
Cap de Formentor and Pollensa. Pollensa is an ancient town of attractive narrow streets and an impressive main square, lined with cafés, restaurants and bars – just a few kilometres from the northern resort of Puerto Pollensa. Its Roman bridge, signposted ‘Pont Roma’, is still in use. On Good Friday, thousands come to the Calvary hill to watch the moving and atmospheric Mallorcan Passion Play known as the ‘Davallament’ – sensitively depicting the suffering of Christ on the Cross and the lowering of his body, which is conveyed by torchlight down the 365 steps of the Via Crucis. Across town, the Santo Domingo Cloisters host the summer open-air concerts of the Pollensa Music Festival, and Mallorca’s largest wine fair (Fira del Vi) each spring.
Puerto Pollensa is both port and resort . It has good facilities, long sandy beaches, and is an ideal family holiday spot. Although it’s not a year-round resort, there is still some life in the town during the winter for those who live there. The resort still retains some of the character that has brought some visitors here time and time again over many years. No visit to the north of Mallorca is complete without seeing the island’s northern tip – the Cap de Formentor – where the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range meets the Mediterranean, at the end of a 20-kilometre peninsula. The scenery along this dramatic road is truly spectacular, with viewing points at the Mirador de Mal Pas and the Talaia d’Albercutx watchtower. Although the lighthouse itself is not open to visitors, its surroundings offer awesome views of this wild and rugged spot.
This information has been taken from abc mallorca.