Palma is the extraordinary capital of Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Island. A magnificent city and a spectacular Mediterranean destination. Here begins a complete guide to Palma where will first present you with a detailed list of the places you should not miss in the city. If you are wondering what to see in Palma, you’ve come to the right place.
The correct name of the city
Let’s start with a terminological clarification. The official name of the city was once Palma de Mallorca, but in 2016 the city council decided to remove the de Mallorca from the name. Currently, the official name of the city is simply Palma.
What to see in Mallorca, the most beautiful city in the Balearics
Let’s review the places of interest in Palma in alphabetical order.
Ayuntamiento de Palma
In the heart of the historic center of Palma, in the Plaça de Cort, is the Ayuntamiento, the City Hall. The building that houses the town hall was formerly the seat of the courts. It is a 17th century building that mixes architectural styles and has a beautiful roof, which still retains the original woodwork of that same century.
On the baroque façade of the town hall you will see a large stone bench popularly known as the “lazy man’s bench”, because legend has it – we insist, legend has it – that the locals used to sit here to sunbathe instead of going to work.
If it’s open, take the opportunity to have a quick look at the Town Hall hall; access is free and you’ll be able to see the beauty of the building from the inside as well.
The Plaza de Cort, where the town hall is located, is a traditional meeting point in the city of Palma and is where the New Year’s Eve party and other local festivities are held. The name Cort refers to the feudal court present in the region in the Middle Ages.
To the right of the town hall, occupying the Palau Reial, the Royal Palace, a 19th century neo-Gothic building, is the seat of the Consell Insular de Mallorca, the island’s government.
One of the most recognizable features of the square is a centuries-old olive tree, to which some sources attribute 600 years of age, others 800. The tree was born and grew in another part of the island and was moved to Palma in 1989. Its whimsical shapes are magnificent.
Arab Baths of Palma
To get to the Arab Baths of Palma you will have to make a real expedition through the streets of the historic center of the city, always following the signs that clearly show you the way.
The Arab Baths of Palma are one of the most outstanding examples of Muslim architecture in the city. They are quite small and are located in a beautiful garden, in the stately home of Can Pit.
These 11th century baths were probably part of the palace of a Muslim nobleman. You will enter through a horseshoe arched doorway and arrive at the central room, square in plan, with an elaborate brick dome in the shape of a half sphere supported by 12 columns and several skylights. The capitals of the columns are very diverse, due to the fact that remains of other buildings were used in its construction. This room was used for hot baths and the hot water circulated through a double floor. Next to the central room you can see another rectangular room.
The entrance to the Arab Baths is paid. Check the details here.
CaixaForum Palma
The Spanish bank La Caixa has a network of excellent cultural centers called CaixaForum, almost always at prominent addresses in the cities where they are located. Palma’s center is no different. It occupies what was once the Gran Hotel, a project by Catalan modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, author of the Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, both in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is one of the best examples of the modernist style (art nouveau) in Palma, with its characteristic use of brick, stone, ceramics and wrought iron. The façade is in neo-Gothic style, with the typical floral motifs so dear to the architect.
If your stay in Palma is quick, you won’t have time to visit the center’s exhibitions, but we recommend that you come and see the building from the outside. Visits to the collections and exhibitions are paid.
Castell de Bellver
Dominating the city of Palma at 112 meters above sea level, the Castell de Bellver is the great fortress of the city and one of the most spectacular viewpoints of the island. Its name, in old Catalan, means “beautiful view”. It is a Gothic castle with an unusual circular format.
King Jaime II ordered the construction of the castle in 1300, destined to be the royal residence and seat of the court. That is why it mixes elements of a palace with those of a defensive fortress.
In the castle you will see three original towers integrated into the circular structure and a fourth keep added later and erected on the outside of the castle.
The palace has two floors around the central courtyard, which has a gallery of Gothic arches. At present, the castle belongs to the City Council of Palma. In its splendid inner courtyard cultural shows are held throughout the year.
During your visit to the castle you can stroll through the lower courtyard. You can also go up and around the castle following the gallery on the second floor. In the 18th century, the castle became a military prison and illustrious prisoners occupied the rooms on the second floor.
And you can go up to the terrace of the castle, where we wouldn’t know which is more interesting, the view of the castle courtyard from above, or the view out over the castle, Palma, the mountains and the countryside around the city.
Several rooms on the first floor of the castle are occupied by the interesting Museu d’Història de la Ciutat (City History Museum), a museum run by Palma City Council that presents the history of the city over the centuries. If you are interested in history, you will enjoy the contents of the museum.
You have to pay to visit the castle, but it is worth it, both for the views and for the building. It is one of those places in Palma that you should not miss. Check the details here.
That despite the fact that, being a bit far away, it is a bit complicated to get there. The castle can only be reached by car, cab, Uber or the tourist bus of Palma.
To get there by public transport, you have to get on a city bus, get off at Joan Miró Avenue, near the port, and start climbing, first through the streets of the neighborhood, following the signs, and then by endless flights of stairs.
Several viewpoints allow you to rest along the way while contemplating the views of Palma. It is a steep climb. The stairs are in perfect condition, but on a hot day it can be a tough climb. When you reach the road in front of the castle, first turn left to buy tickets at the castle ticket office. Do not go up the last flight of stairs to the castle without buying tickets first.
Catedral de Palma
The Cathedral of Palma, known as the Catedral de Mallorca and also as La Seu, is one of the best known images of the capital of the Balearic Islands.
With its extraordinary location by the sea, it is one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe. No matter from which angle you look at it, it always impresses with its size and unique location.
Construction of the cathedral began in the 13th century on the site of a former mosque, and the work went on for several centuries.
The cathedral has three naves, which were probably not foreseen in the original project. The effects created by the light inside the temple have earned it the nickname Cathedral of Light. If possible, try to visit the interior of the cathedral on a sunny day to fully appreciate the wonderful effect of the sun’s rays filtered through the numerous stained glass windows that can be seen inside the temple.
The cathedral’s gigantic rose window is largely responsible for this multicolored light bath. At 11 meters in diameter, it is the largest Gothic rose window in the world. It is composed of more than 1,100 different colored panes of glass, forming a perfect Star of David. The rose window has suffered several damages throughout history, most recently during the Spanish Civil War.
Between 1904 and 1914, the modernist architect Antoni Gaudí worked on the remodeling of the cathedral, during which he introduced several changes to create an even freer space. To give more importance to the high altar, Gaudí and his collaborator Josep Maria Jujol designed a baldachin, which was never completed due to disagreements between the architect and the contractor. What you see today in the cathedral, although it may not look like it, is a life-size model of Gaudí’s original project.
More recently, in the 21st century, another controversial renovation took place. Local artist Miquel Barceló was responsible for a new renovation between 2001 and 2006, adding a representation of the Eucharist and the wedding at Cana that proved highly controversial due to the modern language employed by the artist.
There are many other places of interest inside the cathedral that you will discover during your visit, including numerous chapels.
There is a fee to visit the interior of the cathedral. There are several types of visits, the basic one, the cheapest, includes the interior of the temple and the cathedral museum, which has pieces of great value. This ticket should be enough for many people. There are also tickets that allow you to go up to the terraces of the cathedral. Check all the details at the cathedral’s website.
Es Baluard Museu
The Baluard de Sant Pere is one of the largest and most impressive defensive fortifications of Palma’s wall system, a system we will talk about later. The Es Baluard Museu is located inside the fortification, located next to the port of Palma and next to the neighborhood of Santa Catalina.
The main building of the museum, designed in 2003, was erected inside the bastion. Its three floors are connected by ramps and have large outdoor spaces. It is a very interesting project where art merges with the historical architecture and the old wall, always present inside the museum.
The Es Baluard Museum is a contemporary art center with a collection of more than 800 works from the late nineteenth century to the present, including in its permanent collection authors such as Léger, Miró, Oteiza, Picasso and Tàpies. If you are interested in contemporary art, you will love to visit the museum, which not only has a permanent collection, but also hosts temporary exhibitions.
There is a fee to visit the museum, you can check the details on the museum website. Whatever your interest in contemporary art, the museum is worth a visit to stroll through its spectacular terraces and outdoor spaces. Some of these spaces are only accessible to those who enter to visit the museum, but many others are outside the museum and open to the public.
Judería / Jewish Quarter
The Jewish community of Palma was very important. During the Muslim presence in the city, the Judería, its Jewish quarter, known also as Call Maior, was a sort of independent city.
Today there are not many buildings left from that time, but at the beginning of Sol street you can see a small plaque indicating the entrance to the neighborhood. One of the highlights of the Jewish quarter is the church of Montesión, which occupies the site of the old major synagogue of Palma. Very little of it remains.
La Lonja
La Lonja de Palma is a magnificent example of Gothic civil architecture. An elegant and harmonious space built in the 13th century to be the headquarters where local merchants did their business near the port of Palma.
If you have ever visited the exceptional Lonja de la Seda in Valencia, it will remind you a lot of this building, with its columns that mimic large stone trees that rise to great heights.
The visit to the Lonja is quick and you will not spend much time there. Access is free. Art installations are often placed inside. La Lonja offers an oasis of tranquility in the middle of a very lively neighborhood full of tourists.
Markets of Palma
Palma still preserves the tradition of food markets, where locals go to do their shopping. The Mercat de l’Olivar, in the heart of Palma’s historic center, is one of those markets that must be visited.
It was built in 1951 and consists of two wings that come together. It gets plenty of natural light and the different food stalls are grouped according to the product they sell. The fish stalls in particular are spectacular, and you will see many locals shopping there. On the second floor of the market there is a supermarket. In between stalls, you will find many bars offering food for those who want to sit down and enjoy the delights of Palma.
The second market worth visiting is the Mercat de Santa Catalina, built in 1920 and the oldest market in Palma. It is in the neighborhood of Santa Catalina, which we will talk about later. It has stalls selling fish, meat, vegetables and sweets, but also many bars aimed at a mostly foreign public.
Modernismo / Art Nouveau in Palma
Modernismo was the name given in Spain to the artistic style known in other parts of Europe as Art Nouveau. Barcelona was the main center of modernism in the country, but there are also excellent examples in many other cities in Spain. One of these is Palma, where modernism arrived in force in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We have already seen the participation of Antoni Gaudí in the remodeling of the Cathedral and also the work of Domènech i Muntaner in the Gran Hotel, now CaixaForum. But many other architects also erected modernist buildings in the city, which you will discover on your walks through the center of Palma.
We will mention four modernist landmarks in the center of Palma. The first is Can Casasayas, formed by two symmetrical buildings separated by a narrow street. In the facade and the forging you will discover elements of nature.
Next to the Town Hall, Can Corbella is a very original building from the 19th century, in a style that heralds modernism and incorporates neo-Mudejar elements, with influences from Hispano-Muslim art.
The last two examples of modernism share the same block. On the right, Almacenes el Águila, a 1908 building that was designed to be the headquarters of a department store, taking maximum advantage of the facade to obtain natural light. That facade reveals clear influences of the Viennese Secession.
To its left, Can Forteza Rey, one of the great jewels of modernism in Palma, with very evident influences of Catalan modernism and works such as Gaudí’s Casa Batlló. It was conceived as a residential building with a facade richly decorated with plant and animal motifs, including the face of a monster surrounded by dragons. Ceramics, wrought iron, wood and stone are masterfully combined.
Medieval Wall
Until almost the 20th century, Palma was a fortress city, with a 6-kilometer-long wall and several bastions. The walls were completed by the Muslims in the 12th century, on the foundations of ancient Roman fortifications.
Today, visitors can walk along several sections of the medieval wall, especially in the part closest to the Cathedral of Palma, next to the Parc de la Mar, which we will talk about in a second. Take the opportunity to walk along these remains, as the views are always beautiful.
There are still two bastions, witnesses of the Renaissance military architecture built to protect Palma. One is the Baluard de Sant Pere, which today houses the Es Baluard Museum. The other is the Baluard des Príncep, built by Philip II in 1575, with beautiful views of the port of Palma.
Museo Fundación Juan March
The Juan March Foundation is a museum worth visiting both for its content, dedicated to 20th century Spanish art, and for the building that houses it, in an old 17th century manor house modernized over the centuries. It was also the first headquarters of Banca March, owner of the museum.
It is a very interesting corner of the historic center of Palma that we recommend visiting. The museum’s collection includes works by Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Gris, Tàpies and Barceló. Admission to the foundation is free. Despite being located in one of the busiest streets in the center of Palma, the museum is usually very quiet.
Palacio Real de la Almudaina
The Royal Palace of the Almudaina is one of the most outstanding monuments of Palma, due to its historical importance and its location next to the cathedral. It is a building that has been a privileged witness of the history of the city: originally built by the Romans, it was reformed by the Muslims and later converted into a fortress. And during all that time, it was the seat of power on the island.
The castle was built in the early 14th century for King Jaime II. Later it was the seat of the Audiencia, residence of the Viceroy and the Captain General. The structure of the palace that you can tour today has not changed much from the 14th century. The king’s palace, the queen’s palace and the chapel of Saint Ana stand out.
You may hear or read that the palace is now the official residence of the King of Spain when he visits Mallorca. The reality is that neither he nor his family sleep at the palace; they do so at Marivent Palace, which is several kilometers away. The Almudaina is used for official receptions and other protocol acts. The palace belongs to the Spanish National Heritage.
There is a fee to visit the palace, but there are free visits for EU and Latin American citizens, two afternoons a week. You will find information in this link. During the visit you will walk through different areas of the interior of the palace, which has a solemn appearance. In the main courtyard you will see a white marble lion as a reminder of the Muslim past of the Almudaina.
Parc de la Mar
The Parc de la Mar, park of the sea, is one of the most beautiful green spaces in Palma, favored by the fact that it is located between the Cathedral of Palma and the sea. It was built in the 1970s and has a large saltwater lake, which serves as a reminder of how the sea almost reached the cathedral. It is a public space where numerous events and celebrations take place, such as the feast of San Juan.
In the park you can see several works of art, including a mural by Joan Miró.
Passeig del Born
Passeig del Born is one of the most noble addresses in Palma. The promenade is home to numerous stores, including luxury brands, bars, cafes and restaurants. Here you will also find the Casal Solleric, which we will talk about later in the section on patios. The promenade has changed a lot over the centuries. In 1883 the sphinxes at the ends were added.
Patios of Palma
The patios of the houses of the most powerful families of the city, in the historic center of Palma, constitute today a rich heritage. The patios had a very important social function, which today has been lost as most of them have been closed.
The origins of Palma’s patios date back to Roman times. Later they were incorporated by Islamic architecture and also adopted the style of the medieval houses of Catalonia. But the heyday of Palma’s patios came in the Baroque period, between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Walking through the oldest part of the center of Palma you will find numerous patios. Most of them are closed, but in many you can take a look from the outside.
Two patios that can be visited and should not be missed are:
- Casal Solleric, a cultural center under the Palma City Council that occupies an 18th century building, the result of the merger of several houses. Both the courtyard, one of the most elegant in the city with a magnificent imperial staircase, and the cultural center can be visited free of charge.
- Can Balaguer, also known as Casal Balaguer, is another cultural center with one of the most beautiful patios in Palma. On the upper floors of Can Balaguer there are two permanent exhibitions, one dedicated to explaining the interiors of Palma’s stately homes between the 18th and 20th centuries, with many furnished rooms, and another on the Middle Ages. Admission to Can Balaguer is free.
Plaça Major
Palma’s Main Square occupies the site of the former Convent of San Felipe Neri. Until 1823 it was the seat of the Inquisition. It has a rectangular shape, with arcades on all four sides and buildings of three or four floors. Several times a week a small craft market is held in the square. It is a very lively area in the center of Palma.
S’Hort del Rei
S’Hort del Rei, the King’s orchard, is a small garden located at the foot of the Almudaina Palace and created in the 16th century by the monarchs of Mallorca.
The orchard was part of the royal castle and was later incorporated into the city. At the beginning of the 20th century three gardens were designed that combine the Hispano-Muslim, Renaissance and Mallorcan garden traditions. The central garden is a tribute to a garden found in the Generalife in Granada.
There are several works of art in the gardens, including a Calder mobile and sculptures by Miró and Subirachs. It is a spectacular place to sit and rest on any tour of Palma.
And those were the highlights of Palma, a list of places that should respond to the need for information on what to do in Palma.