by Paul Heney
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Fri November 1, 2024
Mallorca is a bit of Spanish paradise, the largest of the Balearic Islands and located about 150 miles southeast of Barcelona. The island is roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island, and it’s easy to get around by car, with excellent roads and highways. In less than two years, the eyes of the world will be upon this island, as the next total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Spain and then Mallorca right before sunset on August 12, 2026. In the meantime, here are seven other reasons to visit this magical island getaway ahead of all the excitement.
Dynamic Palma
The island’s capital city feels somewhat like a smaller Barcelona, with lovely architecture, tree lined pedestrian streets evocative of La Rambla, tons of shopping, and incredible cuisine around every corner. There are an impressive 11 Michelin-star restaurants on the island. Visit the bakery Forn des Teatre, where the breads, cakes, and other sweets are as beautiful to the eye as they are delicious. The family-owned bakery prides itself on keeping ancient Majorcan recipes alive.
The city has plenty of interesting history, even in the past few decades. It’s arguably home to modern tourism, with so many hotel chains starting here roughly a half century ago. Even today, you’ll find the headquarters here of companies such as Iberostar, Melia, and Barcelo. It’s also become quite known for maintaining and renovating some of the world’s more expensive yachts and superyachts. Stroll along the waterfront near the marina, and you’re likely to see at least a few of these behemoths, wrapped in protective materials to shield the work from prying eyes.
Enchanting Port de Soller on the island's northwest coast. (Photo Credit: Paul Heney)
Jardines de Alfabia
These tranquil gardens, located between Palma and Soller, welcome more than 80,000 visitors annually (note it is closed during the slow season, November through February). The property was originally the residence of the Moorish viceroy; today the family that owns it lovingly maintains the trellises, arched walkways, quiet ponds, orchards, and the 18th century home—featuring Gothic and Baroque architecture and antique furniture. Views of the surrounding mountains are impressive here, and the gardens have become a popular spot for weddings in recent years. The plant life here is varied and colorful, with the oldest resident being a 400-year-old wisteria tree.
Experience Salty Cycling
Imagine riding a bicycle on the ocean, but instead of wheels, you have sleek hydrofoils that keep you moving through the water. The Manta 5, developed by a New Zealander, is a brilliant piece of engineering that allows riders to seemingly glide across the water. There are about ten regional distributors of the aquatic ebikes (they run about $10,000-$13,000 apiece), but Salty Cycling in Mallorca is the only one that offers training and tourist experiences.
Bruno Galli, the training manager, explained that they are the only ones devoted to creating an experience—and develop the sport more than just having it looked at as a water toy.
“This is a 10-year plan for us, and we’re very passionate about cycling and being in the water,” he said. “We more than 100 bikes but are not selling them. We want to create a club with activities, so people come every weekend and use the bikes. We don’t these to be an expensive toy someone will ride once or twice, and then it sits in the garage.”
Up to three sessions are needed to really master the bike, so you can use it in any conditions. They train early in the morning, when conditions are calm, out of Ca’n Picafort, located on Badia d’Alcudia, one of two stunning bays on the northeastern part of the island. The ebike’s two-meter wingspan makes it very stable, and you can turn sharply and even ride waves—riding from 9 to 20 kilometers per hour. As this is an electric bike, using only the throttle will get you about 40 minutes of riding, but if you also pedal actively, you may have more like three hours’ worth of riding time.
Palma as seen from the roof of the Cathedral. (Photo Credit: Paul Heney)
The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma
This iconic structure is well worth a visit; it’s the highest gothic Cathedral in the country and took 360 years to build. Also somewhat unique is that every single century since the 13th Century has an architectural footprint in it, so there are design details to appeal to everyone—such as the stunning Gaudi-designed crown over the altar. Make sure to climb the stairs up to the roof level, where you’ll have some stunning views of the surrounding city, and a face-to-face look at the cathedral’s gothic rose stained glass window, the world largest with 1,256 pieces of glass.
Train to Soller
You can easily drive from Palma to the interior city of Soller. But a better bet is taking the hour-long train ride to the island’s valleyed interior, which is like stepping back in time. Ride in the handsome wooden cars as you cruise through Mediterranean pine forests, groves of lemon and orange trees, past centuries-old olive trees, and into long stone tunnels built through the mountainous interior of the island. The views of the Soller valley are breathtaking, and the city itself is a delight, with plentiful shops and restaurants. Venture further by riding the historic tram to Port de Soller, a picture-postcard city perched on the island’s northwest coast.
Learn to Cook Local
Luis Matas and his wife had wanted to launch a business featuring local cooking classes, and when one of Palma’s iconic 17th century flour-grinding windmills became available, they jumped at the chance. Today, MOLTAK is housed in this unique space and a perfect introduction to Majorcan cuisine. We had a blast making a sobrasada spread on crostini (it’s a tasty local sausage), seafood paella, cream Catalan (like a crème brulee), and more. You’ll drink plenty of wine, enjoy a full meal made from the freshest local ingredients, exchange stories of food and travel adventures with Luis, and laugh—a lot.
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