Luxury hotels in Mallorca

Mallorca guide

Mallorca: Palma, the Serra de Tramuntana and the coves

Palma's cathedral above the sea, the mountain villages of Deià and Valldemossa and turquoise calas.

Palma's Gothic cathedral, La Seu, rising above the bay, is Mallorca's most cited sight, with interiors partly reworked by Gaudí and the artist Miquel Barceló. The old town's courtyards and the Bellver Castle complete the capital.

The Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO cultural landscape, holds the villages of Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller, linked by a vintage wooden train from Palma. The island's coves, such as Caló des Moro and Cala Mondragó, are best early in the morning, and spring and autumn are ideal for cycling and walking.

The Serra de Tramuntana: Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller

The Serra de Tramuntana, a mountain range along Mallorca's north-west coast and a UNESCO cultural landscape, is the island's most cited excursion. Valldemossa, where Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838 in the Carthusian monastery, and Deià, the village of the poet Robert Graves, are its jewels.

The vintage wooden train from Palma to Sóller, running since 1912, crosses orange groves and tunnels, and a tram continues to the port. The winding road to Sa Calobra and the Torrent de Pareis gorge is spectacular.

Mallorca's calas by boat

Mallorca's coves, the calas, are one of the island's most cited attractions: Caló des Moro and Cala s'Almunia in the south-east, Cala Mondragó in its natural park, and Es Trenc, a long natural beach. In summer, the most famous coves fill early, so a private boat is the best way to see them.

Sailing from Port d'Andratx or Palma, a day on the water reaches coves inaccessible by road, with swimming stops and lunch on board. The Cabrera archipelago, a marine national park, can be visited with a permit.