Mallorca is the largest and most developed in terms of tourism opportunities from the Balearic Islands.
Palm
Mallorca is the city of Palma, the capital of the archipelago, where the government of the autonomous region is located. Palma is a modern cosmopolitan city, the summer capital, where the family of the King of Spain rests, as well as politicians and cultural and art figures.
The capital of the Balearic Islands is located in a bay 20 km wide and 25 km long. Half of the population of Mallorca lives in this city, which bore this name even under the Romans, who founded it on a hilltop above the bay. From the Roman Palma, only the walls of the Almudaina castle remained. Arabs in the tenth century erected the walls of the city of Madina Mayurca, which in 1229 was conquered by King Jaume II, who was at the head of the Catalan troops. The new inhabitants translated the toponym as Ciutat de Mallorcas. They destroyed the traces of the Arabs and erected a Gothic cathedral. In 1715, the Catalan name of the city was abolished by decree and the Roman name was returned: Palma.
Travelers arriving in Palma by sea see all the must-see attractions in front of them: Bellver Castle, Sa Lioggia, Almudaina and the Cathedral.
The entire route must be completed on foot. It includes a visit to the Cathedral, Almudaina Castle, the Mallorca Museum and the Arab Baths.
The cathedral was built on the same place where there was an Arab mosque. The construction of this Gothic cathedral began under King Jaume II, and it was consecrated in 1601. Next to the cathedral there is a baroque gallery and an interesting museum with magnificent Gothic sculptures and paintings.
Not far from the cathedral, across the Almoina square, is Almudaina, the headquarters of the Balearic Admiralty. This is an old Arab fortress, which Jaume II turned into his palace.
The Mallorca Museum is located in the ancient Brul Palace, and the Arab baths – the best preserved monument of the Muslim period of Mallorca – form the cathedral quarter. The courtyards of the ancient palaces of the nobility stand out.
Sa Logia, a masterpiece of Mallorcan Gothic architecture, was the building that housed the board of the Merchant College and carried out trade transactions. Exhibitions are held here today.
Near Sa-Loggia is the Maritime Consulate – the seat of the Government of the Autonomous Region. It originally housed the Maritime Trade Arbitration. Its façade features renaissance arches.
The building of the Municipal Council is a vivid manifestation of the Majorcan baroque and one of the mysterious buildings of the city. It is popularly known as Kort (courtyard). The building is located on the site of the hospital. The modern construction dates back to the 16th-17th centuries. The building is notable for its unusual façade; inside you can visit only the premises of city services.
Church of St. Eulalia in the square behind the Municipal Council – the first Christian church built in Palma, a vivid example of Catalan Gothic. Other churches in the historic city center: St. Francis, St. Clara, Salvation, St. Michael and Mount Zion.
Of Palma’s more modern architecture, the buildings on Piazza Veiler stand out, especially the Grand Hotel, the first hotel built in the city, which currently houses the La Caixa Foundation. You can walk here from the Municipal Council, passing through the Plaza Mayor.
Bellver Castle, built in the 13th century. by order of Jaume II, never used as a defensive structure; it served as a prison. This is the only building that cannot be reached on foot from the city center. From October to March it can be visited from 8.00 to 18.00, and from April to September it is open from 8.00 to 22.00. The castle rises above the Al-Terreno quarter and the bay of Palma.
Deya
Deia is considered the unofficial capital of the island. The close relationship between the sea and the mountains of Tramuntana, rich and diverse nature, humid mild climate, dressed in green all around – these are the features of the local landscape.
Climate
The Balearics have a temperate Mediterranean climate with additional island features such as high humidity.
The average air temperature in spring is around +19.5°C; in summer — +27°C; in autumn – +20.5°C and in winter – +15°C. The average annual temperature for the archipelago as a whole is 17°C and differs little for individual islands.
