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Mallorca (or Majorca as it is also known) is the largest of the Balearic Islands. It is part of Spain and is located in the Mediterranean.
It is well known for its great weather, beach resorts and Roman ruins. The last time I visited, I fell in love with the island all over again.
Read on for a suggested seven day Mallorca itinerary.
How to get to Mallorca
It’s easy to get to from the UK with flights available from most major airports and the flight time coming in at just under three hours. This makes it a popular beach holiday destination for Brits during summertime.
However, it’s also a year-round destination with plenty to see and do. Its capital city, Palma, can even rival Barcelona for a city break.
You can often pick up a cheap flight with one of the budget airlines like Ryanair, Jet2, or Easyjet.
Once you’ve landed at the airport, it’s easy to get to your accommodation. You can take a cab from right outside the airport or book private transfers if you’d prefer.
Things to do in Mallorca
There’s so much to do in Mallorca that you’ll find yourself wanting to go back again and again. Here are some of the things that I did on my trip.
Explore Palma
The capital of Mallorca, Palma, is a great city with plenty to see and do. It’s full of amazing tapas bars, designer shops and sights like its magnificent Santa Maria Cathedral.
Bellver Castle sits to the west atop a hill and Almundaina started life as a fortress but has since been converted into a royal residence.
There’s a beach here too which you can enjoy a lovely walk along when it’s sunny.
A great way to see any city is by taking a free walking tour and I would recommend doing this on your first full day in Palma so that you can get to know your way around the city. The city is all narrow cobbled streets which are super photogenic and there are countless tapas bars to choose from when you get peckish.
When I visited, the Christmas lights were up all over the city which gave it a really magical feel.
Explore Pollença
Pollenca is a quiet rural town situated in the north of the island. It’s full of light-coloured stone architecture and isn’t super popular with tourists so it feels a little more local than other parts of the island.
It’s a gorgeous town with typical Mallorcan narrow cobbled streets and plenty of history. We took a three hour walking tour of the town to discover everything it has to offer.
At the top of the town there’s a steep hill which has fantastic views from the top over the surrounding bays of Alcudia, Port de Pollenca and Formentor.
It’s a bit of a tough climb but completely worth it and you can choose whether to go up the hill or take the 365 steps. We walked up the hill and back down the steps.
At the top there was a man playing Spanish guitar and a shop where you could treat yourself to an ice cream.
Take a train to Soller
From Palma, you can hop on a wooden train and head to the town of Soller. Tickets cost 32 euros for a return and it’s a scenic route with great views of the surrounding countryside and mountains.
There’s even a stop off where you get amazing views of the town of Soller and it’s a perfect photo opportunity.
Once in Soller, you can also take the tram to Port de Soller where there is a harbour and a beach. There are some lovely restaurants and cafes here and you can even do a walk up to the lighthouse.
In the harbour, you can look at the yachts, choose the one you like best and dream of owning it.
I didn’t get to explore Soller itself very much as the weather was terrible when I was there but I did pop into its spectacular cathedral and enjoyed a coffee in one of the cafes nearby. Soller is an old traditional town with a square at the heart of it.
If you’re not staying in Palma, you can book a guided day trip to Soller which includes pick up at your hotel.
Wine tasting
I went to a couple of amazing wineries while I was in Mallorca. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great while I was there so I didn’t get to explore outside, but I did get to taste some amazing wines and sample some Mallorcan food so I wasn’t too sad!
Mesquida Mora
Mesquida Mora is a vineyard and 14th century windmill. You can have lunch and taste some wines here, either outside in the grounds or inside.
We had a lovely traditional lunch here which was made by a lady who lives in the nearby village. The lunch included empanadas, frittata and a delicious meatball stew.
The lady who owns and runs the vineyard has taken over the family business and she is so passionate about wines that it was a pleasure to listen to her.
Vins Nadal
Another Mallorcan winery, Vins Nadal supplies wine across Mallorca and Spain. Here we tried whites, rosés and reds alongside some nibbles and I really enjoyed these.
The winery is housed in an old village house complete with wine cellar and leaky roof!
Forest bathing
Forest bathing was something that I’d been hearing a lot about in the past few months. Obviously, I love hiking so I presumed it was pretty much a walk in the forest.
We headed to the Finca Publica de Glatzo where we met with a guide to take us into the forest.
In the national park, there are lots of mountains which make for some stunning scenery during your forest bathing experience. It turns out that forest bathing is much more of a meditative experience than hiking.
There’s a very slow pace which allows you to really take in and appreciate the natural surroundings. There are also stops along the way where you listen to the birdsong, find patterns in nature, and even make movements to reflect these.
It’s a wholesome activity which leaves you feeling really peaceful and super appreciative of nature.
Nightlife
Mallorca is well known in the UK for its nightlife. Palma has some great bars to choose from and the drinks are pretty cheap.
In one bar I paid just 2.50 euros for a glass of sangria! During November, it was a little quieter, however, we did manage to find a silent disco at Bar de Cookie which we ended up in most nights.
Party resorts Magalluf and Palma Nova in the south of the island are definitely something to experience if you’re really into partying, especially the foam parties at Magalluf’s biggest night club, BCM. I’m a little bit past that now but it’s something you should definitely tick off your bucket list if that’s what you’re into.
Places to eat in Palma
There’s no shortage of amazing places to eat in Palma. Around every corner you can sample delicious tapas and fresh seafood.
While I visited, the TaPalma tapas festival was on and this meant that there were some special deals on some of the tapas bars in the city.
Moltabarra
This was my favourite place for tapas and pinchos in the city. Pinchos are small snacks which are served on a piece of bread and basically they’re yummy!
The pinchos here were displayed in a glass cabinet on top of the bar and you just went over and picked the ones that you wanted. There’s no description of what each one is so it’s a little hit and miss but I’m not fussy at all so I chose one with battered fish and one vegetarian option with mushrooms and peppers.
After this, it was time for tapas! They kept bringing out different tapas dishes for us including nachos, frittata, bread, patatas bravas, croquettes and chicken wings.
They were all really delicious and I loved that they just kept coming out at different times.
Bar España
Another great tapas bar in the city, we popped in to Bar España one lunchtime. It was really busy, which is always a good sign, and we managed to find a small table in the window near to the kitchen.
Again, they served a wide range of tapas and we could just keep ordering as and when we wanted which was great as we kept thinking of extras that we wanted. I especially enjoyed the prawns in filo pastry with a sweet chilli sauce.
Maura
This restaurant is situated on one of the main streets in Palma and has both indoor and outdoor seating for when the weather is fine. I went here for lunch with a couple of friends and we chose it as they are both vegan and its vegan options were recommended online.
Vegan options in Mallorca can be difficult to come by and not every restaurant caters to dietary requirements.
Here, my friends chose vegan poke bowls which were beautifully presented and they really enjoyed. I had a burrata salad which was delicious.
It was full of different varieties of fresh tomatoes which were bursting with flavour, creamy burrata and bread drizzled with olive oil, a perfect light lunch.
Michelangelo’s
When in Spain, why not eat Italian?! You absolutely cannot beat a pizza on holiday (or anytime really) and Michelangelo’s serves some excellent options.
The pizzas here have plenty of cheese and sauce and are really tasty. Plus, you can dine al fresco when the weather is good.
Horreo Veinti
This restaurant was a little more expensive than some of the other places to eat in Palma. There is seating outside with patio heaters and the menu is quite small with only a few options on it.
I sometimes quite like this as I do find that you can have too much choice!
I had mussels which came in a large pot. There were plenty of them and they were in a delicious white wine sauce.
Some people had steak which they cooked themselves on a stone which looked great.
All of the meals were served with crusty bread and aioli which is a definite favourite snack of mine.
Tast
Tast is a cool little tapas bar in town which has tables with high seating which gives it a really friendly atmosphere and more of a communal feel. They serve a range of different tapas from the usual Spanish omelette on bread to the more unusual.
Scrambled eggs and baby eels on toast, anyone? The prices for drinks here are super cheap too with a glass of cava coming in at just 3 euros.
Some other places which I didn’t try myself but which looked amazing (and are on my list for next time) include The Tunnel, a tapas bar which is almost underground and the Merchant’s Steakhouse and Grill.
Where to stay in Mallorca
The beauty of Mallorca is that it is a small island. This makes it very easy to travel around and take different day trips.
You can hire a car to explore the island on your own time but the public transport system is also very good with buses connecting different areas of Mallorca.
For my latest trip, I stayed in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of the island. Palma is really a year-round city break destination and so you can visit outside of the more popular summer months for a more chilled experience.
I stayed at Apuntadores Hostal, a budget hostel with private rooms situated in the old quarter of the city. It’s a great option if you’re travelling alone, or with friends, as it is within easy reach of everything that Palma has to offer.
Rooms are basic but clean, the staff are fantastic and there is a roof terrace with amazing views over the city.
