Best Things to Do in Mallorca (2026 Guide)

Mallorca is Spain’s most visited island and simultaneously one of the most rewarding to explore beyond the resort strips. The best things to do in Mallorca start in Palma — the Gothic Cathedral (La Seu, begun 1229, with Gaudi’s interior modifications and an enormous rose window throwing light across the nave), the Almudaina Palace (the former Moorish palace, adjacent to the cathedral), and the Es Baluard modern art museum overlooking the bay. The Serra de Tramuntana mountain range along the northwest coast is UNESCO World Heritage — a landscape of dramatic limestone cliffs, terraced olive groves, and stone villages where Richard Chopin composed and Robert Graves wrote; the GR221 Dry Stone Route (Ruta de Pedra en Sec) traverses its length from Port d’Andratx to Pollenca (170km, seven days). The north coast (Cap de Formentor, S’Albufera Natural Park, Pollenca and Alcudia old towns) and the cove beaches of the east (Cala Varques, Cala Mondrago, Cala Sa Nau) complete an island of extraordinary variety.

Best time to visit

May-June and September-October are Mallorca’s finest months: warm (22-27°C), sea-swimmable, uncrowded compared to the July-August peak, and with the full range of hiking, cycling, and beach activities available. July-August is the most crowded and most expensive; accommodation in Palma and the northwest villages should be booked months ahead. The Fiesta de Sant Sebastia in Palma (January 19-20) is one of the best winter festivals in Spain — concerts, bonfires, and correfoc (fire running) across the city. Winter hiking in the Serra de Tramuntana (November-March) is popular with European walkers seeking a warm climate.

Getting around

Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) is one of the busiest in Spain with direct connections from 100+ European airports. In Palma: the city bus network (EMT) and rental bicycles are sufficient. For the island: a rental car is highly recommended, especially for the northwest coast (the Ma-10 road from Andratx to Pollenca is one of the most dramatic coastal drives in the Mediterranean) and the eastern coves. The Tren de Soller — a historic narrow-gauge train from Palma to Soller (completed 1912) — is a journey through the Tramuntana mountains. Taxis and buses serve the main towns; hiking trailheads in the Tramuntana require a car or the ATO mountain bus service.

What to eat and drink

Mallorcan cuisine has undergone a renaissance led by chefs like Marc Fosh and Maca de Castro. Traditional staples: sobrassada (raw cured pork sausage with paprika, spread on bread — the island’s signature product), tumbet (a layered vegetable casserole), pa amb oli (bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with local olive oil — the Mallorcan foundation), arroz brut (‘dirty rice’ — a thick rice dish with rabbit, chicken, and mushrooms from the Tramuntana), and ensaimada (a spiral pastry of lard and flour, eaten for breakfast). Mallorca wines: the Binissalem DO produces Manto Negro reds; the Pla i Llevant and Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord DOs are newer and increasingly interesting. Hierbas (a herbal anise liqueur) and Palo (a bitter carob liqueur) are the island aperitifs.

Areas & Villages to explore

Palma — The cathedral (La Seu), Almudaina Palace, the Born promenade, the old quarter of La Lonja (the 15th-century Gothic seafarers’ stock exchange, now used for exhibitions), Es Baluard museum, and the Santa Catalina neighbourhood (the best restaurant strip in Palma).

Serra de Tramuntana — Valldemossa (Chopin’s monastery, Cartoixa de Valldemossa), Deia (Robert Graves’ village, artist community, and pebble cove), Soller (orange groves, the tram to Port de Soller), Fornalutx (consistently voted Spain’s most beautiful village), and Sa Calobra (a 12km hairpin road to a river gorge and turquoise inlet).

Northern Mallorca — Pollenca (a Renaissance church accessed by 365 steps, excellent Sunday market), Alcudia (one of Mallorca’s best-preserved walled towns, 13th century), Cap de Formentor (a 20km peninsula ending in a lighthouse, with the turquoise beach of Formentor below), and S’Albufera (a wetland nature reserve with 250+ bird species).

Eastern Coves — Porto Cristo (the Drach Caves — one of the world’s largest cave systems, with a subterranean lake and a classical music concert), Cala Varques (only accessible by 30-minute walk, turquoise water, no services), and Cala Mondrago (within a nature park).