Palma De Mallorca

Hello! Going on our first med cruise in June and I'm trying to put together "must sees". I know nothing about Palma! I was hoping someone could give me their advice on what to see or do!! Thanks!

Hello! Going on our first med cruise in June and I'm trying to put together "must sees". I know nothing about Palma! I was hoping someone could give me their advice on what to see or do!! Thanks!

If you have two days, you might want to join a tour that does the Train to Soller, la Calabra, along with s boat ride to see the beautiful coast of the island. I have been unable to find anyone who has done this, but my DH and I have signed up to do it for €63 each in June. It is offered through Spanish tourism...

When my daughter and I went there we just wandered around no tour. It is a beautiful place and would love to go back one day.

Palma is a nice city, but I like the countryside of Mallorca better. Both times we were there, we rented a car and drove to places like Soller, Port de Soller, Valldemossa, etc. Ship excursions usually go to at least a few nearby villages, and often do the train to Soller mentioned previously. You can also do the train by yourself. If you search for information on that, you'll find a good thread a ways back in this section.

informamallorca.net, abc-mallorca.com are a couple websites I used. Also, Seemallorca website has info on scenic drives; visitsoller.com;

I think there is a Hop On Hop Off bus that picks up near the port. There's also a bus stop near the port, with Palma's bus system pretty easy to use. The bus web site (sorry, don't have address) shows a lot of the attractions in Palma and what bus to take to reach them.

We are also going in June on a one day stop. I can't find anything to do. I think we will do the HoHo bus.

I do know they are famous for making imitation pearls. Might be a nice souvenir.

We are also going in June on a one day stop. I can't find anything to do.

You can't find anything to do?

In Palma alone there's a huge, beautiful Gothic cathedral (La Seu), and next to that, an interesting palace (the Almudaina Palace). There's the lovely waterfront, there's Castle Bellver...

(photo by turtles06)

Beach after beach after beach - Caves of Drach - Porto Cristo - Bellver Castle - Cathedral - Spanish Food - train to Soller (check timetables, sometimes return times are tricky) - Hoho bus. Tons to do. It's a lovely place.

You can't find anything to do?

 

In Palma alone there's a huge, beautiful Gothic cathedral (La Seu), and next to that, an interesting palace (the Almudaina Palace). There's the lovely waterfront, there's Castle Bellver...

 

I do know about the cathedral. We will be seeing a bunch of cathedrals during our almost three weeks. Just trying to find something a little different. I appreciate the suggestions!

I think the HoHo bus is a good option. We can get off if we see something that looks interesting. A food tour would be fun.

Are you interested in food and wine? This past November my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful day in Binissalem-Mallorca on an excursion operated by brothers Julián and Gil Panadés of Mallorcan Wine Tours. Our four-hour gourmet tour included visits to three wineries where Julián explained each one's operations and where we sampled generous tastings of wine paired with Mallorcan cheeses, cured meats, condiments, and other local specialties. The countryside was spectacular, the wineries special, and the food and wine superb.

Gil provided round-trip transportation (at an additional cost) and we easily made it back to the ship with time to spare.

http://www.mallorcawinetours.com/mallorca-wine-gourmet-tour/

Are you interested in food and wine? This past November my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful day in Binissalem-Mallorca on an excursion operated by brothers Julián and Gil Panadés of Mallorcan Wine Tours. Our four-hour gourmet tour included visits to three wineries where Julián explained each one's operations and where we sampled generous tastings of wine paired with Mallorcan cheeses, cured meats, condiments, and other local specialties. The countryside was spectacular, the wineries special, and the food and wine superb.

 

Gil provided round-trip transportation (at an additional cost) and we easily made it back to the ship with time to spare.

 

http://www.mallorcawinetours.com/mallorca-wine-gourmet-tour/

Oh thank you! I will check them out.

So glad to see this thread. I came on here to find info on Palma and it was right at the top. I didn't even have to search. The info all of you have posted is great. I think we just want a relaxing day there because it will be our fifth straight port day and we will have very long, exhausting tours in the previous ports. It's also the last day of our cruise.

There is a big aquarium in Palma De Mallorca, http://www.palmaaquarium.com

I want to add what imho is a "don't miss" inside the Cathedral in Palma, particularly for folks who think they might be "cathedral-ed out" by the time they get there. One of the chapels in this Cathedral (St. Peter's chapel) is dedicated to the biblical story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and it tells the story through a modern day art installation by Miquel Barcelo. It's one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen. The walls of the chapel are covered in a cracked ceramic, with fish and bread literally emerging from them. It's dark and cave-like, and mesmerizing. I finally had to tear myself away.

Here's just a very small detail:

(photo by turtles06)

Like others have said, there are tons of things to do in Mallorca. It's one of the most relevant European summer destinations, there are many options.

Living here, some summers we just have not enough free time to go to all the different beaches / attractions we love.

Just do a bit of research, you have to find something you like. And even if you don't want to enter Palma's Cathedral, the charming streets of old town and the waterfront are quite unique, and very easy to do on your own.

Also, many people make the mistake of assuming Palma has buildings of lesser importance that those of bigger cities, when that is not always true. Palma has very well preserved Gothic-style buildings, and a bunch of lovely

modernist ones as well. It's also a good place for shopping.

For the rest of Mallorca, well, it's pretty glorious :D

Turtles, that does look interesting.

HeidiHo, I think there might be a bus right out by the HOHO bus stop that goes to a beach, but I'm not positive. Last summer people asked me about it. We were just waiting for the bus that goes along the waterfront so we don't know if they found one or not but the bus website would tell you if there is one.

Thank you for sharing all this information. It would be great to have a really good port review. There was just so little info. I'm glad everyone has added to the thread!

Like others have said, there are tons of things to do in Mallorca. ... the charming streets of old town ...

Indeed.

(photo by turtles06)

I look forward to enjoying the city and sights in Oct !! Thanks also for the tips of what to see !!

Great feedback and recommendations! The pics look gorgeous!! Although the gourmet good and wine tour sounds amazing, my husband is not a big wine drinker. I would love to just walk around the town and take things in. It sounds like there are plenty of beautiful things to see! I'm assuming it's walkable from port?

Thank you for sharing all this information. It would be great to have a really good port review. There was just so little info. I'm glad everyone has added to the thread!

It's too bad tomsportguides.com doesn't have one for Palma. His guides are great.

Here are a couple more ideas to decide what to do, at least for Palma (and the whole island of Mallorca offers MORE):

http://www.emtpalma.es is the public bus website. Click on the Union Jack for English. You'll be getting on at Estacio Maritima. Bus is easy to use (although you must have euros - and probably not large bills) but of course, if you're not that adventuresome, there will be cabs available. Be aware there are two different dock locations, although I think most ships come into the main one (Estacio Maritima), which is the closest to town. The other one is farther down on the same road.

Right opposite the cruise & ferry terminal (Estacio Maritima) is a stop for bus #1 (make sure it's not an Express). It takes 10 minutes to get to Plaça d'Espanya, near where you catch a train to the town of Soller, or stay in Palma and visit city attractions. HOHO bus is close by, too. The cathedral and other attractions are not exactly within walking distance of the port, so I definitely would recommend a bus or cab to get you in the most tourist-worthy area. Then again, the marina isn't too far away, with some restaurants, so that could make for a shorter but still pleasant day.

Usually HOHO buses have a good map with attractions marked on it. Might want to look at that for ideas of what to see in Palma.

If I get back to Palma, I will probably go to the Caves of Drach, or else venture out to the other parts of the island that I missed before.

Great feedback and recommendations! The pics look gorgeous!! Although the gourmet good and wine tour sounds amazing, my husband is not a big wine drinker. I would love to just walk around the town and take things in. It sounds like there are plenty of beautiful things to see! I'm assuming it's walkable from port?

Oh, our posts crossed. I would not consider Palma port to most of the sights to be walkable. I would either take a bus (perhaps #1, but not an express, which goes to the airport) or maybe cab or else the HOHO - perhaps to Plaza de'Espanya (spelling might be off) or the Cathedral or something like that.

Google says it's a 45 minute walk to the Cathedral from the port. The problem is that the port is on one side of the city and the city much farther to the (I think) east. The first time we went to Palma on a cruise, we reserved a car. We tried to get a cab to the car rental place, but several taxi drivers didn't want to take us, as they (at least some of them) only wanted to provide tours. Each one told us it was not too far to walk and just down the road. Well, for a younger, fitter couple it may have been, but for us 60 year olds, it ended up being a 25 minute walk in the sun - not a huge deal, but not what we wanted or expected. That's why last year I looked for a bus, and took it to Europcar (along the waterfront, but still probably at least a 15 to 20 minute walk). The bus came in 5 minutes and took 5 minutes to get there, so that worked out better.

If you look at a map of Palma, at the western end of the curving bay is the cruise port - where two long concrete piers come out. It's the area of Porto Pi. There is another long port and pier area a lot farther to the west (marked Palma Port), around the other side of the curving bay, and that's where city center is.

Just a few pictures from a day-trip we did today, with cloudier and colder weather than usual.

Estellenchs, Banyalbufar and Valldemossa, on the north-west coast, easily reachable from Palma by renting a car. A large area between Andratx and Estellenchs suffered a heavy fire in summer 2013, it's already recovering.

The whole Tramuntana mountain range is a World Heritage Site. You might want to check this useful web:

http://www.serradetramuntana.net/en/

Just a few pictures from a day-trip we did today, with cloudier and colder weather than usual.

 

Estellenchs, Banyalbufar and Valldemossa, on the north-west coast, easily reachable from Palma by renting a car. A large area between Andratx and Estellenchs suffered a heavy fire in summer 2013, it's already recovering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, thank you for posting those! Those are gorgeous, especially the one of the terraces, and the watchtower near Banyulbufar. I was fascinated by that watchtower the first time we went, and insisted that we go back this past September. My pictures are here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/iberian_sojourn__portugal_spain_gib&page=all

You'll have to go to the very end, as Palma was our last port before we woke up in Barcelona and had to fly back. There's also another gallery right after the one I'm sending you to. It has some Palma pictures, too.

I would not consider Palma port to most of the sights to be walkable.

I agree with that. I mean, it's "walkable" in that you could do it if you don't have mobility issues, but it's not really a distance you'd want to walk when you are just in port for a day.

When we were there last fall, there were shuttle buses running (for a fee) from the ship to the center of town, opposite the Cathedral (and back of course). I don't recall the cost, nor do I know whether this is done for all ships, but it was a very good way to get into town. (OP: if this turns out to be an option for you, don't wait for the very last bus back, all the buses in the afternoon were very crowded.)