Palma de Mallorca DIY - NEW

[roger b]

5 hours ago, Condocat said:

Hello Roger:

 

First, thank you for all your insights!

 

My husband and I will be in Barcelona mid April and are thinking of traveling to Mallorca for a few days.

Can you tell me if it will be too quiet.  Will tours still be operating, restaurants open, etc?

 

Appreciate you assistance!

Hi, what a treat !! It wiĺl  definatly not be quiet , Palma  is a vibrant  city and I would base myself there 

 You be coming to  one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, you have a wide choice  of beautiful sights and three days will definitely  give you a taste for more.

 Tours are operating  all year and the restaurants  are all open , you will be spoilt for choice..

 Palma is very compact and you can walk anywhere, if you look back through  this roll caĺl you will get some ideas .

Let me know if you need any more  ideas!!

[Condocat]

14 hours ago, roger b said:

Hi, what a treat !! It wiĺl  definatly not be quiet , Palma  is a vibrant  city and I would base myself there 

 You be coming to  one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, you have a wide choice  of beautiful sights and three days will definitely  give you a taste for more.

 Tours are operating  all year and the restaurants  are all open , you will be spoilt for choice..

 Palma is very compact and you can walk anywhere, if you look back through  this roll caĺl you will get some ideas .

Let me know if you need any more  ideas!!

Thank you Roger!

 

This is great news.  Not to put you on the spot but could you recommend a couple hotels 4+ quality in Palma?  I started searching and some of the top rated ones appear to be far away from town!

Any suggestions?   Again...TY!

[roger b]

16 hours ago, Condocat said:

Thank you Roger!

 

This is great news.  Not to put you on the spot but could you recommend a couple hotels 4+ quality in Palma?  I started searching and some of the top rated ones appear to be far away from town!

Any suggestions?   Again...TY!

 Hi Ty

 Here are my two choices both in the centre of all the action :

https://bohotel-palma.com/en

 

 in the La Lonja area check out the bar Albaco in the same street

https://bar-abaco.es/galeria/

 

No 2 Hotel:

https://www.hotelsaratoga.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB&utm_content=hotelsaratoga

a stones throw from one of the up and coming areas in Palma( Santa Catalina ) also they have a great evenings entertainment on the weekend.

 

https://www.bluejazz.es/en/

 

 This looks like a good plan for your 3 days !!

https://www.petitesuitcase.com/mallorca-itinerary/

 Hope this works Roger

[roger b]

2 hours ago, roger b said:

 Hi Ty

 Here are my two choices both in the centre of all the action :

https://bohotel-palma.com/en

 

 in the La Lonja area check out the bar Albaco in the same street

https://bar-abaco.es/galeria/

 

No 2 Hotel:

https://www.hotelsaratoga.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB&utm_content=hotelsaratoga

a stones throw from one of the up and coming areas in Palma( Santa Catalina ) also they have a great evenings entertainment on the weekend.

 

https://www.bluejazz.es/en/

 

 This looks like a good plan for your 3 days !!

https://www.petitesuitcase.com/mallorca-itinerary/

 Hope this works Roger

 If you want to go for twice the price :

 

https://hotelsantfrancesc.com/en

 

https://www.canbordoy.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1bqZBhDXARIsANTjCPK83H1cgHKBR9d8a95lGF6RFsfgc5st2f4--KfnNIFFegT6oDFr8ZAaAtpQEALw_wcB

[Condocat]

6 hours ago, roger b said:

 Hi Ty

 Here are my two choices both in the centre of all the action :

https://bohotel-palma.com/en

 

 in the La Lonja area check out the bar Albaco in the same street

https://bar-abaco.es/galeria/

 

No 2 Hotel:

https://www.hotelsaratoga.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB&utm_content=hotelsaratoga

a stones throw from one of the up and coming areas in Palma( Santa Catalina ) also they have a great evenings entertainment on the weekend.

 

https://www.bluejazz.es/en/

 

 This looks like a good plan for your 3 days !!

https://www.petitesuitcase.com/mallorca-itinerary/

 Hope this works Roger

Roger!

 

OMG!!! 

 

TY so much for taking the time to put all this together.  This is absolutely fabulous and so helpful and  extremely thoughtful of you. 

 

Can't wait to visit!!!

[swimmer722]

We will be in Palma on Tuesday,  11/15, but do not arrive until 12 pm. We had planned on taking the train to Soller but I’m not sure whether there is a 1:30 pm train at that time of year. We are in port until 9 pm so would like take the bus or taxi back from Soller. Roger b - would you happen to know the answer to this question?

[roger b]

11 hours ago, swimmer722 said:

We will be in Palma on Tuesday,  11/15, but do not arrive until 12 pm. We had planned on taking the train to Soller but I’m not sure whether there is a 1:30 pm train at that time of year. We are in port until 9 pm so would like take the bus or taxi back from Soller. Roger b - would you happen to know the answer to this question?

Hi , after October  the timetable  changes to between 4/6 trains a day the new winter time table is not on line yet you will have to look at the end of October. I will keep my eye on it and let you know if i find out .

https://clairesfootsteps.com/palma-to-soller-train/

[swimmer722]

Thank you so much - I will check at the end of the month.  I really hope we can make it work because it is such a beautiful ride!

 

[shopping is fun]

Looks like some websites sell advance Tren Soller tickets a few days in advance. Is this recommended or is same-day ticket availability never an issue? If time is not a concern, is it recommended to do the train/tram/train bundled ticket vs train/tram/bus? Thanks! 

[roger b]

8 hours ago, shopping is fun said:

Looks like some websites sell advance Tren Soller tickets a few days in advance. Is this recommended or is same-day ticket availability never an issue? If time is not a concern, is it recommended to do the train/tram/train bundled ticket vs train/tram/bus? Thanks! 

Hi ,  you can buy tthe tickets in advance  on:

 https://trendesoller.com/eng/index

But I dont think  it makes much difference if you buy on the day , ticket for the tram can be bought on board  .

If you are not sure how you are are going to do the trip wait until the day if you are travelling out if season  if you are travelling  in the high season buy from above in advance 

Roger 

[Rysyonok]

Greetings,

 

First all of all, a hearty thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Reading it has been a pleasure. @roger b - your wisdom has been very much appreciated.

 

I have a few questions that I have not seen asked in the prior 12 pages.

 

1. We're in port for 8 hours (8-4). Taking a train to Soller is a hair risky in our opinion, so we are considering taking the train only to Son Sardina (the very first stop, according to https://trendesoller.com/eng/routes/train ) just for the experience, then bouncing back to metro line M1 back to Palma as stations are side by side. That seems like a trip doable in under 30 minutes, unless there's something major that I'm missing, like service interruptions due to track repair.

 

2. I'm a fan of old fortifications, so I'm interested in any remains of Palma city walls. I can see their outline - Torrent de Sa Riera --> Av. de Portugal --> Av. D'Alemanya --> Av. d'Alexandre Rossello, but the real question is how much is truly left. I don't expect anything as elaborate as Constantinople, but are Bastio de Sant Pere and Baluarte del Principe all that's left? Bellver castle isn't an option - we're arriving on Monday when it's closed.

 

2a. Follow-up to the previous question: Aside from Baths, are any Moor buildings still survive?

 

3. Every cruise port has a tourist market, or so I thought, with something truly genuine (no offense to Chinese-, Vietnamese-made and such goods). Whether it be blue-and-white imp figurines of Charleston, South Carolina, hand-painted rum bottles of Marigot, St. Martin, pink-sand jewelry of St. George, Bermuda, frog figurines of San Juan, PR - whatever that may be for Mallorca, I must be missing it. Is there not a store or even a market where a spirit of Balearic Islands might be captured in a sense?

 

4. How long is the wait to get into various tourist attractions in Palma, let's take the Cathedral for example? Are these pretty much walk-in (May, only ship in town), or reservations are needed? I'm specifically asking for a generic answer here as my partner and I prefer to keep walking rather than waiting, as we'd rather see a dozen of city blocks than a single place if we have to wait in a long line to get there.

 

Thank you so much in advance!

[roger b]

3 hours ago, Rysyonok said:

Greetings,

 

First all of all, a hearty thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Reading it has been a pleasure. @roger b - your wisdom has been very much appreciated.

 

I have a few questions that I have not seen asked in the prior 12 pages.

 

1. We're in port for 8 hours (8-4). Taking a train to Soller is a hair risky in our opinion, so we are considering taking the train only to Son Sardina (the very first stop, according to https://trendesoller.com/eng/routes/train ) just for the experience, then bouncing back to metro line M1 back to Palma as stations are side by side. That seems like a trip doable in under 30 minutes, unless there's something major that I'm missing, like service interruptions due to track repair.

 

2. I'm a fan of old fortifications, so I'm interested in any remains of Palma city walls. I can see their outline - Torrent de Sa Riera --> Av. de Portugal --> Av. D'Alemanya --> Av. d'Alexandre Rossello, but the real question is how much is truly left. I don't expect anything as elaborate as Constantinople, but are Bastio de Sant Pere and Baluarte del Principe all that's left? Bellver castle isn't an option - we're arriving on Monday when it's closed.

 

2a. Follow-up to the previous question: Aside from Baths, are any Moor buildings still survive?

 

3. Every cruise port has a tourist market, or so I thought, with something truly genuine (no offense to Chinese-, Vietnamese-made and such goods). Whether it be blue-and-white imp figurines of Charleston, South Carolina, hand-painted rum bottles of Marigot, St. Martin, pink-sand jewelry of St. George, Bermuda, frog figurines of San Juan, PR - whatever that may be for Mallorca, I must be missing it. Is there not a store or even a market where a spirit of Balearic Islands might be captured in a sense?

 

4. How long is the wait to get into various tourist attractions in Palma, let's take the Cathedral for example? Are these pretty much walk-in (May, only ship in town), or reservations are needed? I'm specifically asking for a generic answer here as my partner and I prefer to keep walking rather than waiting, as we'd rather see a dozen of city blocks than a single place if we have to wait in a long line to get there.

 

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi , 

To answer  your  quetions :

You will have plenty  of time to do the train journey  in full I have given the times in past posts as long as you get a taxi back to a Palma ,your idea is frankly a waste of your time .

 I would  start the day with looking at the city walls .

 

https://www.visitpalma.com/en/pl657/discover/what-to-see-and-what-to-do/experiences/id91/a-tour-of-palma-s-old-walls.htm.

 

this can be done on route to the station between  8.30 and 10am not that much to see.then catch the 10.30 train to Soller and tram to pt da Soller you could  be back in Palma around  2.00pm this shoud give you time to visit the cathedral never much of a queue in May , this would give you around an hour and a half to look around this area before your return to the ship around 3.15pm .

If you are nervous about  the times cut out the tram and get a taxi straight  back to Palma, the taxi rank is right  by the station in Soller .

You will find something to buy in the many small shops around the cathedral (blue and white china peices )

   if things don't work to plan you might  have to cut out the cathedral,  but i think this is all this doable .

Have a great day!! Roger. 

[Rysyonok]

9 hours ago, roger b said:

Hi , 

To answer  your  quetions :

You will have plenty  of time to do the train journey  in full I have given the times in past posts as long as you get a taxi back to a Palma ,your idea is frankly a waste of your time .

 I would  start the day with looking at the city walls .

 

https://www.visitpalma.com/en/pl657/discover/what-to-see-and-what-to-do/experiences/id91/a-tour-of-palma-s-old-walls.htm.

 

this can be done on route to the station between  8.30 and 10am not that much to see.then catch the 10.30 train to Soller and tram to pt da Soller you could  be back in Palma around  2.00pm this shoud give you time to visit the cathedral never much of a queue in May , this would give you around an hour and a half to look around this area before your return to the ship around 3.15pm .

If you are nervous about  the times cut out the tram and get a taxi straight  back to Palma, the taxi rank is right  by the station in Soller .

You will find something to buy in the many small shops around the cathedral (blue and white china peices )

   if things don't work to plan you might  have to cut out the cathedral,  but i think this is all this doable .

Have a great day!! Roger. 

 

Roger,

 

Thank you so much for your responses. I have a few follow-up questions, if you don't mind.

 

1. When it comes to Palma Cathedral, is headwear required for women? And are Cathedral terraces worth it when it comes to view offered? With waterfront to the south of the Cathedral, I imagine mid-day sun is going to impact picture quality.

 

2. Looking at the website you had mentioned, there is a spot called Dalt Murada, a unique blend of 2, if not more buildings, and maybe even a small wall. Do you happen to know of any other hidden gems like that, with a wild mix of styles?

 

3. How receptive are locals to US currency? Or it's euros only?

 

Thank you in advance.

[roger b]

5 hours ago, Rysyonok said:

 

Roger,

 

Thank you so much for your responses. I have a few follow-up questions, if you don't mind.

 

1. When it comes to Palma Cathedral, is headwear required for women? And are Cathedral terraces worth it when it comes to view offered? With waterfront to the south of the Cathedral, I imagine mid-day sun is going to impact picture quality.

 

2. Looking at the website you had mentioned, there is a spot called Dalt Murada, a unique blend of 2, if not more buildings, and maybe even a small wall. Do you happen to know of any other hidden gems like that, with a wild mix of styles?

 

3. How receptive are locals to US currency? Or it's euros only?

 

Thank you in advance.

Hi,

  If you get the shuttle  from the ship it will drop you opposite  the Cathedral  you will be able to spend at least 1 to 1.5 hours exploring  the walls they offer great veiws over port as it is early the sun will be on your left hand side and you could then walk  to the station  about half an hour it is a straigt line ( see google maps) to catch the 10.30 train.

Women do not need to cover their heads in the cathedral,  but men cannot wear caps.

You will not be able to use U.S dollers get some euro from an atm you should not neèd many just enough  for the taxi back to Palma.

 Come back to me if you are not sure of something. 

 

 

 https://www.visitpalma.com/en/pl607/discover/what-to-see-and-what-to-do/palma-in-1-day/id39/dalt-murada.htm

 

Roger 

Edited October 24, 2022 by roger b
Missed something

[ltish23]

Hi.  Looking to do the Island tour In Palma De Majorca, which does Bus, Train, Boat and Tram.  We are in port from 8 to 7pm.

It says they put up at cathedral at 8:30/9.00 am and back at 6.00. Is this doable??

 

Liz

[the mice]

Hi Roger b,

So sorry that I completely forgot about posting back about how our day went in Mallorca.  We were traveling for a couple of weeks after that port stop and I caught an upper respiratory infection about 3 days before coming home that wiped me out for weeks.  Anyway....

We had a great day in Mallorca.   We  took the ship's shuttle to below the cathedral and walked to the station and got the 10:10 train.  Train was packed!!

Walked a bit around Soller, into the cathedral,  so we didn't get the tram down to the port until 12:30ish.

Had lunch, walked around the port a bit and headed for the bus.  By the time we found the bus stop, we had just missed the bus to Palma by  5 minutes (2:15? memory a bit foggy now) and the next bus wasn't for an hour.  There was an earlier bus that takes the mountain route, but actually arrives in Palma about 30 minutes later.  Since it was hot, when the earlier bus came, my husband said "let's go and ride in the bus instead of sitting out here in the hot sun".  So we did.  We had the front seats on the right side with a view out the window.  It was one of the best things we did - so scenic, lots of fun with the bus taking the curves, cars having to back up.  What a blast!   We loved it.  

When we got back to Palma we walked some more, visited the Arab Baths and arrived after the cathedral was closed.  Oh well, we still had a fun day, and my husband was not at all sorry to have missed another church. 😁  I used my telephoto zoom and got some shots through the open doors.

By the time we got back we had missed the last shuttle to our Azamara ship, which was a little crazy since the last shuttle was 5:30 and the ship was in port until 10pm.  However, I saw another bus at the shuttle stop so we walked over to check it out just in case.  Turns out it was a shuttle for a Celebrity ship and the driver decided to let us take his shuttle and even dropped us off at our ship which was at a different docking place in the port.  

Thanks for all your help in explaining the transportation.  It was a great help.  And we had a great day.

[roger b]

34 minutes ago, the mice said:

Hi Roger b,

So sorry that I completely forgot about posting back about how our day went in Mallorca.  We were traveling for a couple of weeks after that port stop and I caught an upper respiratory infection about 3 days before coming home that wiped me out for weeks.  Anyway....

We had a great day in Mallorca.   We  took the ship's shuttle to below the cathedral and walked to the station and got the 10:10 train.  Train was packed!!

Walked a bit around Soller, into the cathedral,  so we didn't get the tram down to the port until 12:30ish.

Had lunch, walked around the port a bit and headed for the bus.  By the time we found the bus stop, we had just missed the bus to Palma by  5 minutes (2:15? memory a bit foggy now) and the next bus wasn't for an hour.  There was an earlier bus that takes the mountain route, but actually arrives in Palma about 30 minutes later.  Since it was hot, when the earlier bus came, my husband said "let's go and ride in the bus instead of sitting out here in the hot sun".  So we did.  We had the front seats on the right side with a view out the window.  It was one of the best things we did - so scenic, lots of fun with the bus taking the curves, cars having to back up.  What a blast!   We loved it.  

When we got back to Palma we walked some more, visited the Arab Baths and arrived after the cathedral was closed.  Oh well, we still had a fun day, and my husband was not at all sorry to have missed another church. 😁  I used my telephoto zoom and got some shots through the open doors.

By the time we got back we had missed the last shuttle to our Azamara ship, which was a little crazy since the last shuttle was 5:30 and the ship was in port until 10pm.  However, I saw another bus at the shuttle stop so we walked over to check it out just in case.  Turns out it was a shuttle for a Celebrity ship and the driver decided to let us take his shuttle and even dropped us off at our ship which was at a different docking place in the port.  

Thanks for all your help in explaining the transportation.  It was a great help.  And we had a great day.

So pleased things worked out and you took the the other bus back to Palma, I don't usually recommend this as it is a hairy ride ,you got to see two of the prettiest villages on the island Deia and Valldomossa .

 

 

[roger b]

6 hours ago, ltish23 said:

Hi.  Looking to do the Island tour In Palma De Majorca, which does Bus, Train, Boat and Tram.  We are in port from 8 to 7pm.

It says they put up at cathedral at 8:30/9.00 am and back at 6.00. Is this doable??

 

Liz

Hi Liz 

 If you look below you will see  the mice posting he did bus train and tram look back at my previous posts and you will see it is doable.

Not sure how how boat come into tour let me know exactly what you want to see ??

[ltish23]

Hi.  Looking to do the Train, Bus, Boat & Tram tour.not through ship.  It leaves at 9.00 am from Cathedral.  We dock at 8 am, concerned the tour coming gets back at 5:30/5.55, our ship leaves at 7 pm.  Is this doable???

Edited January 18, 2023 by ltish23

[roger b]

1 hour ago, ltish23 said:

Hi.  Looking to do the Train, Bus, Boat & Tram tour.not through ship.  It leaves at 9.00 am from Cathedral.  We dock at 8 am, concerned the tour coming gets back at 5:30/5.55, our ship leaves at 7 pm.  Is this doable???

hi ,càn you give me the actual tour you are thinking of doing, as I am not sure how the boat trip comes into any tour I have seen offered .

  If the tour gets you back to the Cathedral by 5/6 pm you have plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 Rogerb 

[cdld10210]

Hello Roger - what a fabulous resource you are...thank you!

 

Question about Mallorca - are the caves a viable option from the port? If they are, are they too overrun with people?

[roger b]

On 1/29/2023 at 11:51 PM, cdld10210 said:

Hello Roger - what a fabulous resource you are...thank you!

 

Question about Mallorca - are the caves a viable option from the port? If they are, are they too overrun with people?

Hi The caves of Drach are possible from the port I think I have given details somewhere further back.

       If you go in the peak months it will very crowded,try to find a tour company on the island that pick up from the port,you can go on the bus or hire a car which is the best option for me.

Come back to me if if you needed to know more

Rogerb

[cdld10210]

On 1/31/2023 at 5:25 PM, roger b said:

Hi The caves of Drach are possible from the port I think I have given details somewhere further back.

       If you go in the peak months it will very crowded,try to find a tour company on the island that pick up from the port,you can go on the bus or hire a car which is the best option for me.

Come back to me if if you needed to know more

Rogerb

We will be there the third week in September, is that a crazy time to visit?
I am searching for a private tour guide for my group. I would love any recommendations from you (or anyone on this board). Thank you again!

[roger b]

4 hours ago, cdld10210 said:

We will be there the third week in September, is that a crazy time to visit?
I am searching for a private tour guide for my group. I would love any recommendations from you (or anyone on this board). Thank you again!

Hi , Third week in September is a perfect time to to come here it is nearly the end of the season so not so crowded and the intense heat will be going down.

 I have not had any contact  with the guide I have recommended on C.C since COVID .

    I can contact him and get back to you,have you any ideas what you want to ?as in my opinion you you do not really need a guide in Mallorca .

 If you look back on C.C I have set out many itinerary's  happy to do the same for you 

rogerb

[bagelbean]

On 7/26/2022 at 1:19 AM, roger b said:

 Hj,

    Yes your plan would be the best way round , but everything would have to fall into place Taxis are in short supply here and you would have to make sure you were one of the first off the ship.

 if you are able to make it to Port de Soller by 9 .30/10.00 am you will have to get the 12.15 train back to Palma you won't make the 10.15.

   This will give you plenty of time in for light lunch and a walk around Palma .

 I wrote about this earlier (mandream) but they wanted lunch in Soller .

    You are right your plan is better to get the 12.15 and have lunch in Palma it looks like he is on the same cruise as you see if you can share the taxi 

@roger b Hi Roger, 

In this older post from July, you mention that taxis are in short supply at the port? Is that still the case? I am hoping to spend the day at Balneario Illetas (per your suggestion) and I would prefer to take a taxi to the beach and back to the port. We are on Symphony of the Seas in early June.