Mallorca

Mallorca is an elegant island, where tourist development started as early as the 1920's. Until the Spanish Civil War, numerous intellectuals and artists lived on Mallorca, for its wonderful climate, beautiful landscapes and its cosmopolitan ambience. Nowadays all that still remains and Mallorca has a wide variety of cultural events that rival many of those in large European cities, to offer. The Auditiorio de Palma, for instance, ranks among Europe's top concert halls. On Mallorca one can enjoy a mix of relaxation, inspiration, culture and entertainment.

Most visitors to Mallorca spend their holidays on the beach and around the hotel and do not realize how attractive a tour around the island can be. There are numerous interesting towns and sights all over Mallorca. The island's capital is Palma de Mallorca. The city lies on the beautiful Bahía de Palma.

The 16 km long seaside road from Palma's port to El Arenal is excellent for cycling. Along the way you will pass the outstanding beaches of El Portixol, El Molinar, Coll d'En Rebassa and Can Pastilla. Other good beaches in the vicinity are Illetas and Santa Ponça.

The mountain range of Sierra de Tramuntana is also easily accessed from Palma. It runs parallel to the sea and features several picturesque villages, such as Calvía, which lies in a typical Mediterranean landscape and boasts the Romanesque-Gothic Iglesia Parroquial and the 18th century Castillo de Bemdinat.

On the way from Palma to Puerto de Andraitx you will pass several romantic fishing villages and some of Mallorca's most outstanding landscapes. One of the most beautiful bays along the way is Camp de Mar. It has a small island at its center. About 5 km south of Andraitx lies the port town of San Telmo.

If you follow the road N-710 from Andraitx, northwards along the coast you will come to the Puigpunyent with its beautiful cultures of olives and almonds and Valldemosa, with its charming port and its Real Cartuja, where Chopin spent the winter of 1838/39. Further north are the beautiful village of Deiá and the nearby towns of Sóller and Biniaraix. Going further east, along Mallorca's northern coast, the narrow mountain roads leads through marvelous landscapes to Sa Calobra and the monastery of Lluc, situated at one of Mallorca's highest peaks. Nearby is the small village of Escorca, which is home to an interesting museum.

Pollença is a very picturesque place at the foot of two hills, not far from the Bahía de Pollença. The marvelous beaches of Cala de San Vicente and Playa de Formentor are only several kilometers from Pollença. The medieval town of Alcúdia is located at the base of a peninsula, on the southern side of the Bahía de Pollença. The town of Inca in the center of Mallorca is also worth a visit.

If you go southeast from Palma de Mallorca, along the road N717, you will come to Lucmayor (Llucmajor) and its outstanding surroundings. The nearby wine-producing town of Felanitx features the interesting Iglesia Parroquial and the Sanctuary of San Salvador. Manacor is a nice town on Mallorca's eastern coast. Not far northwest of Manacor is Petra.

Porto Cristo is one of Mallorca's most important tourist areas, while nearby Artá is probably one of the island's most interestng towns. The Bahía de Artá is not too far east of town and the nearby picturesque fishing village of Cala Ratjada is also worth a visit.

Two other interesting places on Mallorca are the Bahía de Alcúdia and the natural park of Parque de la Albufera. It is excellent for cycling, as a 12 km long cycling route runs around it.