12 Things You Can't Miss in Mallorca (From Mountain Trains to Hidden Coves)
Most people think they know Mallorca. Sunburned package crowds, neon resort strips, a beach you fight for. That's one island. There's another one — limestone peaks that drop straight into turquoise water, a Gothic cathedral with a Gaudí chapel, almond groves, and a vintage train from 1912 that still rattles through orange country to the sea.
That second island is the one you came for. The Serra de Tramuntana has been a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape since 2011, and once you've driven a single hairpin of it, you'll understand why locals roll their eyes at anyone who only sees the airport-to-resort corridor.
Here's the list. Twelve stops, ranked by how much they'll stick with you. Build your days around these and you've already won.
1. Drive the Serra de Tramuntana
The spine of the island. A 90-kilometre range of grey limestone running the whole northwest coast, terraced with olive groves and stitched together by a road that engineers clearly designed for fun rather than efficiency.
The classic route runs from Andratx in the south up to Pollença in the north, through Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller. Give yourself a full day. Don't rush it. The whole point is pulling over at miradors (viewpoints) you didn't plan for, like Mirador de Sa Foradada with its famous pierced-rock headland — golden hour there is hard to beat.
Rent a car for this. Palma's buses are fine for the city, but the mountains need wheels. Book the rental ahead in summer; agencies sell out and prices surge.
2. Conquer the Coiled Road to Sa Calobra
The road down to Sa Calobra is the kind locals send you photos of to show off. Thirteen kilometres of switchbacks including one stretch that loops under itself in a full knot — the so-called "tie knot" (nus de sa corbata).
Here's the smart move: in summer, skip the drive entirely. Cars are restricted and the road clogs with coaches. Take the scenic boat from Port de Sóller instead (around €25 / about $27 return). You arrive by sea, walk a short path through a couple of tunnels to the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis — a gorge where two ravines crash together at the coast — and swim in deep, clear water under cliffs that block out the sky.
3. Ride the Cap de Formentor Clifftops
The island's wild northern tip. About 20 kilometres of hairpins from Port de Pollença out to a lighthouse perched at the edge of everything.
Stop at Mirador es Colomer for the pinnacle view that ends up on every Mallorca postcard. Then keep going to the lighthouse at the very end of the cape.
One catch worth planning around: in peak season the Formentor road is car-restricted during the day. Either go early (before the restriction window) or take the seasonal shuttle bus from Port de Pollença. Don't show up at noon in August expecting to drive it — you'll be turned back.
4. Stand Inside Palma Cathedral (La Seu)
La Seu is the showstopper. A soaring Gothic cathedral right on Palma's seafront, with the largest rose window in the world and a side chapel reworked by Antoni Gaudí — the architect who defined Barcelona — and the contemporary artist Miquel Barceló.
Entry is €10 (about $11) and includes the museum and terraces by timed ticket. It's open Monday to Saturday, hours shifting by season. Go mid-morning. That's when the eastern light pours through the rose window and throws coloured planets across the stone floor. It's the single most photographed moment in the building, and the crowd thins right after the doors open.
5. Wander Honey-Stone Valldemossa
A mountain village built entirely from a stone the colour of warm honey, about 25 minutes from Palma. Chopin and the writer George Sand spent the winter of 1838–39 here, and you can tour the Royal Carthusian Monastery (around €10 / about $11) where they stayed — the cells are full of pianos and period rooms.
Wandering the flower-draped lanes is free. Buy a coca de patata, the village's pillowy potato-flour pastry, dusted with sugar and best eaten warm.
Arrive before the tour buses. By 11am the lanes fill up. By 9:30am they're yours.
6. Swim at Cala Deià Below the Artists' Village
Deià is the artists' and writers' village — Robert Graves lived and is buried here — clinging to a cliff above the sea. Below it sits Cala Deià, a pebbly cove with cliff-edge seafood restaurants like Ca's Patró March (book ahead — it's tiny and beloved) — the kind of cliff-and-sea lunch you'd otherwise chase along Italy's Amalfi Coast.
It's free, but parking is scarce. Either arrive early or park up in the village and walk the 20 minutes down. The walk back up is your workout for the day; the swim makes it worth it.
7. Take the 1912 Sóller Train and Tram
No car needed for this one — and that's the joy of it. Board a wooden train from 1912 at Plaça d'Espanya in Palma and ride about an hour through the Tramuntana and orange groves to the town of Sóller. Then hop the open-sided heritage tram down to Port de Sóller (around 30 minutes).
The combined return ticket runs about €32 (roughly $35). Sit on the left leaving Palma for the best valley views, and book ahead in summer. In Sóller, have a coffee under the plane trees by the Gaudí-influenced Sant Bartomeu church and a glass of the local orange juice before you carry on to the port for a swim.
8. Sprawl on Es Trenc, Mallorca's Caribbean Beach
Three kilometres of fine white sand and shallow turquoise water in a protected natural area on the south coast. This is the beach that makes first-timers question whether they're still in the Mediterranean — water as clear as anything off Italy's Capri.
It's free; the car parks charge around €8 (about $9). Because it's protected, facilities are minimal — a few chiringuito beach bars and almost no natural shade. Bring a hat, water, sunscreen and your own shade. Then do nothing for four hours. That's the assignment.
9. Hear a Concert Inside the Caves of Drach
Near Porto Cristo on the east coast, the Coves del Drac hide one of the world's largest underground lakes — Lake Martel — where a string quartet performs a live classical concert from boats gliding across the black water.
Entry is around €16 (about $17), by timed session, and you should allow 90 minutes. Book online in advance; sessions sell out, and this is everyone's go-to rainy-day plan, so it's busiest when the weather turns.
10. Climb to Bellver Castle for Sunset Over Palma
A rare circular Gothic castle — 14th century, perched on a wooded hill above Palma with a clean 360-degree sweep over the bay. Entry is about €4 (around $4.50), free on Sundays, open Tuesday to Sunday.
It's a 30–40 minute uphill walk from the centre or a short taxi (around €10 / $11). Time it for late afternoon and watch the city and harbour go gold beneath you.
11. Climb the Calvari Steps in Pollença
In the old town of Pollença, 365 cypress-lined stone steps — one for each day of the year — climb to a small chapel at the top. It's a calf-burner, but the view back over the honey-stone rooftops is the reward, and the square below has a coffee waiting on Plaça Major.
12. Drink Like a Local in Santa Catalina
When you're back in Palma, skip the harbour tourist menus and head to the Santa Catalina barrio. Built around its old market, it's where Palma actually eats and drinks after dark — try Patrón Lunares or a windmill-side spot. And for the city's best tapas, the lanes around Mercat de l'Olivar beat any seafront terrace.
Pro Tip
Three things that separate a smooth Mallorca trip from a frustrating one.
Eat the menú del día. The weekday three-course lunch — bread and a drink included — runs €13–18 (about $14–20) inland or in Palma's back streets. It's the best food-to-price ratio on the island, and it's where locals actually eat. Tourist-strip menus cost double for half the cooking.
Get from PMI to Palma on the A1 bus. The Aerotib A1 reaches central Palma in about 15–20 minutes for roughly €5 (about $5.50), running every 15–20 minutes. A taxi is €20–25. Save the taxi for when you've got heavy bags and a tight connection.
Budget for the small stuff. The Balearics charge a sustainable-tourism tax of roughly €1–4 per person per night, added at checkout. Pickpockets work Palma's Old Town, the airport bus, and crowded beaches — keep valuables zipped and out of back pockets. Violent crime is rare; the real danger here is the midday sun.
Get those three right and the island opens up. The coves, the mountain villages, the train, the cathedral light — that's the Mallorca worth flying for.
