Unique Places in Palma de Mallorca

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This is a modern and contemporary art museum located in the old defence bastion of Palma.

I bring this tip for some reason: You can enjoy some sculptures outside the venue itself, there is a bar where you can relax having a drink or coffee, and the views of the bay and the sunset are great.

* Address
Plaça de la Porta de Santa catalina, 10
01012 Palma (Mallorca)
Bus: 1, 3, 15, 25, 46 and 50

- Fax: (+34) 971 908 203

this museum is hidden away in the old part of mallorca - but it is well worth the effort of finding it.
i didn´t think it was very well advertised - but it is marked on the palma map that you can obtain FREE OF CHARGE from any tourist office
"museo de mallorca" in spanish.

there are exhibitions of finds from all over the island - from pre-historic to roman, greek and islamic times.

palma was a very important port in the old world and continues to be until present day.

the entrance is FREE OF CHARGE and they will even guard your rucksacks and bags free of charge.

it will take you about 30 mins to an hour to look at all the exhibits. signage is in mallorcian (like catalan), spanish and english. the translation to english is pretty good (unlike in some other places.

you can take home a souvenir copy of the exhibits - they are pretty good and not too pricey either! they have mini statues, earrings and posters etc.

magaluf´s not really off the beaten path in summer- but it was deserted in november.

the bus cost about 3 euros each way from palma de mallorca and passed through several other villages and tourist resorts.
you can buy a travel card and get a discount off this.

we ate in a seafront/ beach restaurant called the happy house - and the girl spoke both spanish and english. the meals were cheap and good. we had pizza and a half chicken with chips and salad. all for about 10-15 euros. they have lots of good deals.

also bought some perfume from a perfume shop - and it was cheaper than the offer at the airport and came with a free lacoste bag - so it was a good deal

Take time to explore the eastern part of the island. I recommend the traveller to take the train from Palma to Soller. It is cheap and will make you go through some very nice scenery. Once you reach Soller, walk through the mountains to Port de Soller. Along the way, you'll encounter scores of Orange trees and other type of fruits found on the island. Bring a big bag, fill it, and walk peacefully to the seaside. Voila!

There is this spot called Naburguesa. I'm not sure wether the mountain is called that way or maybe something else. Anyways, if you want to head up the mountain with the statue on top, then the signs 'Naburguesa' is what you should follow. It is not easy to find the road to this place but it is well worth the effort (or maybe it is better indicated by now). The view over Palma is amazing. If you go there by night, take care. The road winds its way up..

Apparently there is a restaurant and terras of sorts on top now..

For the women reading this tip, I am sorry but this is one point of interest that you cannot see for yourself. However, if you are a man going to Bellver Castle, take a side trip into the mens toilet to see a magnificently preserved arrow loop. I took this picture which plainly shows how much room the archers of the day had on their side of the arrow loop and how little exposure they suffered from attackers on the outside of the castle.

For those of you unfamiliar with these, an Arrow Loop is an opening in any type of fortification wall, usually shaped like a key hole, vertical slit or cross, that allows an archer to fire his weapon with a great amount of protection.

This was a spot from which the ancient citizens had manned these walls in times of war in defense of the castle.

It may be said that the history of Mallorca is as long as its coastline. Were it not for the 3,439 miles (5,547 km) of coast, we can be very sure that the island's past, present and future would be very different.

Mallorca, like other major islands of the Mediterranean, has attracted a cornucopia of conquerors, invaders, settlers and tourists, who have all contributed to its richness and vital history. Its port is one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea.

The city has numerous architectural treasures, among them the ancient walls of the city, constructed by the Moors in the style of a Casbah, or walled city. As you are taking tours or just walking the streets near the harbor you will be able to see that Palma's ancient walls, its roots if you will, are still visible, although often obscured by high-rise hotels.

As I was walking around the Passeig Des Born pedestrian street in Palma, Mallorca, I noticed something interesting about the traffic lights. On each pole, there were two lights. The upper light had the normal red, yellow and green sections one expects of a traffic light.

The lower light, however, only glowed either red or green. It had no yellow lens.

My wife suggested that the reason for this was that so many of the automobiles were small that the roofline of the car cuts off their view of the upper light and therefore a lower light makes the streets safer.

Neither of us know if this is the real explanation but it sounded reasonable to me. But whatever the reason they use them, I thought I would point them out so you will also be on the lookout for these unusual lights.