Thunderbird 2016 European Reunion - Palma de Mallorca, Spain

About Mallorca

Palma is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Majorca on the Bay of Palma. Palma was founded as a Roman camp upon the remains of a Talaiotic settlement. The city was subjected to several Vandal raids during the fall of the Western Roman Empire, then reconquered by the Byzantine Empire, then colonised by the Moors (who called it Medina Mayurqa) and, in the 13th century, by James I of Aragon.

As of the 2009 census, the population of the city of Palma proper was 401,270, and the population of the entire urban area was 621,000, making it the twelfth largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Majorca live in Palma. The Cabrera Archipelago, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality. Its airport, Son Sant Joan, serves over 22 million passengers each year. The Marivent Palace was offered by the city to King Felipe VI of Spain. The Spanish Royal family have since spent their summer holidays in Palma.

You can stroll around the Cathedral to find impressive houses with the typical pozo. The Paseo Marítimo is very nice and invites to cycling.

The Grand Hotel is a modernist building in the center that currently holds the Caixaforum and is dedicated to exhibitions. There is as well a nice modern art museum at Fundación Juan March in Calle San Miguel. Outside of Palma, at El Terreno, there is a small Miró museum, where he lived some years.

Jaime III is the main shopping street, but there are many shops as well in calle San Miguel and Borne.

More things to see in Palma:

• The Gothic Cathedral La Seu
• Bellver Castle a unique round castle with the best views of the city
•  Palma Aquarium
• Es Baluard Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
• The Miro Foundation

Helpful Links
History of Mallorca
Mallorca Tourism Office

Facts About Mallorca
Spain for Pleasure
The Other Mallorca


Food

Mallorca has a lot of local dishes and delicacies, all based in the Mediterranean food concept.

For breakfast, ensaimadas and cuartos are very typical, they can be found in many pastry shops (pastelerías). The best ones are from cafeteria Can Joan de s’Aigo, which has 2 locations in Palma.

Coca de trampó, empanadas de carne and cocarrois, are salty pastries that can be purchased as well in pastelerías. They make for an excellent picnic. In Can Joan de s’Aigo are excellent as well.

Local cold meats are sobrasada, butifarrones and camaiot, all made from pork. There are some local cheeses as well.

Arroz brut, frito mallorquín, caracoles, lomo con col, merluza a la mallorquina… Are some of the best local dishes, they can be tasted at typical cellers. Rice dishes are very nice as well.

Mallorca wines are becoming better over the years. There are several well-known wineries, especially in the Binissalem area. One of the best wines is Anima Negra.

Typical liquors are hierbas and palo mallorquín. They are sweet and based on local herbs.

Best restaurants

For a breakfast, some resting time after walking around Palma or to grab a pic-nic, Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo is very traditional and old-fashioned style. Their ensaimadas are great, as well as their ice-creams (almond and leche merengada) There are 2 locations, one near Jaime III, and one near San Francisco church in old Palma town.

For lunch/dinner in Palma:

•  Fish and rices: Ola de Mar at Portixol, a sailors’ port 5 minutes by car from the Cathedral. Caballito de Mar, a very traditional restaurant at Lonja
•  Tapas: Bovedillas, at la Lonja
•  Traditional food: Ca’n Pedro, a big restaurant in the outskirts of Palma, in the village called Genova
•  Cocktail: Abaco, a relaxing cocktail in a traditional palace, with classical music, a very nice experience!! It is near la Lonja

If You Have Time to Explore the Island....

• Rent a car and visit some of the beautiful coves and beaches. One of the best beaches in Mallorca is Es Trenc/Ses Covetes. It is around 45 kms from Palma, on the South, an extensive beach with blue waters. Near Es Trenc there are Salinas.  
• A trip to Deia for hiking, cycling, the beach, or lunch.
• Wine tasting! Jose Ferrer and Bodegas Ribas both offer tours & tasting.
• Hiking or Biking in the Tramuntana Mountains with a visit to Fornalutx
• Vintage train ride from Palma to Soller via lemon groves followed by the historic tram from Soller to Port Soller. There is a wooden train departing from the center of Palma that takes around 1 hour to arrive to the village of Sóller. Once there, there is a tram that takes you to Port de Sóller, which is a quiet and nice beach. There, you can take a boat to Sa Calobra, an astounding beach. It is a whole day trip.
• A trip to the Jardines de Alfabia
• Visit the magical caves in Porto Christo-- Cuevas del Drach! 
• Bañalbufar: It is a very nice village but especially the roads that lead to it.  There is an old tower (1500's) called "La torre de ses animes" on a cliff overlooking the sea that is worth climbing.  The views are spectacular, especially at sunset.  In the village there is not much to do but there is a really nice restaurant called "can paco" that has really good food.