Before modern technology, seafarers relied on Mallorca’s lighthouses to aid their navigation. One of the best-known lighthouses in Mallorca is at Cap de Formentor – the tip of the Formentor peninsula. Cap de Formentor lighthouse opened in 1863 and was one of the most challenging to build because of its rugged and isolated location.
If you’re a book lover, you may want to check out the Palma Book Fair, which is on now until Sunday, June 8th. This year’s book fair is the 43rd edition and this free event is held in Plaça d’Espanya.
If you’d like to discover more of Mallorca’s excellent wines, the pleasures of the grape are combined with other activities in this year’s edition of Wine Days. This annual celebration of wines is organised by the Denomination of Origin Binissalem, which covers wine production in the five municipalities of Santa Maria, Consell, Binissalem, Santa Eugenia, and Sencelles.
If you’ve lost a family member or friend, gone through a divorce, break-up, serious illness, or job loss, or been through a big life change – such as a move to another country – you will have experienced some degree of grief. It’s tempting to face loss alone but support and a sense of solidarity can help you grow through the grieving process.
When the Montgolfier brothers, who were paper manufacturers in France, watched their first manned hot-air balloon take off in 1783, they could never have imagined balloon flight being a popular leisure activity in the 21st century.
Photo: Els Calderers
One of Mallorca’s best-loved wine-tasting events is the Fira del Vi de Pollença – or Pollença Wine Fair – and this year it takes place on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th May.
Photo: Els Calderers
Discover what life was like in rural Mallorca in the 18th century on a visit to the Els Calderers estate, located between the villages of Sant Joan and Vilafranca de Bonany. The ‘possessió’ – or estate – dates from the 13th century, when it was owned by the Calderer family. But in the 18th century, the estate became the property of the noble Verí family who built the stately mansion visitors see today.
If you’ve recently passed Palma’s Moll Vell, you’ll have seen small marquees being erected on the waterfront for an event that’s considered the start of the Mediterranean sailing season. Yes, the Palma International Boat Show launches soon.
On Wednesday, April 23rd, you may see people in Mallorca carrying a rose or a book – or both – because that date is the ‘Diada de Sant Jordi’ or St George’s Day, and there’s a very special tradition celebrated on this date in the Balearics and Catalunya.
Photo: freshandeazy.com
Mallorca’s capital, Palma, is preparing for Easter as ‘Semana Santa’, Holy Week, begins on Palm Sunday, the 13th. Already, the flower stalls in the Rambla are selling intricately woven white palm leaves, which locals buy and take to church on Palm Sunday to be blessed. After that, you’ll see these palms displayed over the doors or on balconies of people’s homes.
Photo: TheOtherKev (Pixabay)
Keen birdwatchers will enjoy a visit to Mallorca’s largest wetland, S’Albufera – designated a Wetland Area of International Importance. Although close to Platja de Muro and Can Picafort in the north, it’s a place of tranquillity and natural beauty.
Mallorca’s autumn fairs continue this coming weekend.
October is a month with plenty of autumn fairs scheduled and there are a few for this coming weekend. These fairs offer a flavour of authentic Mallorcan life and culture, and a visit can make a good day out.
The end of summer means the end of the larger music events in Mallorca but there are still opportunities to enjoy concerts in different parts of the island.
58th Festa des Vermar
When the grapes in Mallorca’s vineyards have been harvested, it’s time to celebrate, and the fun takes place in the town of Binissalem – at the heart of one of Mallorca’s wine-producing areas.
September is the start of the Balearic art season in Palma with an unmissable event to kick off the new cultural calendar: La Nit de l’Art, which happens this year on Saturday, 21st.
It’s rare to be able to see a play in English in Mallorca, but this September there’s a chance to do so, with the staging of ‘The Bexhill Bookclub’.
A slice of any type of melon is the perfect fruit to cool you down in the heat of the Mallorcan summer. Several varieties of this luscious, thirst-quenching crop are widely available on the island – though you may need to have good muscles to pick up some of the huge watermelons you’ll see for sale in food shops and on market stalls.
Getting out onto the sea is one of the best ways to cool off in the heat of a Mallorcan August. You’ll find plenty of opportunities around the island to take a boat trip – and you don’t have to have a superyacht budget.
Kayaking is a fun way to take to the crystal-clear waters around Mallorca – and there are several places where you can learn to master a kayak at sea in a matter of hours.
For an interesting day away from the beach, hotel pool, or exploring Palma, take a trip to Alcúdia’s Alcanada headland. The Sa Bassa Blanca estate on its east coast is a protected rural area, declared a wildlife sanctuary. The animals you’ll see though are more likely to be made of granite, as Sa Bassa Blanca has a superb sculpture park that will impress children as well as adults.
Summer nights in Mallorca were made for listening to music outdoors, and if you enjoy listening to classical piano, you’re in for a treat in August – the month of the annual Chopin Festival.
One of the streets in Pollença town is named after Philip Newman and, if you’re curious about this, here’s the reason: English violinist Philip Newman was the man behind the founding of the Pollença Festival in 1962. More than 800 musicians have since performed at the annual classical music event in August. Only Valldemossa’s Chopin Festival is older than this one.
Photo: puertoportals.com
Visiting one of Mallorca’s many weekly markets may not have much appeal during a searing hot July or August day, but if you enjoy browsing craft-market stalls for tasteful local and artisan-made items in cooler temperatures, check out one of the summer’s night markets.
One of the Mallorcans’ most treasured places on the island is Santuari de Santa Maria de Lluc. Set high in the UNESCO Heritage Site, Serra de Tramuntana, it’s not only a place of religious and cultural significance but also somewhere to find peace and relaxation – and slightly cooler air in the hottest summer months.
One of the Mallorcans’ most treasured places on the island is Santuari de Santa Maria de Lluc. Set high in the UNESCO Heritage Site, Serra de Tramuntana, it’s not only a place of religious and cultural significance but also somewhere to find peace and relaxation – and slightly cooler air in the hottest summer months.
Mallorca has many beautiful outdoor places where you can take a picnic but if you want to enjoy someone else’s cooking and still be in a natural setting, there are several opportunities on the island.
Celebrating the summer solstice in Mallorca means a fiesta, involving water, fire, and fun. The Sant Joan celebrations are on the evening of Sunday 23rd– the day before the saint’s day.
The Deià International Music Festival is back this year for its 46th edition. The concerts are on Wednesdays from June 26th until October 2nd and take place in the beautiful setting of Son Marroig – the traditional Mallorcan estate that captured the Archduke Ludwig Salvator’s heart in the late 19th century and became his home.
Birdwatching enthusiasts shouldn’t miss a visit to Mallorca’s largest wetland, S’Albufera, which is designated a Wetland Area of International Importance. In the north of the island, it’s close to the resorts of Platja de Muro and Can Picafort – yet seems a world away from the tourist bustle.
Until the 6th of June, the town of Manacor in Mallorca celebrates its spring fair. The programme of events can be found on the town hall’s website but only in ‘mallorquín’. Events include sports, a wine-tasting workshop, routes to discover Manacor, and the inauguratin of the art exhibition, ‘People’, by Miquel Sebastian at the Centre Cultural S’Agricola.
Photo by Artur Rutkowski on Unsplash
Strawberries are ready to eat earlier in Mallorca than in Northern Europe and are available here for a much longer period. If being in the sunshine makes you crave these beautiful, healthy berries – rich in fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants – you should try Mallorcan strawberries.
Mallorca’s northeast town of Capdepera hosts its popular ‘Mercado Medieval’ in May – a three-day medieval market attracting people from all over the island.
The poet and author Robert Graves, whose numerous works include ‘I, Claudius’, was among the creative people who discovered the mountain village of Deià before mass tourism came to Mallorca.
The Balearics are such beautiful islands that it can be easy to forget that many children living here are disadvantaged for a variety of reasons.
If you have a fascination for footwear, you’ll find plenty of shoe shops in Palma for some retail therapy. Mallorca’s association with shoemaking goes back centuries and some of today’s brands from the island – such as Camper, Carmina, Lotusse, and Bestard – are known around the globe.
If you hanker after the boating life or are already a nautical enthusiast, then Mallorca has just the event for you next week. The Palma International Boat Show launches on Thursday, 25th and continues until Sunday, 28th, at the Moll Vell, opposite La Lonja.
Mallorca’s most popular wine-tasting fair happens this month – and this year the Fira del Vi in Pollença is on the same weekend as the Palma International Boat Show, so some diary planning may be required if you enjoy all things nautical and wine.
Mallorca has many traditional fairs – also known as ‘firas’ or ‘ferias’ – throughout the year. Visiting them is a great way to discover more about the island’s culture, gastronomy, artisans, and agriculture.
If your passions are art and wine, this exhibition launching on Good Friday and continuing throughout the season should be of interest. The Danish-owned winery Bodega BiniVista at Biniali near Sencelles is hosting its second Easter art exhibition.
There’s a view of Palma that many visitors don’t get to see: the panorama from the roof terraces of Palma’s magnificent Gothic cathedral known as La Seu. But until the end of October, it’s possible to climb the steps up to the rooftop, where you can walk around the flying buttresses, see the Cathedral’s famous large rose window, the bell tower, and enjoy the ultimate skyline view of Palma and the bay.
Binissalem is the town where Mallorca’s grape harvest is celebrated each year at the ‘Festa des Vermar’. This year’s fiesta is the 57th of its kind and the packed programme of events began on the 15th of this month.
September is the start of the cultural season in Mallorca, with an event that’s open to all – locals and visitors alike.
An historic event from the 13th century is still celebrated every September in Mallorca’s southwest. In September 1229, King Jaume I of Aragon and his Christian knights and soldiers landed in Santa Ponça, to conquer the Moors and reclaim Mallorca.
Who doesn’t love a fabulous view? Preferably with the Mediterranean in the background. Mallorca has some amazing viewpoints – or ‘miradores’ – and it’s worth a drive to soak up a sensational panorama.
The sun shines on over 300 days a year in Mallorca, so it’s not surprising that the island has a lot of sundials – which are part of its cultural heritage. The island is said to have around a thousand – some three hundred of which are in Palma alone. It’s one of the highest concentrations of sundials in Europe.
For a break from driving and trying to find a parking space, or if you don’t have a car, it’s easy and affordable to explore some of Mallorca by train.
Watching a movie under the stars is a fun way to enjoy a balmy August night and this month there are two places in Palma where you can enjoy a free, outdoor screening of a film.
If you need some relief from the heat of August in Mallorca, go underground to luxuriate in a consistently cool temperature – and discover a different side of Mallorca.
Visiting one of Mallorca’s many weekly markets may not have much appeal during a searing hot July or August day, but if you enjoy browsing craft-market stalls for tasteful local and artisan-made items in cooler temperatures, check out one of the summer’s night markets.
There’s something special about sipping a drink as you soak up a bird’s-eye view of your surroundings from a rooftop terrace. Outside the centre of Palma, here are a few others to try in Mallorca.
Mallorca has a good choice now of hotel rooftops where you can go in the evening for a drink and maybe something to eat while you enjoy a great view. Not surprisingly, Palma has the largest choice; here are some of our favourites.
Sitting on a balmy evening under the darkening sky as you listen to classical music in the open courtyard of one of Europe’s few round fortresses is a summer treat in Mallorca. The venue is the Gothic-style Castell de Bellver, located on a hilltop and surrounded by forest to the west of the centre of Palma.
Mallorca is the setting for quite a few contemporary novels, written by authors inspired by living or holidaying on this island. But taking writing inspiration from beautiful Mallorca isn’t something new: famous literary figures from history include Robert Graves, Jules Verne, Josep Pla, Llorenç Villalonga, and Ramon Llull.
Before modern technology, seafarers relied on Mallorca’s lighthouses to aid their navigation. Today, these lighthouses are still a distinctive sight around the island, although it’s often landlubbers who seek them out for the beautiful sea views they offer in their strategic locations.
Summer officially arrives next week and that means it’s time for one of the season’s best-loved and most magical fiestas, Sant Joan, which happens on Friday, the 23rd – the eve of the saint’s day.
MAY 29th, 2023
Cultural treats of a musical nature await you this summer in Mallorca. The 45th Deià International Music Festival begins in June, with concerts throughout the summer until late September. Traditionally, these concerts took place at beautiful Son Marroig on the rugged Tramuntana coastline and most of them still do, but other venues are also on the programme.
MAY 22nd, 2023
Fashion, urban art, food trucks, and music. If those sound like your kind of fun, don’t miss this year’s AfterSun Market – the seventh edition – which brings all these things together in one exciting pop-up event this spring. It happens over four weekends and has a great location in southwest Mallorca.
MAY 15th, 2023
Each spring the hilltop town of Capdepera in the northeast of Mallorca hosts a Medieval Market – a three-day event that’s one of the most popular traditional events on the island.
Photo by Benjamin L. Jones on Unsplash
Enjoying the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean is one of the pleasures of being in Mallorca, and it’s thanks to the seagrass Posidonia – one of the oldest living organisms on the planet – that the waters around our island are so appealing. The underwater Posidonia meadows are known as “the lungs of the Mediterranean”: they help maintain the biodiversity and transparency of the sea – and produce about half of the oxygen we breathe. If you’ve spotted strange, brown balls on the beach, you’ve seen dead seagrass that’s been washed ashore.
Look up at the sky above Mallorca and you’re likely to spot large birds of prey, such as red kites, on the wing. Not many visitors though realise that Mallorca is also an important habitat for vultures. The island is home to two types of vultures who live in the Serra de Tramuntana.
One of Mallorca’s most popular wine-tasting events celebrates its 20th edition this year: the Fira del Vi de Pollença – or Pollença Wine Fair – is on over the weekend of May 6th and 7th.
Even dedicated landlubbers will find something to enjoy at this year’s Palma International Boat Show, the event that’s seen as the start of the Mediterranean nautical season. It’s a good day out for all, with plenty to see – especially for those who own or dream of owning a boat.
The beautiful village of Deià attracted creative people long before mass tourism came to Mallorca; the most famous of these was the poet and author Robert Graves, whose numerous works included ‘I, Claudius’ – which was adapted into a BBC TV series.
As well as being an important religious festival in Mallorca, Easter is a time for families to get together around a table to enjoy the foods associated with this time of year. And Mallorca has some traditional Easter eats that visitors should try while they’re here.
If you’re a golf enthusiast, Mallorca is a great destination for the sport – with some 20 courses open to visiting golfers and other non-members. Outside the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, you’re never far from a golf course, and many of them offer superb views and facilities.
If you enjoy a gin and tonic occasionally, imagine being able to drink or offer a gin that you made right here in Mallorca. In Santa Catalina in Palma, the Mallorca Gin Distillery offers fun workshops during which you’ll hear fascinating tales about gin’s history in Europe, have a gin-tasting session, enjoy four gin cocktails, and make, bottle, and label your very own gin – crafted to your own taste. The bottle will be wax sealed so you can pack it safely in your luggage.
Now that September’s cooler weather is here, how about seeing more of Mallorca … but in a different way? Have some fun on wheels with one of the companies offering special trips on the island.
The grapes were harvested earlier this year because of the hotter-than-usual summer, but the ´Festa des Vermar´ – celebrating the harvest – takes place over the usual period in the town of Binissalem. After a two-year break because of the pandemic, expect plenty of enthusiasm for the 56th edition of the popular Festa des Vermar.
Kayaking is a fun way to take to the crystal-clear waters around Mallorca – and there are several places where you can learn to master a kayak at sea in a matter of hours.
If you want a break from driving or haven’t rented a car for your Mallorca holiday, it’s easy and affordable to explore some of Mallorca by train.
If you love gardens, you may enjoy a visit to one of the gardens in Mallorca open to visitors.
School’s out and it’s time for a fun, family holiday in Mallorca. This beautiful island has plenty to enjoy with children – and the following ideas are just a few activities that families may enjoy on a day out.
From rooftop terraces to hilltop sanctuaries, there are plenty of places in Mallorca to enjoy elevated views, but for a real buzz and a bird’s eye perspective, take to the skies.
Head for a hotel rooftop terrace for an evening drink and maybe something to nibble for fabulous views of Mallorca’s capital, Palma. Here are some popular ones.
There’s a view of Palma that many visitors don’t get to see: the panorama from the roof terraces of Palma’s magnificent Gothic cathedral known as La Seu. But during the summer months it’s possible to climb the steps up to the rooftop, where you can walk around the flying buttresses, see the Cathedral’s famous large rose window, the bell tower, and enjoy the ultimate skyline view of Palma and the bay.
If hot sand isn’t for you and you’d rather view the Mediterranean from a comfortable lounger – with everything you could need on hand for a relaxing day – check out Mallorca’s beach clubs.
The summer solstice is next week and is celebrated with an unforgettable fiesta in Mallorca involving fire and water. It happens on Thursday, June 23rd – the eve of Sant Joan.
When the mercury soars, you can’t beat a cooling ice cream – and the choice of artisan Mallorcan ice creams is excellent.
If you’re a fan of chamber and classical music, the Deià International Music Festival should be on your calendar this summer. First held in 1978, this Festival has grown significantly over the years and in its 44th edition includes concerts in a few additional locations, as well as the traditional setting of the Son Marroig property on the northwest coast, near Deià.
Surrounded by crystal-clear waters, it’s no wonder Mallorca is a playground for those who love water sports. But did you know that Mallorca is also home to the top outdoor Olympic swim centre in Europe?
If you’re tempted by the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean, how about trying one of Mallorca’s hugely popular water sports? When it comes to finding a sport you can learn – or practise – easily on holiday, stand up paddle boarding (or SUP) is the one. Not only can you become proficient quickly, SUP is also suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.
Each spring the hilltop town of Capdepera in the northeast of Mallorca hosts a Medieval Market – a three-day event that’s one of the most popular traditional events on the island.
A visit to the annual Fira del Vi in the town of Pollensa is an excellent introduction to the number and variety of Mallorca’s wines and wineries, or bodegas. It’s an opportunity to taste some of the wines and talk to the people who make them.
Ship ahoy! It’s the event that kicks off the nautical season in the Mediterranean: the Palma International Boat Show 2022 is on from Thursday, April 28th to Sunday, May 1st.
Music fans have three theatre treats in Palma to enjoy this April: two tribute concerts and a musical comedy show based on a 4-Oscar-winning British movie.