Take the Vintage Sóller Train

A wooden train built in 1912 runs from Palma through mountain tunnels and orange groves to the town of Sóller — then a vintage tram carries you down to the port. The journey is slow (about an hour each way), beautiful, and entirely unlike anything else on the island. This is not a tourist gimmick; it's a genuinely lovely way to spend half a day.

From Sóller port, you can swim, eat at a waterfront restaurant, and take the tram back up to town to explore before catching the train back to Palma. Book tickets in advance in high season — it sells out.

Drive the Ma-10 Mountain Road

The road from Andratx in the southwest to Pollença in the north runs through the heart of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains — arguably the most beautiful drive in Spain. Limestone peaks, ancient terraced olive groves, hairpin bends above the sea, and villages appearing around corners as if placed there for effect.

Allow a full day. Stop in Banyalbufar for the views, Valldemossa for coffee, Deià for lunch, and Sóller for a walk around the town. The road takes about 2.5 hours to drive without stops — with them, plan for 6–8 hours.

Take a Small Boat Trip to Hidden Coves

Several operators along the east and north coasts run small-group boat trips to coves that aren't accessible by road. For couples, this is the single best way to reach the most secluded swimming spots — including some sea caves and inlets that simply don't appear on any tourist map.

Look for trips departing from Porto Cristo, Cala Ratjada, or Alcúdia. Morning departures are best — calmer sea, better light, smaller crowds. A half-day trip typically costs €40–60 per person.

Visit Palma Cathedral (La Seu) at Opening Time

Palma's cathedral is one of the most impressive Gothic buildings in the world — enormous, intricate, and positioned right on the harbour so that it appears to rise straight from the sea. What most tourists miss is the interior, which was remodelled by Antoni Gaudí in the early 20th century. The rose window floods the nave with coloured light on winter mornings.

Go at opening time (10am) before the tour groups arrive. Admission is around €8 per person. The walk along the harbour wall beneath the cathedral is free and just as rewarding.

Spend a Morning in Deià

Deià is the most famous of the Tramuntana villages — small, artistic, and beautiful in a way that feels effortless rather than curated. The poet Robert Graves lived here for decades and the village still attracts writers, painters, and people who find ordinary life slightly insufficient. The stone houses climb the hillside above an olive grove, and the church at the top has views that justify the walk up.

There are several genuinely excellent restaurants here — book in advance in season. The steep path down to Cala Deià (see our beaches guide) takes 10 minutes and makes for a perfect afternoon swim after lunch.

Visit Valldemossa Monastery

Valldemossa is where Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838–39, and the monastery where they stayed (La Real Cartuja) is open to visitors. The village itself is beautiful — cobbled streets, flower-filled doorways, a small square with a café — and the monastery gives the visit an interesting cultural layer.

Allow two hours. The village gets busy with day-trippers midday; arrive before 10am or after 3pm for a more peaceful experience.

Walk Pollença's Calvary Steps at Sunset

Pollença is one of Mallorca's finest towns — a proper working Mallorcan community with a Sunday market, a Roman bridge, and 365 cypress-lined steps climbing to a hilltop chapel. The view from the top over the town and the bay beyond is the best free viewpoint on the island.

Go up at around 6:30pm in summer (later light) and you'll have the steps largely to yourself and the light will be at its most flattering. The cafés around the main square at the bottom are excellent for dinner afterwards.

Go to Santanyí Saturday Market

Mallorca has markets most days of the week across different towns, but Santanyí on Saturday is the one worth planning around. It fills the beautiful golden stone square and surrounding streets with local produce, ceramics, linen, olive oil, and the kind of handmade things that are genuinely nice to take home. The town itself — with its ancient gateway and excellent restaurants — makes for a good half-day.

Spend an Evening in La Lonja, Palma

Palma's old fishing quarter is now the city's most interesting eating and drinking neighbourhood. Strait Street (Sa Gerreria) has bars in vaulted stone cellars; the squares around La Lonja have tapas and wine bars spilling onto cobblestones; and the restaurants range from traditional Mallorcan cooking to some genuinely exciting contemporary food.

Eat late — this is Spain, and dinner before 8:30pm marks you out as a tourist. Walk the harbour after dinner. This is the best evening Palma offers.

Visit a Local Winery in the Binissalem Region

Mallorca has a small but genuinely interesting wine industry centred on the Binissalem DO in the centre of the island, using the indigenous Manto Negro grape. Several wineries offer tastings and tours — Bodega José L. Ferrer is the most established, but smaller family producers around Santa Maria del Camí are worth finding.

A morning winery visit followed by lunch in the nearby town of Inca (Mallorca's leather goods capital, with a Thursday market) makes an excellent inland day away from the coast.

Try Pa Amb Oli — Mallorca's Signature Dish

Pa amb oli (bread with oil) is the Mallorcan equivalent of a national dish — thick country bread rubbed with ripe tomato, drizzled with local olive oil, and topped with whatever you fancy: sobrassada (cured sausage), local cheese, anchovies, or cured ham. Every bar and restaurant does it; the quality varies enormously.

Find a traditional local bar away from the tourist areas and order it as a starter with a glass of local wine. It sounds simple and it is — which is precisely the point.

Cycle the Tramuntana (If You're Fit Enough)

Mallorca is one of the best cycling destinations in Europe — the mountain roads are well-maintained, the scenery is extraordinary, and the island has excellent infrastructure for cyclists. The Serra de Tramuntana attracts serious road cyclists from across Europe, particularly in spring before the heat sets in.

If cycling isn't your thing, electric bikes now make the easier coastal routes accessible to everyone. Several rental shops in Palma and Sóller offer e-bikes by the day.

Kayak to Cala Varques from Porto Cristo

One of the best active experiences on the east coast is kayaking from Porto Cristo along the coastline to Cala Varques — taking in sea caves, limestone arches, and the occasional dolphin sighting along the way. The paddle takes around 45 minutes each way on calm water. Kayak rental is available at Porto Cristo harbour.

Walk the GR221 (Dry Stone Route) — Short Section

The GR221 long-distance trail runs the length of the Serra de Tramuntana from Port d'Andratx to Pollença. You don't need to walk the whole thing — the section between Deià and Sóller (about 3.5 hours, moderate difficulty) is one of the finest short walks in Spain: mountain paths, olive terraces, sea views, arriving into Sóller for lunch.

Walk Inside Mdina at Night

Mdina — the ancient walled capital in the centre of the island — is atmospheric in the daytime. At night, after the day-trippers have left, it becomes something else entirely: empty lit streets, the sound of your footsteps on stone, the medieval walls glowing amber. Walking Mdina after dark is one of the most quietly extraordinary things you can do in the Balearics.

Drive up in the evening, park outside the walls, and walk for an hour. There are a couple of good restaurants inside the walls for dinner afterwards.

Visit the Caves of Drach

The Caves of Drach near Porto Cristo are enormous — four linked cave chambers stretching for 1.2km, with an underground lake (Lago Martel) that is among the world's largest. The tour ends with a classical music concert: musicians in illuminated boats on the underground lake, playing in the dark. It's genuinely surreal and surprisingly moving.

Book tickets online in advance — it's the most popular paid attraction in Mallorca and queues can be long in season. Allow two hours for the full visit.

Visit the Joan Miró Foundation in Palma

The Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró sits in the hills above Palma in the studio where Miró worked for the last 27 years of his life. The collection is excellent, the building is beautiful, and the setting — with views across the bay — makes it worth the short taxi ride from the centre. Better than most people expect.