Destination Guides
Mallorca Beyond the Beach: A Local’s Guide
There is far more to Mallorca than its resorts. Our Palma-based expert shares the island she knows after nine years living there.
Most first-time visitors to Mallorca never leave the resort strip around Palma Nova or Alcudia — and while those areas are great for families, they are only a small part of what the island offers.
Head inland to the Serra de Tramuntana and you will find stone villages like Valldemossa and Deia, mountain roads made for cycling, and some of the most dramatic coastline in the Mediterranean. It is a completely different side of the island, and it is barely half an hour from the coast.
Palma itself is one of the most liveable capital cities in the Mediterranean. The old town rewards an afternoon of wandering, the cathedral is genuinely worth the visit, and the food scene has come a long way in the last decade.
If you are travelling with children, I usually steer families towards the north around Alcudia for its shallow, gentle beaches. Couples and small groups tend to prefer a villa in the hills with a day or two in Palma. Getting that match right is the difference between a good trip and a great one.
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