Aug 31, 20223 min read

Three things you have to do in Palma

If you're planning a trip to Palma de Mallorca anytime soon then here are three things to add to your to-do list whilst you're there! We stayed on the South-East side of the island down in Marivent which was lovely. There was definitely enough to do and see surrounding us as we were only a short walk from Cala Major and a wide selection of restaurants & shops, however, we were around an hours walk from the city-centre so public transport ended up being a bit of a lifesaver in the heat.

Dining in Palma:

Eat at Il Paradiso

We actually stumbled upon this restaurant on our first evening in Palma, and it was so good we ended up booking a table for our final evening on the way out. To be totally honest, it was better the first night. The restaurant is clearly popular - no surprise considering the views from the terrace, so on our first visit we sat inside as the terrace was fully booked. The food was lovely and our waiter was so welcoming and really made the experience for us so we booked a table on the terrace for the following Friday night.

Honestly, the service we had on the Friday night soured the experience slightly as it seemed they just wanted the table back as quickly as possible. However, the food was still lovely (particularly the Penne All' Arrabbiata with burrata - pictured below) & the views were phenomenal, so I would still recommend paying them a visit!

Days out in Palma:

Visit the Cathedral (& buy the terrace pass)

On our second full day in the city we ventured down towards the Old Town and went to check out the Cathedral which is an absolute must-see! The architecture is breathtaking, and the surrounding grounds, like the Arc de sa Drassana, are incredible to explore. You do have to pay to enter the cathedral, which is €9 for a standard ticket, or €20 for the terrace pass but it's 100% worth it!

The terrace is open from the beginning of May until October (this year, although I believe it normally opens from April), and is accessed by climbing a narrow spiral staircase of around 215 steps. It's quite tiring - especially in the heat, but I can't recommend it enough. There's no time limit to your visit, you can stay as long as you wish and the views definitely make up for the breathlessness!

Climb the 425 stairs to Castell de Bellver (check it's actually open first though...)

Another must-see for Palma is Bellver Castle (or Castell de Bellver)! It's accessible by car or sight-seeing bus, or you can choose to take the hike up which consists of around 425 stairs. Top tip, which may seem quite obvious...but check it's actually open before you climb all of the stairs - unless you just fancy taking the trip! We chose to go on the Monday of our trip, and when we finally got to the top realised that it was closed.

However, despite not actually getting to visit the castle, the views on the way up were amazing. There's a small church around halfway to the top (Capella de Sant Alonso Rodríguez), which again - was closed but still provided a lovely little pitstop and viewing platform.

There are quite a few benches carved out along the route at further viewing platforms for you to take a little rest, which I won't lie, we did quite a lot of! We also massively underestimated the amount of water we'd need on a 425 stair hike in 35°C so I'd recommend taking a good couple of litres with you.