We supposed to have not one but two days in Mallorca. Friday was beginning of a long weekend in Ireland and whole city decided to go somewhere which caused complete traffic disaster. I took us 3.5h to drive 25km to the airport and for the first time ever we have missed our flight. After quick assessment we decided to go the next day as one day in Mallorca is better than don’t go at all.
Plan was simple – without spending too much (car hire and accommodation was paid already anyway) to see and eat (travel goals :d) as much as we can. We landed in Palma late Saturday evening, picked up rental car and directed towards Alcudia where our Airbnb was. After a little bit of language barrier issues (you cannot called our Spanish even basic and our host’s English was simply non existing) we have managed to check in. After dropping our bags we hit the city but failed in finding any place willing to feed us.
Late in the evening after season (last weekend of October) you can only survive on wine and crisps from the only 24/7 bar (luckily there was wine available as everyone now you can survive without food but definitely not without wine).
One day in Mallorca – Alcudia
Alcudia isn’t really popular even in high season and after midnight old city felt completely abandoned. To be clear not like a ghost town just nicely empty. We took few hours to stroll around empty stone alleys with little yellow lights enjoying warm October air. By Porta de Vila Roja we discovered entrance to town walls, open for free in the middle of the night! There is lovely view over city roofs tops lit by warm light from town lanterns.
One day in Mallorca – Pollenca
First stop was a town of Pollenca where you can find a farm market on Sunday morning. There is nothing else that can make us so happy than a local market with ready to eat food. It made our stop longer than expected trying to see everything going from one stall to another. We stocked up on local cheese and ham which is our regular souvenir from every part of Southern Europe. We drank freshly squized orange juice, got a bite of creamy cheesecake and took a lot of photos. After all of this we were ready to go again! Or rather roll…
What is worth trying (and although it may seem like a challenge – we ate a lot in one day!) when visiting Mallorca, as well as where to try it, we wrote here.
One day in Mallorca – Sa Calobra
There is only 43km between Pollenca and Sa Calobra but road is mountainous and twisty so it took around 1 hour. The biggest attraction is the road itself and beautiful views from it. After reaching Sa Calobra we took a walk to port Sa Calobra and towards Torrent de Pareis. Path to Torrent de Pareis takes around 15 min and goes thru a tunnel drilled in a rock.
At the end there is a little bay with turquoise water and after you go thru last tunnel there is little pebble beach by the mouth of river Torrent de Pareis. Beach is squeezed between tall mountain tops which are the end of Pareis glen. We always get emotional when see mountains going down to the see and this particular place is really picturesque but full of tourist even after season.
One day in Mallorca – Fornalutx
Taking windy road out of Sa Calobra and tackling some harpins on the way we directed towards Fornalutx. After good few hours on the road we started to feel hungry and search for a place for lunch. In Fornalutx there is a few good spots with nice view which made us very happy. Unfortunately 2 of the nicest ones were packed completely with locals and few tourists.
We were lucky to get any table without a view in Ca N’Antuna. Luckily food made up for everything! After fuelling up we went for a stroll around Fornalutx. Oh gosh, how amazing this place is. Charming cobbled little alleys raising up over cascades of stairs. Grey and sand-yellow stone houses tightly packed together and all surrounded by beautiful mountains. You could sit all day in front of a bar sipping local wine.
One day in Mllorca- Soller and Port de Soller
Next stop was Soller which is the final stop of narrow gauge railway from Palma and the beginning of vintage tram route to Port de Soller. Soller is much more lively than Fornalutx.
Following the tram we drove to Port de Soller. Very quick we realised all places with ‘Port’ in their names in Mallorca should be avoided. Port de Soller was full of tourist, lots of families on the beach (even in the end of October). Typical seaside resort with promenade, large hotels and touristic restaurants. Place so much not to our taste we were in our car on the way to Palma after 10 minutes.
One day in Mallorca – Palma de Mallorca
The final stop during our one day trip was capitol – Palma de Mallorca. First 30min we spent driving around and looking for a parking place. 24 euros for underground car park didn’t sound like a deal so not giving up we were doing rounds like communal police on a patrol. After finally succeeding we quickly checked in in our Airbnb and rushed to see old town.
On our route we had La Rambla, must see beautifully lit La Seu cathedral, La Almudaina kings palace and Placa Major square which probably looks more spectacular during the day. Of course to complete the journey we did a tapas bar crawl with Bar Dia being our main point. We really liked Palma and we hope to be back and see it during the day as well.
