New flights make Mallorca's capital even easier to reach from the UK this summer. Imogen Haddon samples the port city's fine food, architecture and art.
Why go now?
Because summer is surprisingly quiet in Palma as both tourists and the Mallorquins head for the beach resorts outside the island's capital. This allows you breathing space to enjoy the sunshine in this hip Spanish city that seems to have, so far, avoided the hen and stag parties that plague Barcelona. Try to catch the Nit de Foc (Night of Fire) on 24 June, when a dramatic fireworks display over the Parc de la Mar (1) marks the beginning of Mallorca's summer fiestas.
Get your bearings
Palma is hard to get lost in. The best point of reference is the magnificent Seu (4) (cathedral), overlooking the sea, with its spires visible from almost every point in town. The rest of the city spreads out behind the cathedral, with the handsome Plaa Major (5) north-east of the cathedral, and the busy Plaa Espanya (3) marking the northern extent of the city centre. The best view of the ensemble is from the only circular Gothic castle in
Spain, the 14th-century Castell de Bellver (6) in the west; it houses the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat (00 34 971 73 06 57; 8am-8.30pm daily except Sunday; 2.10).
Sunday morning: go to church
Dominating not only the seafront, but also Palma itself is, as it is locally known, La Seu (4). It was completed in 1601 after 400 years and now stands as one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Europe.
Gaudi worked here between 1904 and 1914, opening up the interior by a number of modifications. To the right of the altar is the addition of the modern Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló, whose haunting three-dimensional mural in the Chapel of St Peter depicting the Feeding of the Five Thousand was unveiled in 2007.
A walk in the park
Up until 30 years ago, the seafront used to come up to the walls of the cathedral (4), but after a land reclamation project, in 1984 an artificial lake was sunk into the area between the cathedral and the harbour, creating part of the Parc de la Mar (1). This enabled the cathedral to once more be reflected in its full glory in the water, as it used to be in the sea. The park also boasts a Miró mural and a sculpture garden by Josep Guinovart.
Out to brunch
In the hip, albeit slightly shabbier, district of Santa Catalina, have brunch at a mainstay of the Palma restaurant scene: Fabrica 23 at Carrer Cotoner 42-44 (22) (00 34 971 45 31 25; fabrica23.com ). The lunchtime "menu del dia" (Sundays 1-3pm) is a real draw at this restaurant which fuses traditional Mallorcan cuisine with contemporary European influences.
Write a postcard
Stop in the afternoon at Bar Bosch in Plaa Rei Joan Carles (14) at the top of Passeig des Born. Order a coffee and an ensamada, a Mallorcan sweet bun, and watch the world rush by from this central meeting point of Palma.
Take a ride
A train trip on the Ferrocarril de Sóller is a must-do on any visit to Mallorca (00 34 971 75 20 51; trendesoller.com , a return ticket costs 17). Six trains a day, with wooden carriages, brass fittings and gaslights, leave the station from Palma at Plaa Espanya (3) to wend their gentle way up and down hills and through tunnels towards the harbour town of Sóller, in the north of the island. The views of the lemon groves as you pass through them make this an unforgettable ride.
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