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Palma is a city you can visit in a day, unless you want to go shopping. The points of interest in the historical center are close enough to allow us to visit them walking and far enough so we’ll need half a day to cover the whole area without haste.

But let’s start with the only truly distant point of interest, Bellver Castle. A beautiful well preserved and restored castle with circular shape in the highest part of a mountain west of the city center. It offers interesting architecture and views of Palma. To get there you need a private vehicle, taxi or use bus 50 (tourist bus). The rest of buses leave you at the base of the mountain and you must walk and climb steps surrounded by vegetation for at least 20 minutes. Adult admission € 4, Sunday is free. Closed on Mondays. Open on Sundays and holidays from 10 am to 3 pm and the remaining days from 10 am to 6 pm in winter and until 7 pm in summer.

Once visited the castle, we can spend half a day in the center.

We will start the walk in the Parque del Mar (sea park), built parallel to the old city walls, in the direction of the Cathedral or Seu, one of the best in this country with so many cathedrals, stands out for its imposing location in high and at the same time its proximity Sea. In Gothic style, its rosette window is one of the largest in the world; its interior is very interesting and original due to the works of Gaudí and Barceló.

Adult admission € 7 (includes audio guide), free for residents. Open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 3:15 pm (November to March), 5:15 pm (April, May and October) or 6:15 pm (June-September), and every Saturday from 10 am to 2:15 pm. During the summer months you can climb to the upper terraces, it costs € 12 and tickets can be purchased on their website (only in spanish).

Continuing northwest, we will pass a pedestrian and stepped street between two remarkable buildings:

• To the south the Royal Palace of the Almudaina. As its name indicates, summer palace of the kings, residence already long ago of the first kings of Mallorca back in the fourteenth century. The current ones spend little here, so there is usually no problem visiting this converted Arab quarterdeck. Adult amission € 7, can be purchased on their website, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 – 18:00 (October to March) or 10:00 – 20:00 (April to September), Monday closed. Personally I think the exterior is more interesting than the interior except for lovers of tapestries, as there are plenty of them.
• And to the north the Palau March. This 65-year-old palace, owned by the March family, is home to the Bartolomé March Foundation in Palma, where art pieces range from modern and contemporary art (Dalí, Rodin and Chillida among others) to cartography and medieval bindings. Adult admission € 4.5, open Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm and L-V from 10 am to 5 pm (Oct-March) or 10 am to 6:30 pm (April-Sept), Sunday closed.

A little further west is the building Lonja de Palma, another of the best gothic buildings on the island. Free entrance. Closed Mondays, open Tuesday – Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Its surroundings are full of restaurants and places to have a drink.

We go back a few meters and continue north by the main promenade called de Born. Nothing out of the ordinary, a pedestrian walkway covered by trees at the sides and surrounded by Inditex shops and the like.

Once we reach the northern end of the promenade, we will stroll east towards the Plaza Mayor (main square). Along the way are several interesting buildings.

And to finish the walk, a visit to C’an Juan de S’aigo, a bakery converted into franchise, being the original one from the year 1700, one of them being very close to the Plaza Mayor. It is reputed to be one of the best in the city in terms of typical Mallorcan pastries, and if it is not, at least it is decorated in the old style.

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