Cheap Majorca - Majorca Places to See

Majorca Places to See

There are an abundance of places to visit in Majorca and none of them are more than a few hours' drive away. You can easily get to the following excursion destinations from every resort on the island:

Palma The capital city of Majorca and home to many museums, shops, restaurants and galleries as well as the beautiful waterfront cathedral, La Seu. Only an hour's drive away down the island's best motorway by hire car, taxi or bus. Contact the tourist information office for details.

Cuevas Drac The Majorcan 8th wonder of the world on the east of the island. Named after the dragon that was said to guard the caves, this is perhaps the islands most famous attraction. The hour long tour in five languages takes you through the illuminated caverns and points out the weird and wonderful formations made by the twists and turns of the rocks, the stalactites dropping from the ceiling and stalagmites rising from the floor. At Martel Lake - named after the geologist Edward Alfred Martel who discovered it - there is a concert of classical music. The same show has been performed here for over 70 years.

Inca A lot of tourists come here to take advantage of the cheap leather goods on offer at the many factory outlets dotted around. Perhaps a better reason to visit is to have a meal in one of the local bodegas. Originally wine cellars, these became popular places to eat with workers as they were cool and there was plenty to drink with your sandwiches. Nowadays, they've become fully-fledged restaurants serving up typical Majorcan dishes like lobster and onion with the local wine. Celler Can Amer (C/ Pau 39) is perhaps the most famous.

Top Tip Inca is home to the Camper Shoe factory outlet. It's on the main road between Alcudia and Palma and you can pick up a pair of Camper shoes at a bargain price.

Boat Trips Cruceros Brisa. Port d'Alcudia. If you want a trip for an hour, half a day or a whole day to some of the beautiful areas in and around the Bay d'Alcudia, then this company provides them throughout the summer.

Manacor Pearl Factory and The Cuevas De Drach Every Mon/Thurs/Sat. A trip to the east of the island to visit the a centre of pearl manufacture and then on to Majorca's 8th wonder of the world, The Caves of Drach, an incredible underground display of stalagmites and stalactites formed over many thousands of years.

A Tour Of The Island and a Trip On The Palma-Soller Railway Every Tues/Wed/Fri/Sun. You are driven inland to some of the most beautiful parts of the island's interior before taking the open train through the countryside back to Palma. One of the most popular days out in Majorca.

Palau de L'Almundaina Open Mon-Fri 10am-6.30pm. Saturday and holidays 10am-2pm. Closed between 2-4pm Oct-Mar. This magnificent palace next to the cathedral combines aspects of both Islamic and Gothic architecture and is where the Spanish royal family entertain if they are resident in Palma.

Valledemossa The highest town in Majorca at 437 metres is probably most famous for one of its celebrity visitors, Chopin, who stayed here in the winter of 1838-39 with his friend George Sand (who was a woman). The belfry off the pretty church of La Cartoixa rises above the sand coloured houses lining the streets and squares. Majorca's only saint, Santa Catalina Thomas, was born here and she is said to have mixed sand with her soup so she didn't commit the sin of gluttony. Luckily this is not a practise shared by the bars and restaurants in the Placa Cartoixa where you can sit under the trees in front of the church and enjoy the much more appetising fare on offer.

The Monastery At Lluc Set high in the mountains a visit here is worth it for the scenery alone. The winding roads with vertical drops at the side wouldn't look out of place in the Alps. The monastery dates from the 17th century and is still a place of pilgrimage for modern day Majorcans. Every August 30,000 of them set out from Palma and cover the 48kms to the monastery in one night. If you're seduced by the serenity then you don't have to go home. The monks rent out rooms for 3,800 pesetas a night and there is a restaurant and bar if you need more than just spiritual sustenance.

Soller/ Port De Soller A very popular way to get here is to take the train from Palma and for 350 pesetas you can travel through some of the loveliest scenery in Majorca. The town is based around the main square, Placa Constitucio, which is dominated by the modernist church of Sant Bartomeu. The architect was Joan Rubio, a disciple of Gaudi, whose influence is easy to see in the church's facade. There is a tram from Soller to Port de Soller where you can sunbathe and have a swim in the bay before heading home.

Deia This exquisite village, with its salmon houses looking down over the Mediterranean, is where the English writer Robert Graves - of I, Claudius fame - made his home and it still attracts a lot of creative types. This is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon eating and drinking and looking around the many shops selling local arts and crafts. If you're feeling energetic, Deia beach is half an hour's scramble away. It's not for the faint hearted but, if you make the effort, you'll be rewarded with some of the best swimming and snorkelling the island has to offer.

Felantix This is the centre of the island's ceramics and a great place to pick up presents. If you visit on a Sunday, it's market day, which is always lively. If you visit on another day, do remember that the traditional siesta, which has died out in many parts of Spain, is still going strong here. Between 1.00 and 4.00 everything shuts, including Ceramicas Majorca in the town centre, which is a great showcase for the local ceramicists' handiwork.

La Granja, Esporles Open 10am-6pm, 7 days. The site of a natural spring that shoots thirty feet into the air, La Granja has been important for many hundreds of years. The spring is now surrounded by gardens and forms the centre for demonstrations of traditional Majorcan handicrafts like weaving, jewellery making and lace making. During the wine-making displays you can help yourself but there is a bar and restaurant for those wanting even more.

Andratx/Port Andratx This typical old Majorcan town with its winding cobbled streets really comes to life on a Wednesday when people from far and wide head there for the weekly market. If the cut and thrust of the market place is a bit much for you, you should make your way to the port and walk round the more genteel shops on the south side of the harbour, stopping for a coffee and a look at the boats anchored there.

The Roman City Of Pollentia Excavated first in the fifties, archaeologists have still to uncover large parts of this Roman settlement, but it's still possible to see the layout of the roads, some houses, a theatre and a forum area, where public buildings would have been. There is a guided tour on Wednesdays from May.

The Museu Monografic De Pollentia c/ de Sant Jaume 30. Tel 971 54 70 04. Open Tues-Fri 10-1.30 and 3.30-5.30. Sat-Sun 10.30-1.00. Closed Mondays. Contains a large collection of the artefacts found during the digs at the Roman city.

Top Tip You can buy a combined ticket for the Roman City and the museum for just a few Euros.

La Seu Palma Cathedral, Palma. Open Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm; Sat 10am-1.30pm. Standing high above the sea, this is a magnificent gothic cathedral. The 12-metre rose window with the sun shining through it is breath taking.

Castell De Bellver Parc Bellver, Palma. Open 10am-7pm between April and September. 10am-5pm Oct-March. Closed between 2-4pm in July and August. This 700-year-old fort has been a prison and a mint before now. It's now a park and museum and has a large collection of classical sculpture.

Palau de L'Almundaina, Palma. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6.30pm. Sat and holidays 10am-2pm. Closed between 2-4pm Oct-Mar. This magnificent palace next to the cathedral combines aspects of both Islamic and Gothic architecture and is where the Spanish royal family entertain if they are resident in Palma.