Sights in Spain
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Panoramis
An area of shops, restaurants and hip bars on the western causeway. To get there, follow the curve of the port along pedestrianised Paseo Explanada de España or the waterfront promenade (separated only by a hideously busy road).
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Cidade da Cultura de Galicia
This vast prestige project is taking shape atop Monte Gaiás, a hill about 1.5km southeast of the Old Town, to the designs of American Peter Eisenman. You can't help thinking that when Bilbao got its Guggenheim, and Valencia its Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Santiago decided it had to follow suit. The first sections, the Library and Archive of Galicia, opened in 2011 after 10 years of building, delays and administrative rethinks. The concept is full of symbolism – the overall shape resembles a giant stone wave sliced into sections and is intended to be vaguely similar to a conch shell (symbol of the Camino de Santiago), while the passageways between the buildings are…
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Huerta de San Vicente
This house where Federico García Lorca spent summers and wrote some of his best-known works is only 1.5km south of the city centre, but still retains the evocative aura of an early-20th-century country villa. Today the modern but handsome Parque Federico García Lorca separates it from whizzing traffic.
To get there, head 700m down Calle de las Recogidas from Puerta Real, turn right along Calle del Arabial, then take the first left into Calle Virgen Blanca.
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Judería
Seville's medieval Judería, east of the cathedral and Alcázar, is today a tangle of quaint, winding streets and lovely plant-decked plazas perfumed with orange blossom. It's tourist central, but still a vital part of the city and one that's remarkably easy and pleasant to wander.
Its most characteristic plaza today is Plaza de Santa Cruz, which gives the barrio its name. Its central cross, made in 1692, is one of the finest examples of Seville wrought-iron work. Plaza Doña Elvira is another beautiful spot.
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Palau Güell
Finally reopened in its entirety in May 2010 after nearly 20 years under refurbishment, this is a magnificent example of the early days of Gaudí’s fevered architectural imagination - the extraordinary Modernista mansion, one of the few major buildings of that era raised in Ciutat Vella, gives an insight into its maker’s prodigious genius.
Gaudí built the palace just off La Rambla in the late 1880s for his wealthy and faithful patron, the industrialist Eusebi Güell. Although a little sombre compared with some of his later whims, it is still a characteristic riot of styles (Gothic, Islamic, art nouveau) and materials. After the civil war the police occupied it and…
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Palacio de Carlos V
This huge Renaissance palace sticks out like a sore thumb in the Alhambra, because it clashes spectacularly with the style of its surroundings; were it in a different setting its merits would be more readily appreciated. Begun in 1527 by Pedro Machuca, an architect from Toledo who studied under Michelangelo, it was financed, perversely, from taxes on the Granada area's Morisco (converted Muslim) population.
Funds dried up after the Moriscos rebelled in 1568, and the palace remained roofless until the early 20th century. The main (western) façade features three porticos divided by pairs of fluted columns, with bas-relief battle carvings at their feet. The building is…
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Jardí del Bisbe
Adjoining the Palau Episcopal is the Jardí del Bisbe; this modest botanic garden is an oasis of peace. Have a quiet stroll among the palms, pomegranates, water lilies, thyme, artichokes, cumquats, orange and lemon trees, and more. Or just sit on a bench and contemplate.
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Joan Guaita Art
This sleek gallery is well known for its emphasis on contemporary Latin American artists.
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Banys Àrabs
These modest Arab baths are the single most important remaining monument to the Muslim domination of the island, although all that survives are two small underground chambers, one with a domed ceiling supported by a dozen columns, some of whose capitals were recycled from demolished Roman buildings.
The site may be small, but the two rooms – the caldarium, or hot bath, and the tepidarium (warm bath) – evoke a poignant sense of abandonment. Normally there would also have been a third, cold bath, the frigidarium. As the Roman terms suggest, the Arabs basically took over a Roman idea, here in Mallorca and throughout the Arab world. These ones probably were not public but…
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CaixaForum
This exhibition centre is run by one of Spain's biggest building societies, the Barcelona-based La Caixa. CaixaForum is housed in the wonderful Modernista building (the island's first) that was once home to the Grand Hotel. Pick up a free program at reception and flick through it at the ground-level cafe. There's also an excellent bookshop.
The Grand Hotel was once a city landmark that was built in 1900–03 by the Catalan master architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and the first building in Palma with electricity and a lift. The hotel was shut down during the Civil War and never recovered. As well as the art exhibitions, other frequent activities put on here include…
reviewed
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Can Marquès
This exquisitely furnished mansion, the only one of its kind in Palma open to visitors, retains elements dating to the 14th century. It gives a fascinating insight into how the well-to-do lived around the turn of the 20th century. The building shows elements of Gothic, baroque and even Modernista influences. It hosts contemporary art exhibitions, but was closed for restoration at the time of research.
Once it reopens, enter the main pati (courtyard) where the family coach once clattered in, and climb the Modernista stairway to the main floor of the house, where the public can undertake a circuit through 10 rooms.
The immense Sala d’Entrada was a formal reception area and…
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Casa-Museu Joaquim Torrents Lladó
This fine old house, with a timber gallery overlooking a courtyard, belonged to the Catalan artist Joaquim Torrents Lladó (1946–93), who moved to Mallorca in the 1960s. The 1st and 2nd levels feature timber floors, 19th-century furniture and a changing display of the painter’s work, ranging from portraits to labels for Codorniu champagne. Occasional temporary exhibitions are staged here, too.
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Catedral
Palma’s vast cathedral is the city's major architectural landmark. Aside from its sheer scale and undoubted beauty, its stunning interior features, designed by Antoni Gaudí and renowned contemporary artist Miquel Barceló, make this unlike any cathedral elsewhere in the world.
The Catedral occupies the site of what was the central mosque of Medina Mayurka, capital of Muslim Mallorca for three centuries. Although Jaume I and his marauding men forced their way into the city in 1229, work on the Catedral (La Seu in Catalan), one of Europe’s largest, did not begin until 1300. Rather, the mosque was used in the interim as a church and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Work…
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Centre Cultural Contemporani Pelaires
This private cultural centre is as interesting for its architecture as for its content (changing art exhibitions). The building, Can Verí, is a beautiful 17th-century town house that was also used for a while as a convent. This narrow pedestrian lane is rather chichi, home to galleries, antique shops and fashion boutiques.
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Es Baluard
Built with flair and innovation into the shell of the Renaissance-era seaward walls, this contemporary art gallery is one of the finest on the island. While its temporary exhibitions are always worth checking out, the core of the permanent collection – works by Joan Miró, Miquel Barceló and Picasso – and the setting are what give the gallery its cachet.
The 21st-century concrete complex has been cleverly built in and among the fortifications, which include the partly restored remains of an 11th-century Muslim-era tower (on your right as you arrive from Carrer de Sant Pere). The effect is a playful game of light, surfaces and perspective.
Inside, the ground floor…
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Església de Santa Creu
Work on this Gothic church began in 1335. The main entrance (Carrer de Santa Creu 7) is a baroque addition. What makes it interesting is the Cripta de Sant Llorenç (crypt of St Lawrence), an early-Gothic place of worship dating possibly to the late 13th century. Some paintings by Rafel Mòger and Francesc Comes are scattered about the interior.
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Església de Santa Eulàlia
One of the first major churches raised after the 1229 conquest, the Església de Santa Eulàlia is a soaring Gothic structure with a neo-Gothic facade (a complete remake was done between 1894 and 1924). It is the only such church in Mallorca, aside from the Catedral, with three naves. The baroque retablo is rather worn and you can’t get to the chapels in the apse.
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Església de Sant Crist de la Sang
Within the Hospital General (founded in the 16th century), you can behold the Gothic facade of this church. It is the object of pilgrimage and devotion, since the paso (a sculpted image used in processions) of 'Holy Christ of the Blood' is considered to be miraculous.
If you happen on a Mass, it's moving to see the devotion of the faithful who climb up behind the altar to venerate the image of Christ crucified, with long, flowing real hair and embroidered loincloth. Just on your left as you enter the church is a 15th-century nativity scene, probably imported from Naples.
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Fundació Sa Nostra
The big Balearics building society, Sa Nostra, has a cultural foundation in Can Castelló, where it stages exhibitions. It is worth popping by just to check out the fine 18th-century courtyard, which now hosts a hip cafe. The temporary exhibitions at the centre are always worth a look.
The original house dates to the previous century, and it even has a few Modernista touches from renovation work done in 1909. Just in front of it is Font del Sepulcre, a Gothic baptismal font left over from a long-disappeared church. Inside it is a 12th-century Muslim-era well. Carrer de la Concepció used to be known as Carrer de la Monederia, as the Kingdom of Mallorca's mint was on this…
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Museo de Muñecas
Near the cathedral, this fascinating niche shop-cum-museum is dedicated to old dolls, with more than 500 examples from over 50 countries, from Ashanti fertility dolls to Shirley Temple. At the top of the steep stairs, you buy a ticket and are ushered through the back to two rooms jammed with old dolls, made of anything from cardboard to porcelain.
In the first room, countless versions of a popular Spanish doll, Mariquita Pérez, which first appeared in 1938 in San Sebastián, steal the show. Many of the dolls in the second room date to the 19th or early 20th centuries and the aim is to show you how dolls have evolved down through the decades. Cardboard Spanish dolls from…
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Museu Diocesà
Opened in 2007 in its magnificent new home of the Palau Episcopal (bishop’s residence), the Museu Diocesà, behind the cathedral to the east, is a fascinating excursion for those interested in Mallorca’s Christian artistic history.
The first thing you see upon entering is a mind-boggling retaule (retablo in Spanish, an altarpiece) depicting the Passion of Christ (c 1290–1305) and taken from the Convent de Santa Clara. The episodes are shown with effusive detail: Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, St Peter’s kiss of betrayal. Christ flailed looks utterly unperturbed, while the image of his being nailed to the cross is unsettling. Off to the right, a key work is Francesc…
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Museu Fundación Juan March
This 17th-century mansion makes a good introduction to Spanish contemporary art. On permanent display are some 70 pieces held by the Fundación Juan March. Together they constitute a veritable who’s who of mostly 20th-century artists, including Picasso, Miró, Juan Gris (of cubism fame), Dalí and the sculptor Julio González.
After starting with the big names, the collection moves through various movements in Spanish art, such as that inspired in Barcelona by the Dau al Set review (1948–53) and led by Antoni Tàpies. Meanwhile, in Valencia, Eusebi Sempere and Andreu Alfaro were leading the way down abstract paths. Sempere’s Las Cuatro Estaciones (1980) reflects the…
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Palau de l'Almudaina
Originally an Islamic fort, this mighty construction opposite the Catedral was converted into a residence for the Mallorcan monarchs at the end of the 13th century. It is still occasionally used for official functions when King Juan Carlos is in town. At other times you can wander through a series of cavernous stone-walled rooms that have been lavishly decorated.
The Romans are said to have built a castrum (fort) here, possibly on the site of a prehistoric settlement. The Wālis (governors) of Muslim Mallorca altered and expanded the Roman fort, while Jaume I and his successors modified it to such an extent that little of the Muslim version remains.
Now, as in medieval…
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Palau March
This house, palatial by any definition, was one of several residences of the phenomenally wealthy March family. Sculptures by 20th-century greats, such as Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, Barbara Hepworth and Eduardo Chillida, grace the outdoor terrace. Within lie many more artistic treasures from some of Spain's big names in art.
Entry is through an outdoor terrace display of modern sculptural works. Centre stage is taken by the enormous Orgue del Mar (1973) by Barcelona’s Xavier Corberó.
Inside, more than 20 paintings by Salvador Dalí around the themes 'Alchemy and Eternity' catch the eye, as does the extraordinary 18th-century Neapolitan baroque belén (nativity scene).…
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Poble Espanyol
This 'Spanish Village' is a copy of bits of Spanish towns from all over the country. It’s cheesy but intriguing and contains replicas of everything from typical Andalucian streets to Canary Islands houses, from the grand Bisagra gate of Toledo to Granada’s Muslim Alhambra. Buses 5, 29 and 46 take you close (alight at Avinguda d’Andrea Doria 41).
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