Things to do in Spain
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Rosario P
Artisan boutiques such as this one dot central Palma. Here you'll find delicate hand-painted tops, dresses and shawls, all made with light-as-breath silk.
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Restaurant Trencadora
With its shady garden setting, this modern trattoria is worth the five-minute walk east of the centre. It serves up pizza, pasta, seafood and steaks.
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Restaurant Garage Rex
Housed in what was Mallorca's car-washing garage in the 1960s, this minimalist lounge restaurant serves up cooking with some creative touches. Think slices of sole rolled up and stuffed with prawns in an almond sauce or boneless quail stuffed with mushrooms and Iberian ham on a warm lentil salad.
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Restaurant Clivia
Set in what was once a private house, this spot offers fine food (especially the fish) prepared and presented with panache. The service is attentive and the ambience tranquil. Try the prawns from Sóller bay in Mallorca's west, or the house speciality of wild sea bass steamed in white wine.
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Renoir
This is your best chance if you want to see movies in their original language (with Spanish subtitles). It has four screens and generally runs sessions from about 4.30pm to 10.30pm.
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Remnants of 12th century Arab wall
One block east of the Església de Sant Jeroni, you strike a portion of the 12th-century Arab city wall (with some heavy blocks from the Roman wall at the base), beyond which is a park named after the city gate that once stood here: Porta d’es Camp (Gate of the Countryside). The Muslims knew it as Bab al-Jadid (the New Gate).
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RCD Mallorca
Palma's top football division RCD Mallorca is one of the better sides battling it out in the Primera Liga. The team usually winds up with a respectable spot about halfway down the ladder. The side has played at the Estadi Son Moix since 1999. You can get tickets at the stadium, or over the phone.
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Quesada
The typical Mallorcan two-toned patterned textiles called roba de llengües (striped cloths) have been sold here since 1890, as well as other exquisite pieces.
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Porta del Temple & Temple
East of the Basílica de Sant Francesc along Carrer del Temple, you can make out what was once a medieval Arab gate, the Porta del Temple. Stroll through the gate and down a quiet lane, at the end of which is the atrium of an early Gothic chapel, known as the Temple, built by the Knights Templars who once occupied the site.
Getting into the chapel itself is a matter of luck – generally it is closed. If you manage it, you can admire two Romanesque chapels on either side as you enter. Following on from them is a beguilingly simple, early Gothic single nave.
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Plaza de Toros
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Picasso
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Passeig de la Artesania
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Palma on Bike
Palma on Bike has city bikes to get around Palma, as well as mountain bikes, rollerblades and kayaks. Bike rates include insurance and a helmet.
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Palma City Sightseeing
This hop-on-hop-off bus has (moderately interesting) commentary in various languages. Tickets are valid for 24 hours. The bus departs from Avinguda d'Antoni Maura and runs every 20 minutes. Apart from doing a circuit of the city centre, it runs along the waterfront and even climbs up to the Castell de Bellver.
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Museu Martí Vicenç
A short way up the Calvari steps is the Museu Martí Vicenç. The weaver and artist Martí Vicenç Alemany (born 1926) bought this property, once part of a giant Franciscan monastery that also included the nearby former Església de Monti-Sion, in the 1950s. His works, mostly canvases and textiles, are strewn around several rooms.
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Museum
The cathedral's museum, through the door marked 'Claustre Tresor', contains the masterly Romanesque Tapís de la Creació (Tapestry of the Creation) and a Mozarabic illuminated Beatus manuscript, dating from 975. The Creation tapestry shows God at the epicentre and in the circle around Him the creation of Adam, Eve, the animals, the sky, light and darkness.
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Museu Krekovic
This museum looks on to the somewhat dishevelled Parc Kristian Krekovic, east of the centre, and is dedicated to the work of eccentric Bosnian artist Kristian Krekovic (1901–85), who spent the last 25 years of his life in Mallorca after a long period studying the Incas and Peruvian indigenous groups. The result is three rooms of monumental canvases in a thunder-and-lightning crash of colour depicting ancient warriors, chiefs, virgins, musicians and masked figures. Bus 12 runs close by.
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Museu d'Idees i Invents de Barcelona
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Museu de Pollença
This museum's star attraction is the 17th-century baroque cloister of the Convent de Sant Domingo, in which the museum is housed, and a bright Buddhist Kalachakra mandala donated by the Dalai Lama to the town in 1990. Other exhibits include archaeological finds from the surrounding area and some Gothic altarpieces.
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Museu de Mallorca
This excellent city museum will be worth worth a visit, but will remain closed for extensive renovations until at least 2014. Once it reopens, you'll find a museum that inhabits a rambling ensemble of 17th-century mansions and has an extensive collection of archaeological artefacts, religious art, antiques and ceramics.
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San Telmo Museoa
Both the oldest and newest museum in the Basque country the San Telmo museum has existed since 1902 – sort of. It was actually closed for many years but after major renovation work it has recently reopened and is now a museum of Basque culture and society. The displays range from historical artefacts to the squiggly lines of modern art and all the pieces are supposed to reflect Basque culture and society in some way or another. In reality, though, for most people the collection is a bit haphazard and the connections between the pieces vague. Labelling is in Spanish and Basque with free audio guides available in other languages. Entry is free on Tuesdays.
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Montjuïc
Southwest of the city centre and with views out to sea and over the city, Montjuïc serves as a Central Park of sorts and is a great place for a jog or stroll. It's dominated by the Castell de Montjuïc, a one-time fortress with great views. Buses 50, 55 and 61 all head up here. A local bus, the PM (Parc de Montjuïc) line, does a circle trip from Plaça d'Espanya to the castell. Cable cars and a funicular line also access the area.
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunyais a broad panoply of Catalan and European art. The Romanesque frescos are truly stunning.
Fundació Joan Miró is the definitive museum showcasing Joan Miró's works.
A showcase of typical Spanish architecture…
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Món
You can find great deals at this outlet, where flirty, feminine fashions from labels like Essentiel and Hoss hang on the racks. They're the still-desirable leftovers from the mother store, Addaia.
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Modernisme
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Mercat de Santa Catalina
This market is busy but has few tourists.
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