©Balate Dorin/Getty Images

Northern Mallorca

Northern Mallorca is the island's heart and soul, bundling coastal drama, cultured towns with spirited fiestas, a twinset of white-sand bays and an exciting portfolio of adventure sports into one enticing package.

The Serra de Tramuntana is at its most fabulous where the range culminates on the Cap de Formentor, flicking out into the Med like a dragon's tail. The road that wraps around its cliff tops elicits gasps of wonder from drivers and cyclists. Across the water, the pine-forested peninsula of Cap des Pinar is hiking heaven. Elsewhere, kitesurfers, cliff jumpers, scuba divers, cavers and paragliders harness its unique coastscapes and steady breezes.

Resorts here have a low-key, kid-friendly vibe. Inland, towns have retained an authentic Mallorcan air: from medieval-walled Alcúdia to Pollença, with its cafe-rimmed plazas, pilgrim trails and live-to-party summer festivals.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northern Mallorca.

See
Santuari de la Mare de Déu des Puig
South of Pollença, off the Ma2200, one of Mallorca's most tortuous roads bucks and weaves up 1.5km of gasp-out-loud hairpin bends to this 14th-century former nunnery, which sits atop 333m Puig de Maria. If you come pilgrim style (the best way), the stiff hike through woods of holm oak, pine and olive will take you around an hour – Pollença shrinks to toytown scale as you near the summit. Be sure to avoid the midday heat and pack some water. No taxi driver is foolhardy enough to venture here, which speaks volumes about the road, but if you crank into first gear, take it steady and say your prayers, you might just make it to the final parking bay, around a 20-minute walk from the refuge. At the top, take a contemplative stroll through the refectory, kitchen, heirloom-filled corridors, and incense-perfumed Gothic chapel of the former nunnery. That's if you can tear yourself away from the view. Though modest in height, this fist of rock commands one of Mallorca's finest outlooks: to the west the hauntingly beautiful peaks of the Tramuntana range, to the east the gently curving bays of Alcúdia and Pollença and the jagged Formentor peninsula. You can stay the night in a converted hermit's cell to rise at an ungodly hour for a spectacular sunrise, or simply enjoy the silence over a bite to eat. The paella is one of the best you'll get in these parts, but place your order well in advance. Life moves slooowly up here.
See
Pol·lèntia
Ranging over a sizeable (but walkable) area, the fascinating ruins of the Roman town of Pol·lèntia lie just outside Alcúdia's walls. Founded around 70 BCE, it was Rome's principal city in Mallorca and is the most important archaeological site on the island. Pol·lèntia reached its apogee in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and covered up to 20 hectares – its sheer geographical spread (most of it not excavated) suggest it was a city of some scale and substance. In the northwest corner of the site is the Sa Portella residential area – with the foundations, broken pillars and remains of the walls of domus ( houses) separated by two streets. The best-preserved of the houses is the Casa dels Dos Tresors (House of the Two Treasures), a typical Roman house, centred on an atrium, which stood from the 1st to the 5th centuries CE. The 14.4cm bronze head of a young girl was found in the Casa del Cap de Bronze (House of the Bronze Head) nearby. A short stroll away are the remnants of the Forum, which boasted three temples and rows of tabernae (shops). Finally, you can walk another few hundred metres to reach the fascinating 1st-century-CE Teatre Romà (Roman Theatre), which seems to be returning into the rock from which it was hewn. The semi-circular orchestra at the front and the cavea (where spectators were seated) still survive. It wasn't until the late 19th century that the remains were identified as being a theatre. The theatre alone, with a diameter of 75m and a former capacity of around 1000 spectators, is worth the entrance fee. Visitors are free to wander among the ruins.
See
Calvari
They don't call it Calvari (Calvary) for nothing. Some pilgrims do it on their knees, but even just walking up the 365 cypress-lined steps from the town centre to the lovely 18th-century hilltop chapel, the Església del Calvari, with its simple, spartan and serene interior, is penance enough. This may not be a stairway to heaven, but there are soul-stirring views to savour back over the town's mosaic of terracotta rooftops and church spires to the Tramuntana beyond. There's a small cafe at the top next to the church, and you may find a guitarist playing for small change at the top of the steps.
See
Medieval Walls
Although largely rebuilt, Alcúdia's fine city walls are impressive. Those on the north side are largely the medieval originals while near the Porta Roja (Red Gate) are remnants of an 18th-century bridge. From the bridge, you can climb up and walk around 250m atop the walls, as far as Carrer del Progres, with fine views over town and towards the distant hills. Beyond the bridge to the northeast, the Plaça de Toros (bullring) has been built into a Renaissance-era fortified bastion.
See
Església de la Mare de Déu dels Àngels
A church was first raised on this site in Gothic style shortly after the conquest in 1229, but was given a complete makeover in the 18th century, so what you see today overlooking the Plaça Major is predominantly baroque. The unusually simple rough-sandstone facade is a superb backdrop to the square. Illuminated by a rose window, the interior has an unusual and barrel-vaulted ceiling with extravagant ceiling frescoes (some restored with a heavy hand) and a magnificent, and overblown altarpiece.
See
Museu Monogràfic de Pol·lèntia
This one-room museum has a fascinating but limited collection of statue fragments, coins, jewellery, household figurines of divinities, scale models of the Casa dels Dos Tresors and Theatre and other remains excavated from the ruins of the Roman town of Pol·lèntia. It's well presented but labels are only in Catalan, so ask for the 'English guidebook' pamphlet from the helpful receptionist.
See
Museu de Pollença
This museum's star feature is the 17th-century baroque cloister of the Convent de Sant Domingo – a picture of tranquillity and poise – in which the museum is housed. At the entrance is a small collection of pottery, while upstairs awaits a superb collection of modern and contemporary art, where you can also find a bright Buddhist Kalachakra mandala created from coloured grains of sand, donated by the Dalai Lama to the town in 1990. An explanation in English explains how the mandala was painstakingly created. Other exhibits include archaeological finds from the surrounding area and some Gothic altarpieces, housed in a separate room. Also part of the museum is the Església de la Mare de Déu del Roser.
See
Museo Sa Bassa Blanca
Around 6km east of Alcúdia, in a Hispano-Moorish style house, this eclectic cultural institution concentrates on children's portraits from the 16th to 19th centuries. It also has exhibition space devoted to contemporary artists, a sculpture garden featuring works by the British artist couple Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu, and the Espacio SoKraTES, showcasing art from the likes of Mallorcan painter Miquel Barceló and a 10,000-crystal curtain by Swarovski. A highlight of tours of the principle Hassan Fathy building is the 15th century Mudejar coffered ceiling. There's also an observatory, an aquarium and a camera obscura. Spring, when the rose garden is in full bloom, is a fine time to visit. To reach the gallery, follow the signs to Fundació and Bonaire. At Bodega del Sol restaurant, turn right and follow the road, which turns into a potholed track. The museum is on the right.
See
Casa-Museu Dionís Bennàssar
This museum, the former home of local artist Dionís Bennàssar (1904–67), hosts a permanent collection of his works. Downstairs are early etchings, watercolours and oils, depicting mostly local scenes. Works on the other floors range from a series on fish that is strangely reminiscent of Miquel Barceló's efforts in Palma's cathedral, to a series of nudes and portraits of dancing girls.