Destination overview

Mallorca

The largest of the Balearic Islands (3,640 square kilometres), the number of annual visitors today hovers around 10 million – most in search of sun, sand and sea and swamping the local island populace of some
781, 600 people (nearly half of whom live in the capital, Palma de Mallorca).

However, there’s much more to Mallorca than the beach. Palma de Mallorca (or simply Palma) is the main centre and the charming capital city. It is on the south side of the island, on a bay famous for its brilliant sunsets. Locals refer to what lies beyond the capital as the part forana, the ‘part outside’. A series of rocky coves and harbours punctuate the short south-west coastline. Offshore from the island’s western-most point is the large, uninhabited Illa de Sa Dragonera.

The spectacular Serra de Tramuntana mountain range runs parallel with the north-west coast and Puig Major (1,445 metres) is its highest point. The north-west coast is dominated by the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range and is a beautiful region of olive groves, pine forests and ochre villages with a spectacularly rugged coastline.

The north-east coast is largely made up of two bays, the Badia de Pollença and the larger Badia d’Alcúdia. The east coast is an almost continuous string of sandy bays and open beaches, which explains the densely-packed tourist developments. Most of the south coast is lined with rocky cliffs interrupted by beaches and coves, and the interior is largely made up of the fertile plain known as Es Pla.

Most of Mallorca’s best beaches are on the north and east coasts and although many have been swallowed up by tourist developments, you can still find the occasional exception. There is also a scattering of fine beaches along parts of the south coast.