Itinerary · Palma de Mallorca · Spain
One day in Palma de Mallorca
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Palma de Mallorca, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: palma aquarium, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 5. Day 1: La Seu cathedral and Royal Palace of La Almudaina. Base yourself in Old Town.
Key facts
- Days
- 1
- Sights covered
- 5
- Day trips
- None
- Best base
- Old Town
- Book ahead
- La Seu cathedral
Day by day
Day 1: La Seu cathedral and Royal Palace of La Almudaina
La Seu cathedral, Royal Palace of La Almudaina, Arab Baths and Old town courtyards, then Santa Catalina market and quarter in the evening.
Morning
La Seu cathedral
On sunny mornings around 2 February and 11 November, the light from the great rose window projects onto the wall beneath the opposite window, drawing crowds inside the cathedral. Allow 1–1.5 hours.
Late morning
Royal Palace of La Almudaina
Visit right after the cathedral; the two entrances are a minute apart. Allow 1 hour.
Lunch
Lunch: Ensaïmada
Historic bakeries and cafés across the old town; boxed ensaïmadas are also sold at the airport.
Afternoon
Arab Baths
Combine it with a wander through the surrounding lanes, where several mansion courtyards can be seen through open gates. Allow 20–30 minutes.
Late afternoon
Old town courtyards
Go in the morning, when more gates are open; look but do not enter private courtyards unless they are signposted as open. Allow 1.5–2 hours.
Evening
Santa Catalina market and quarter
Have breakfast or a mid-morning tapa at the market bars, then return for dinner in the evening.
Before you go
- La Seu cathedral: Buy tickets online in summer to skip the ticket queue, especially on cruise-ship days.
If it rains
- Swap in Es Baluard (La Lonja): Visit at the end of the afternoon and stay on the ramparts for sunset over the bay.
- Swap in Fundació Miró Mallorca (Cala Major): Take a city bus towards Cala Major and allow time for the gardens and the studios, not just the gallery.
- Swap in CaixaForum Palma (Old Town): Pop in to see the restored modernist façade and lobby, and check what temporary exhibition is on.
Where to stay for this itinerary
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, culture and luxury
Old Town
Medieval lanes, stone mansions and courtyards behind the cathedral
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 5–7 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.
Getting between stops: Walking. The cathedral, old town, La Lonja and Santa Catalina are all within about 15 minutes of each other on foot.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is one day enough in Palma de Mallorca?
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 5. How many days Palma de Mallorca needs.
+What should I book before visiting Palma de Mallorca?
La Seu cathedral.