Palma de Mallorca, Spain

You can watch a video about our visit to Palma here:

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

We went on a Mediterranean cruise, and Palma de Mallorca was one of the stops on our cruise. Palma is a resort city and capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca. Mallorca is the largest island belonging to Spain and the seventh largest Mediterranean island.  We arrived on a beautiful day and enjoyed the view as our ship came in to port.  We could see the beautiful gothic cathedral, La Seu, or Cathedral of Palma, which many call the Cathedral of Light, which overlooks the Bay of Palma.  Right beside it we could see the much-smaller-in-comparison Royal Palace, or Royal Palace of La Almudaina.  

We purchased tickets for the Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour, which I would recommend, because some of the sites worth seeing in Mallorca are not within easy walking distance.  Our main stops for the day were:

• La Seu -- Cathedral of Palma, or Cathedral of Light
• Royal Palace of La Almudaina
• Pueblo Espanol Mallorca
• The Bellver Castle

We had a taxi drop us off near the royal palace, but we arrived at 9 a.m. and our bus tour didn't start until 10 a.m.  We walked around the empty streets of Palma, especially in the area near the cathedral and royal palace.  What beautiful views!

La Seu

The Cathedral of Palma, or as some call it, the Cathedral of Light, was spectacular!  It is a definite MUST-SEE on your trip to Palma.  You really can't miss it, because even as our cruise ship was coming into port, we could easily see it from the ship.  It is the largest landmark visible in Palma and towers over everything else.  

La Seu is visible as the most notable landmark of Palma - this is the view from our ship as we arrived

And this is the view from our ship as we left

Construction of the Cathedral of Palma started in the 13th century and ended in the 1630s.  The first historical documents relating to the building of the Cathedral date from 1230. Bishop Pere de Morella consecrated the altar stone of the main altar. And during the reign of King James II construction of the building began.  In 1498 work on the bell tower was completed. This contains nine bells, the largest of which is known as Eloi.  

A baroque design began to appear in the cathedral during the 17th and 18th centuries.  At the beginning of the 20th century, famous architect Antoni Gaudi adapted the inner space of the cathedral, restoring the choir’s chancel, the bishop’s throne, and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity.  La Seu is one of the tallest cathedrals in Europe.

La Seu to the right, and the royal palace to the left

The beautiful Rose Window from the outside

The Rose Window is the largest window of gothic design in the world.  It is 14 meters in diameter and includes 1,236 pieces of glass.  There are two days a year that between 8 am and 9 am, sunlight passing through the eastern window creates a reflection of the Rose window which is displayed directly below it, forming a perfect figure 8.  This occurs on the 2nd of February and the 11th of November.  Also around the winter solstice, it’s possible to watch the sunrise through the Rose window, from the outside of the cathedral.  I wish I had been there during one of these spectacular light shows!

The Rose Window

Inside the cathedral

The eastern window that creates a reflection below the Rose Window, twice a year forming a perfect figure eight

The main monstrance of the cathedral

Tomb of Bishop Gil Sanchos Munoz

Cathedral candelabra

Chapel of the Deposition of Christ

Chapel of our Lady of the Crown

Chapel of Saint Martin

Chapel of Saint Bernard

Inside the Baroque Capital Hall of the Cathedral is the Reliquary of the True Cross, which is a gold cross decorated with jewels, and is believed to include fragments of wood from the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on.  According to tradition, Saint Helena found the cross where Jesus was executed and distributed numerous pieces around the world.  These pieces are called lignum crucis, or wood of the cross.  A mother-of-pearl pelican decorates the top of the cross.  For many, the pelican is a symbol of Christ.

Reliquary of the True Cross

The Cathedral is open Monday through Saturday beginning at 10 am, and closing at 5:15 pm except on Saturday and during winter months when it closes around 3 p.m.  It is closed on Sundays.  Entrance tickets are ten euro, and a guided tour is 30 euro.  If you purchase a tour you can see the roof terraces and a closer view of the Rose Window.

The official website for La Seu can be found here:

Cathedral of Mallorca

Royal Palace of La Almudaina

Next door to the Cathedral of Mallorca is the Royal Palace of La Almudaina.  The palace as we know it today was built between 1305 and 1314 for King James II, but its origins date back to the 10th century and the time of the Moors on the island.  The royal family uses the palace during their stays in Mallorca.  During our visit, an employee told us that they expected to see the royal family some time around Easter.  

The palace is considered to be an Alcazar, or fortified palace.  In fact, in arabic, “Almudaina” means citadel.  It is a modification of the muslim alcazar which was built in 1281.  It was the first building in the city of Palma as we know it today.  On your visit you can see the King’s Courtyard and Saint Anna Chapel, as well as some of the royal apartment, and the arabic baths.  The “Angel’s Tower,” which is the highest tower, is part of the building’s original construction.  There is a bronze sculpture of the angel Gabriel on top of this tower.  

The palace is open from Tuesday through Sunday beginning at ten am.  It is closed on Mondays.  During the winter the palace closes at 6 p.m., and during the summer at 7 p.m.  The ticket office closes an hour before that.  

The official website for the Royal Palace can be found here:

Royal Palace of La Almudaina

The Royal Palace to the left, La Seu to the right

fountain in the gardens of Almudaina

The Hall of Fireplaces

The Hall of Kings

tapestry in the Council Hall

the queen's study

The King and Queen of Spain, Felipe and Letizia

The courtyard, including the 11th century lion fountain

Chapel of Santa Anna

Pueblo Espanol Mallorca

Pueblo Espanol Mallorca is a collection of replica buildings from across Spain.  It's a village with a variety of examples of Spanish architecture.  It was created as a tourist destination, and is used for exhibits and weddings or special events.  Entrance is 10 euro.  It is open every day in the summer from ten am until 6 p.m., and an hour earlier in the winter.  

Bellver Castle

Our last destination for the day was the Bellver Castle.  It was built in the 14th century for King James the 2nd and is one of the few circular castles in Europe.  

It first served as a residence for the kings of Majorca, but then became a military prison from the 18th through mid-20th century.  It is now a tourist attraction as well as the seat for the city’s history museum.  The main castle was built by Pere Salva. The building’s circular shape is unique for a Spanish castle.  A moat surrounds the castle, and an inner circular courtyard, known as Patio de Armas, hosts a well in its center.  There are three towers surrounding the courtyard, and an arch connects them to a free standing keep, known as the Torre del Homenaje.  The view of Palma from the roof is spectacular.  In fact, Bellver means “lovely view” in Catalan.  During the warm summer months, the castle is used to host evening concerts under the stars.  The castle is closed on Mondays.  Otherwise it opens at 10 am and closes at 6 p.m. during the winter, or 7 p.m. during the summer.  The entrance cost is 4 euro.  

You can read more about the Castell de Bellver at this link:

Bellver Castle

The Bellver Castle

view of Palma from the Bellver Castle

Head to the ticket office before climbing the stairs to enter the Bellver Castle

stairs leading to the entrance

diagram of the layout of the castle

There were lots of statues on display in the castle

one of the tiny windows in the castle

various pottery on display

inside the circular inner yard

the well in the middle of the inner yard

We also enjoyed the food in Palma.  In fact, we had the very best meal of our entire week at a restaurant called La Boveda.  This restaurant is located a couple blocks from the royal palace.  We also enjoyed some delicious gelato at a gelataria named Iceberg.  In addition to our Hop on Hop Off bus tour, we enjoyed walking around and looking at the buildings and views in Palma, including the beautiful view of Palma Bay.

Iceberg Gelataria

La Boveda Menu - the best meal of our entire trip!

our view of Palma as our ship left the dock

One highlight of visiting Palma de Mallorca was that after we got home, we discovered a television series called "The Mallorca Files" that was filmed in Mallorca.  It was really fun to watch the episodes and see sites that we had visited while we were there.  You can find the series to view on Amazon here:

The Mallorca Files