Our Guide to 24 Hours in Palma de Mallorca

We’ve just returned from an awesome week on the gorgeous island of Mallorca. And one of my favorite days of that week was spent in Palma, the island’s biggest city. I loved wandering the cobbled, narrow streets with a coffee in hand and checking out the iconic Palma Cathedral. In fact, we had such a great time in Palma that we’re planning to return and stay in the city for at least three nights.

I’ve come up with what I think is the perfect day in Palma. It includes the city’s top sights, the best coffee shops, the best restaurants, as well as a few unforgettable hidden gems!

If you’ve got limited time, here’s our ultimate guide to spending one day in Palma de Mallorca.

Is one day enough for Palma de Mallorca?

I do think one day is enough to see Palma’s highlights (like the Cathedral of Mallorca and Castell de Bellver). However, it will be a fast-paced day trying to squeeze everything in. Which is why I recommend allowing at least 3 days in Palma de Mallorca. That’s if you want to really get a true feel for this lovely city and take it slow.

As I said, we spent a week in Mallorca recently and because we had a rental car we were able to drive from our hotel in Sa Coma to Palma (the biggest and capital city of Mallorca) for a day. It was a great day away from our resort, even though there was a torrential downpour when we first arrived (see photo above!)

Palma de Mallorca is a gorgeous, historic city with loads to do.

And I know that 24 hours in Palma may seem like a limited amount of time, but you’d be surprised at how much you can fit into one day here. As long as you stick to a schedule and follow my list below (in that order, preferably), you could fit up to 8 activities into a day in Palma de Mallorca.

Morning – Mercat de L’Olivar & wander downtown

The first thing I do when I get to a new destination is spend a few hours on my first morning wandering the downtown area, snapping some photos with a coffee in hand, and getting my bearings. This is actually my favorite thing to do in a new place, as it makes me feel like a local.

Mercat de L’Olivar

So, this morning I recommend first heading to Mercat de L’Olivar between Plaça de Espanya and Carrer Sant Miquel. This traditional Spanish market is a good spot to get a glimpse into the daily lives of Mallorcans. It’s a hive of activity and the stalls here sell mostly food products (fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, etc). But there’s also a shopping arcade where you can pick up some souvenirs and clothes.

This market has been in operation since 1951 and it’s a really beautiful building. Mercat de L’Olivar is open on weekdays from 7 am until 2:30 pm and on Saturdays until 3 pm. It is open some Fridays until late (8 pm).

Go shopping!

If you’re looking to do a spot of luxury shopping, make a beeline for ‘the Golden Mile’, aka Paseo del Borne. Home to stores like Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss. We also loved checking out the charming stores on Can Veri (one of the most beautiful streets in the city, in my opinion), which is lined with art galleries and stylish boutique stores.

One of the most photogenic stores in Palma is English Fine Books on Carrer d’En Morei. It gave off Harry Potter vibes (it reminded me of Diagon Alley). After taking some photos in this eclectic store, we headed for a coffee at Cafésphère on Plaza de la Pescateria. The coffee was so good (and strong). My daughters loved their unicorn takeaway cups!

We also stopped by the Disgusting Food Museum on Calle Sindicat 21, which is exactly as the name suggests, a museum filled with disgusting food from around the world. Some of the 80 exhibited foods we saw were frog smoothies from Peru, maggot cheese from Sardinia, and the notoriously smelly fruit Durian from Thailand. You can smell all the ‘yucky’ foods here, and if you’re brave enough, taste some (I didn’t, but my husband did). Tickets for the Disgusting Food Museum cost 20 per person.

Next, on the way to check out the Cathedral of Mallorca, we made a detour to Calle Apuntadores – a quiet, pretty backstreet that comes alive at night. We wanted to check out where we’d come for some drinks that evening, and Bar Dia stood out.

Late Morning – Cathedral of Mallorca

The jewel in Palma de Mallorca’s crown is without a doubt the Cathedral of Mallorca (one of the tallest cathedrals in Europe). This stunning Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral took hundreds of years to build. Once you see the magnificence of the building up close you’ll understand why its construction took so long. Building started in 1229 and didn’t finish until 1601.

The cathedral, also called La Seu boasts a 44-meter-tall nave that’s the second tallest in the world. However, the most famous part of the cathedral is the choir stalls, which were actually designed and partly built by none other than Antony Gaudi. However, he never got to finish it as he abandoned the job after an argument with a contractor.

We spent around an hour here. You can also access the terraces at the top of the cathedral with your ticket. However, we were unable to do this as we had our young daughters with us (and you must be over 9 years old to access the terrace).

After exiting the cathedral, we headed for the Museum of Sacred Art – entry here is included with your ticket. It was a short visit, but the art was beautiful and it was a peaceful experience in comparison with the cathedral.

We were in need of another coffee at this stage of the day so we headed for the highly recommended Surry Hills Specialty Coffee on del Carme Street. It’s run by Australians and the coffee was so good!

Buying tickets for the Cathedral:

Tickets for the Cathedral of Mallorca are €25 per person. Or if you love guided tours (we do!) you can book this guided tour of the city which includes admission to the Cathedral – it’s a bargain at €28 per person. The guided tour of the city is 45 minutes long and the guided tour of the cathedral is also 45 minutes. So all in that’s 90 minutes.

Afternoon – Castell de Bellver

Around 3 km from the city center is another Palma icon – Castell de Bellver. A unique castle (it has a circular floor in the middle attached to two towers) that has an interesting history. It was first the summer residence for the Kings of Mallorca, and between the 18th and 20th centuries, it was used as a prison. Today, it is one of the most-visited places in Mallorca and also where you’ll find the island’s history museum.

The views from the castle are breathtaking, and from this prime vantage point, you’ll get to see not only the city but the gorgeous pine forests nearby.

If you plan to visit Palma during the summer, keep an eye on the Castell’s website, as often the central courtyard here hosts evening classical concerts.

Entry to Castell de Bellver costs just €4 per adult.

Related Read: Additionally, for a different musical experience, the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in the United States features a variety of concerts and events throughout the summer months.

Late Afternoon – Visit a nearby beach

Mallorca is renowned for its stunning beaches and in my opinion, no Mallorca itinerary could be considered complete without a visit to one of them. The closest beaches to the city are Cala Comtessa and Illetas, both are a 15-minute drive away.

Both are quintessential Mallorcan-looking beaches with calm, turquoise waters and white sand. Our preference is Illetas as there’s a fabulous lunch spot here called Balneario Illetas, which overlooks the beach. It’s a beach club with a great restaurant, and the dishes are fresh, Mediterranean-style. I loved the lobster linguine, while my husband got the beef burger and loved it. It’s a very popular eatery, so advance booking is recommended!

Evening – Watch the sunset from the Paseo Maritimo

Our next recommended stop today is the Mallorca Es Baluard Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, which is actually found within the old city walls. It’s such a unique museum and here you’ll find a wide collection of modern art – interestingly, many of the artists are local.

Afterward, we advise heading for the Paseo Maritimo for dinner. One of our favorite dinner spots in the city is located here – C’an Eduardo, which is well-known for its delicious paellas. And the terrace here has lovely views over the harbor.

When we finished our meal, we took a long stroll along the Paseo, which, as you can guess, boasts glorious views of the bay. It’s around 4 km long and we caught a magnificent sunset from there.

And if you have more time in Palma…

If you have longer than a day to spend in Mallorca, ideally around 3 days, then I highly recommend adding the following spots to your Mallorca itinerary –

Drach Caves

The Drach Caves are a series of four interconnected, breathtakingly beautiful caves around an hour’s drive from Palma. This series of caves extends to around 4 km long, and sections of the cave are as deep as 25 meters. It was formed by water from the Mediterranean Sea being forced through the entrance, and many researchers believe it was formed millions of years ago.

On a visit to the Cuevas del Drach, you’ll witness massive stalactites and stalagmites and see bright blue underground lakes. The scenery really is awe-inspiring!

Soller

Soller is one of the most beautiful towns in Mallorca, located around a 40-minute drive or an hour-long train ride, which is highly recommended as the scenery is so beautiful. We spent half a day in this gorgeous town, and some of our favorite things to do there was to catch the tram to Puerto de Soller and check out the Museum of Modernism.

Valdemossa

Another stunning Mallorcan gem is Valldemossa a hilltop town nestled at the base of the Tramuntana mountains. It’s only a 20-minute drive from Palma and so is incredibly popular with tourists. Some of the best things to do here include hiking the 4-hour-long El Teix hike and shopping at the famed Sunday market.

Where to Stay in Palma

We highly recommend Helios Mallorca in nearby Can Pastillo. It scores an impressive 9/10 on booking.com and offers guests an indoor and outdoor pool. As well as other fun facilities like a mini golf course. It’s located next to Palma Aquarium and so as you can guess, it’s very popular with families. It’s very reasonably priced for Palma, too – with rates at €125 per night.

Some other well-rated hotels in Palma, that are good value for money, include –

• Melia Palma Marina – with rooms starting from €179 per night this is great value for a 4-star hotel with harbor views. Rooms here are modern, light-filled, and on-site you’ll find an outdoor pool, spa, 24-hour gym, and restaurant.

• Hotel Java – with rooms at less than €100 per night, Hotel Java in nearby Can Pastilla is a great option for travelers on a budget. It’s a 4-star hotel with two swimming pools, a gym, a restaurant and more.

• If you fancy a splurge-worthy hotel then look no further than Hotel Basilica a breathtakingly stunning historic 4-star hotel in the middle of the city. It boasts a rooftop pool, stylish rooms, a terrace bar and exceptionally helpful staff. It’s well worth the price of €300 per night (which includes breakfast!)

Getting to Palma

Palma de Mallorca Airport is a well-serviced international airport that welcomes flights from most major cities in Europe. It’s actually the third biggest airport in Spain. The airport is a 15-minute drive from the city center, and the best way to get between the two is to get a taxi which will cost from 28 euros or hop on the Route A1 bus into the city.

A great option for squeezing lots of sights into your one day in Palma is to do the hop on hop off bus. We didn’t do it here, but have done it in lots of other cities and found it so easy to use and it’s cheap, too. With tickets starting from €25. It stops at popular Palma attractions like Bellver Castle and Paseo Maritimo.

Is Palma worth visiting for the day?

In short, Palma is a gorgeous and historic city that’s well worth a visit. The Cathedral is wow-worthy and the nearby beaches are stunning. But the best part of the city for me is the cobbled, winding streets in the old town. Tell me, how did you find our guide to one day in Palma de Mallorca? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comment section below.

I’ve also written a detailed blog post about elsewhere in Spain, including 13 Best Things to Do in Lanzarote With Kids, how to spend 5 days in Lanzarote, and Visiting Lanzarote in off-season, I’d love it if you could check them out!

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Last Updated on September 17, 2025 by snaphappytravel