Palma de Mallorca Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Palma de Mallorca

Spain Square is one of Palma de Mallorca’s main transport and civic hubs, marking the transition between the historic Old Town and the newer parts of the city. Although it lacks the medieval origins of many nearby squares, its importance grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Palma expanded beyond its former city walls.

Riding high above the square is a bronze statue of James I of Aragon, known as The Conqueror. From this vantage point, he overlooks a space as busy as his own life once was. James captured Mallorca from Abu Yahya, the Moorish governor, on September 5, 1229, a decisive moment in the island’s history. Today, beneath his watchful gaze, cafés and benches offer places to pause, while buses, cars, and electric scooters weave through the square, and people constantly meet and part.

Spain Square functions as a true nerve center of Mallorca. Beneath it lies the city’s main transport terminal, serving most buses and trains on the island. Buses connect Palma with towns across Mallorca, while trains run to Inca, Sa Pobla, Manacor, and Marratxí.

Directly behind the station terminal is Station Park, a landscaped green space that provides a welcome refuge from the bustle of the square. With shaded paths and a children’s play area, it offers a quieter counterpoint to the constant movement across the road in Spain Square itself.

Olivar Market sits in the heart of Palma de Mallorca and is the city’s largest and most important public market. Opened in 1951, it takes its name from the former Convent of the Olivar, which once occupied the area. Built as part of Palma’s postwar modernization, the market brought together food vendors who had previously operated in smaller open-air settings, creating a central hub for everyday shopping and social life.

If you enjoy food in all its forms, Olivar Market is the place to be. The easiest way to understand its importance is to watch the locals. See where they go for snacks, take-away meals, fresh ingredients, and casual lunches. Follow their lead. Even with a fairly dense network of supermarkets in the city, the market remains the go-to destination for residents as well as visitors.

Inside, the range is impressive. Seafood displays highlight Mallorca’s close relationship with the Mediterranean, while nearby stalls offer meats, cured sausages such as sobrassada, cheeses, fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and gourmet specialties. Sushi counters sit alongside traditional fishmongers, reflecting both local tastes and modern influences. Bars, cafés, and small restaurants throughout the market make it easy to stop for tapas, coffee, or a meal on the spot.

On the ground floor (the first floor in the United States), visitors will find most of the produce, meat, seafood, and gourmet food stalls. Escalators and elevators lead to the upper level, which expands the experience beyond food shopping. Here, you’ll find a small shopping arcade, restaurants and bars, boutiques, a supermarket, a cooking school, a hairdressing salon, a children’s area, and even a library, along with access to the parking area.

Beyond its offerings, Olivar Market provides a vivid snapshot of daily Palma life. Conversations flow across counters, routines unfold naturally, and the pace shifts from busy mornings to a calmer midday rhythm. It’s not just a market, but one of the best places to understand how Palma eats, shops, and lives.

The Museum of Spanish Contemporary Art is closely tied to the extraordinary life of Juan Alberto March Ordinas. Born in 1880 into a poor family of pig-farming peasants, March rose to become one of Spain’s most powerful financiers. By the time of his death in 1961, he was reportedly the seventh richest man in the world and a key economic supporter of dictator Franco's regime. After a long and controversial career involving banking, smuggling, and wartime profiteering, March turned his attention to culture, establishing a foundation in his hometown.

The Juan March Foundation, founded in 1955, was created to support the arts, music, and social sciences. The Museum of Spanish Contemporary Art houses the March Collection, a private collection assembled by March and focused mainly on 20th-century Spanish art. The museum itself is located in a 17th-century mansion, offering an intimate setting rather than a large-scale gallery experience.

The entrance to the museum is easy to find: the words “Fundación Juan March Palma” and an arrow, both mounted on the wall, point toward a glass door. Once inside, pass through another door on your left and you will enter a classic Mallorcan courtyard. A curved staircase leads to the first floor, where the museum’s art collection is displayed.

The collection is arranged chronologically, beginning with early 20th-century works. Early in the circuit, look for Juan Gris’s Cubist paintings, as well as Pablo Picasso’s graphic works and engravings. Be sure to spend time with key pieces by Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. Mid-20th-century and contemporary works complete the circuit, featuring artists such as Antoni Tàpies, Antonio Saura, and the Mallorcan painter Miquel Barceló. Altogether, the collection comprises around seventy works.

Main Square is one of Palma de Mallorca’s most lively and historically layered public spaces, located at the heart of the Old Town. Despite its relaxed atmosphere today, the site has a far darker past. Until 1823, it was occupied by the Convent of Saint Philip Neri, which had effectively served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition in Mallorca. Few mourned its demolition, and about a decade later, work began on creating the square that now occupies the site.

The resulting plaza is a large, rectangular space, fully tiled and closed to motor traffic. Three- and four-storey porticoed buildings line its edges, creating a sense of enclosure while offering shaded walkways at street level.

Main Square sits close to several important landmarks, including the Churches of Saint Michael and Saint Eulalia, as well as the Town Hall and the Main Theatre, making it a natural crossroads within the historic centre. Streets leading out of the square are packed with shops, cafés, and galleries, keeping the area busy throughout the day.

Today, Main Square is animated by restaurants, cafés, art galleries, and frequent street performers. An artisan market is held here every week, adding to the square’s lively character. Once a place of fear and judgment, Main Square has become one of Palma’s most social spaces—a fitting transformation at the heart of the city.

Gran Hotel is one of Palma de Mallorca’s most distinctive historic buildings and a landmark of the city’s early modern era. Completed in 1903, it was Palma’s first luxury hotel and the forerunner of high-end tourism on the island. Designed by master architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a pioneering figure of Catalan Modernisme, the building represents a style made internationally famous by Antoni Gaudí’s work in Barcelona.

Architecturally, Gran Hotel is a textbook example of Modernisme. Its façade is lavishly decorated in an Art Nouveau manner, with sculpted stone figures, ornate ceramic elements, floral motifs, and wrought-iron details. At the time of its opening, the hotel was considered the most sumptuous in Spain, symbolizing Mallorca’s ambition to present itself as a refined destination for cultured European travellers.

The building functioned as a hotel until the mid-20th century, after which it passed through several uses before being carefully restored. Today, it houses the Caixa Foundation cultural centre, part of a foundation created by CaixaBank that supports artistic and cultural activities across Spain and abroad.

Gran Hotel offers much more than architectural interest. Inside, it hosts exhibitions, concerts, and conferences, as well as a permanent pictorial collection of works by the Mallorcan painter Anglada Camarasa. A quiet café and bookstore provide a comfortable space to pause and reflect.

Born Passage is one of Palma de Mallorca’s most elegant and historically layered promenades, linking the Old Town with the former port area. Its origins stretch back to the medieval period, when this open space lay just outside the city walls and was used for tournaments, military drills, and public gatherings. The name “Born” is thought to derive from medieval jousting grounds.

In its modern form, the promenade dates largely to the 19th century, when Palma expanded beyond its fortifications. The Born was laid out over the former riverbed of the Riera torrent, which once divided the city. For more than a hundred years, this tree-lined avenue has hosted feasts, demonstrations, public events, and generations of peaceful strollers. A wide central promenade runs between two traffic lanes, originally designed for vehicles moving in each direction. Today, vehicle traffic is strictly limited, giving the entire area the feel of a pedestrian plaza.

Architecturally, the Born is framed by grand townhouses whose ground floors now house galleries, boutiques, and cafés. Landmarks along the promenade include the Solleric Mansion, a former palace turned exhibition space, and the site of the old Born Cinema, now occupied by a Zara store. During the Franco era, the dictator attempted to rename the avenue “Franco Passage,” but locals continued to call it simply the Born.

The passage is ideal for an evening walk. From here, views open toward the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and Palma Cathedral, both especially atmospheric after dark. Cafés and terraces invite lingering, and even small rituals—such as stopping for vegan ice cream at a place called Dolce—fit naturally into the rhythm of the promenade.

The March Palace Museum occupies a grand building commissioned by financier Juan March Ordinas and completed in 1945. Although its Neoclassical and regionalist architecture evokes the historicist style of a much older noble residence, the palace is in fact a 20th-century landmark built on a site formerly occupied by the Convent of Saint Dominic. While the elder March provided the financial foundation, it was his son, Bartolomé March, who shaped the world-class collections housed here today, focusing his legacy on the acquisition of rare books, maps, and fine art.

The museum’s interior is renowned for its magnificent mural paintings by the Catalan artist Josep Maria Sert, which adorn the ceilings of the grand halls. The permanent collection is particularly celebrated for its extraordinary Neapolitan Nativity Scene, dating from the 18th century and comprising more than 1,000 intricately crafted figures. The palace also holds a significant collection of medieval and Renaissance portolan charts, or nautical maps, considered among the most important of their kind in the world.

A major highlight is the rooftop sculpture terrace, an open-air gallery featuring an outstanding collection of 20th-century works by artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Eduardo Chillida. From here, visitors enjoy sweeping views of Palma Cathedral, the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, and the harbor. The visit can be rounded out by exploring the historic library, which continues to serve as an important resource for scholars of Balearic history.

The Royal Garden is a tranquil green space set beside the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, offering a quiet counterpoint to Palma’s most monumental landmarks. Its origins lie within the palace complex itself: in the 14th century, the Almudaina Palace contained royal gardens laid out in the Andalusian tradition. These gardens combined fruit trees, vegetables, medicinal herbs, ornamental plants, and flowers, arranged around water features to create a shaded, carefully balanced environment. Until 1847, the garden area was enclosed by walls, the seashore, and the gardener’s house.

Between 1847 and 1918, much of the original garden was redeveloped. Buildings rose along its edges, including the Alhambra Hotel, the Lyric Theatre, and various shops, newspaper offices, and shipping agencies. The space was later reclaimed and redesigned as a public garden.

Today, the Royal Garden features cypress trees, orange trees, shady arcades, fountains, and reflecting pools, including a large pond inhabited by black swans. An original Islamic arch spanning the pond survives as a rare reminder of the site’s medieval heritage. Several sculptures are scattered throughout the garden, the most notable being the bronze "Stone Slinger”.

The Royal Palace of La Almudaina is one of Palma de Mallorca’s most important historic monuments, standing directly opposite the cathedral and overlooking the bay. Its origins lie in the Islamic period, when it functioned as the fortified palace of Mallorca. Built on earlier Roman and possibly Byzantine foundations, the complex served as the seat of Muslim governors until the Christian conquest of Mallorca in 1229.

Following the conquest by King James I of Aragon, the palace was adapted for Christian rule. Its most significant transformation came in 1309, when King James II of Mallorca ordered a major reconstruction based on the Royal Palace of Perpignan. This rebuilding established much of the structure and layout that define La Almudaina today. By the 14th century, the palace had assumed its enduring form as a Gothic royal residence, while still preserving traces of its Islamic past, particularly in its courtyards and baths.

To enter the palace premises, look for the arched gateway with a balcony above it. As soon as you clear security, you will walk straight into the King’s Courtyard, easily recognized by the white marble lion fountain at its center. One of the palace’s highlights is the Chapel of Saint Anne, located along the western wall of the courtyard. Its exterior portal immediately stands out, crafted from rose and white marble from the Pyrenees. In contrast to this Romanesque entrance—one of the few surviving examples of the style on the island—the chapel’s interior reflects classic Mallorcan Gothic. Inside, look for the 14th-century alabaster altarpiece and the central rose window, which floods the small space with colorful light.

The most impressive and largest room in the palace is the Great Hall. It is the first major hall you enter after climbing the staircase flanked by two lion statues in the courtyard. Once inside, look up at the massive pointed Gothic arches and the high vaulted ceilings. Along the walls hang Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries, depicting intricate mythological and historical scenes. The hall remains the setting for official state receptions when the Spanish royal family is in residence.

Overall, the palace’s interior spaces are clearly differentiated by level. The ground floor maintains a distinctly medieval atmosphere, with art, furnishings, and tapestries dating largely from the 15th century. The upper floor, reserved for official royal acts, is more formal in tone and decorated with artworks and objects from the 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries.

The palace can get quite crowded in the mid-morning when cruise ship tours arrive. For the best experience and to see the Great Hall without the crowds, try to visit during the first hour of opening or in the late afternoon.

Palma Cathedral, commonly known as La Seu, is the most iconic landmark of Palma de Mallorca and one of the great Gothic cathedrals of the Mediterranean. Rising directly above the Bay of Palma, its vast sandstone structure dominates the city skyline. According to tradition, its construction was born of a vow. In December 1229, King James I of Aragon was caught in a violent storm while sailing to conquer the Balearic Islands. Facing disaster, the young king swore that if he survived and succeeded, he would build a great cathedral in Mallorca. He survived, conquered the island, and in 1230 construction began on La Seu, on the site of the former main mosque.

Building continued intermittently for around 350 years, making the cathedral a record of evolving architectural styles. The seaward-facing portal reflects early Gothic influences from the 13th century, while the opposite portal dates to the late Gothic period of the 16th century. Elsewhere, Gothic gives way to Renaissance elements, Baroque chapels, and touches of Classicism, particularly in the baptistry. The nave, completed last, ranks among the largest in Europe.

Light is central to the cathedral’s identity. The immense Gothic rose window on the eastern façade measures about 41 feet in diameter and is composed of roughly 1,200 pieces of stained glass. Each morning, sunlight floods the interior with shifting colours. Twice a year, on February 2 and November 11, this effect becomes especially dramatic during the “Light Game of the Eight,” when the rising sun projects the rose window’s image directly beneath the western rose, forming a luminous figure eight. For about twenty days on either side of the winter solstice, sunrise can be seen through both rosettes. The rose window on the eastern façade is positioned directly above the High Altar.

Another highlight to admire is famed modernist architect Antoni Gaudí’s early 20th-century intervention: a massive chandelier suspended above the central altar area. To see it best, stand at the front of the pews in the central nave and look up. You will see a large, illuminated, hexagonal baldachin hanging from chains. Made of wrought iron and cardboard, it features 35 brass lamps.

A natural follow-up after viewing Gaudí’s chandelier is another major intervention, completed in 2007. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was renovated by renowned Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló, who covered its walls with large, cracked ceramic sculptures representing the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Look for the submerged textures of fish and sea plants, as well as the tall, eerie, monochromatic windows that make the space feel underwater. The chapel is located at the front end of the south aisle, near the main altar.

The Trinity Chapel, which is not open to the public, contains the tombs of Kings James II and James III.