The largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, Mallorca is incredibly popular with tourists from all over the world. It boasts over 500 km of coastline and around 200 pristine beaches with soft, white sand and crystalline waters whilst the temperature is always warm and sunny. Water-based activities are numerous and include sailing, kayaking, diving, deep sea fishing, snorkelling, stand up paddle boarding, wind-surfing and kite-surfing to name a few. The mountain range in the west has been named as a UNESCO world heritage site and the island has acres of picturesque olive, almond and carob groves as well as vineyards. Palma is the capital and conveniently has its own international airport. There are many festivals and events held in Mallorca, and include religious festivals, sporting events and even music concerts. You can take a little wooden train from Palma to Soller, which is a beautiful little town just 27 km north or travel to Arta, which is another interesting little town on the eastern side of the island. There are some wonderful shops and sidewalk cafes as well as a market, which is held every Tuesday. Ses Paisses is not too far from here and is said to have been built over 3, 000 years ago. If you enjoy nature walks, hikes and bird watching, then S’Albufera Nature Reserve is worth a visit, there are over 200 species of birds and some great trails for cycling. Parc Natural de Mondrago can be found on the southeastern stretch of the island and there are a variety of birds to be found here as well as, arguably, some of the best beaches on the island. The Serra de Tramuntana is a mountain range with some spectacular hiking and walking trails and incredible views from the top. There are a few monuments and historic buildings such as the 14th century Castell de Belver. It has a museum and wonderful views out over the island. The Santa Maria Cathedral, or La Seu, is also rather impressive, both inside and out.
