Day 1: Arrive Palma de Mallorca
Arrive Palma de Mallorca Airport. Collect your rental car (fully insured, air-conditioned) at the terminal. Short drive to your hotel in Palma. Afternoon orientation walk through Palma’s old town: the magnificent La Seu Cathedral (construction began 1229, completed 1601), its Gothic sandstone walls reflecting in the artificial lake of Parc de la Mar. Visit the Royal Palace of La Almudaina (13th-century Moorish alcázar turned royal residence) and wander the narrow lanes of the medieval quarter. Evening: tapas crawl through the Santa Catalina district — Mallorca’s gastro quarter with its bustling market and innovative pintxos bars. Overnight Palma.
Day 2: Palma to Deià — The Artist’s Village (30km)
Morning free to explore Palma: Es Baluard Museum of Contemporary Art, the Arab Baths (Banys Àrabs, 10th century), and shopping along Passeig des Born. Afternoon: drive west along the Ma-10 coastal road into the Serra de Tramuntana. Arrive Deià — arguably Mallorca’s most beautiful village, a cascade of honey-colored stone houses tumbling down a pine-clad hillside to a rocky cove. Deià has drawn artists and writers for a century: Robert Graves (author of ‘I, Claudius’) made his home here for 56 years. Visit his house-museum, Ca n’Alluny, then hike down to Cala Deià — a tiny stone beach wedged between cliffs where the restaurant Ca’s Patro March (featured in ‘The Night Manager’) hangs over the water. Overnight Deià.
Day 3: Sóller Valley & Port de Sóller (20km)
Short drive to Sóller. Park and ride the iconic Ferrocarril de Sóller — a vintage wooden tram dating from 1913 that rattles through orange and lemon groves connecting Sóller town to Port de Sóller. Explore Sóller’s modernist architecture: Can Prunera museum, the Banco de Sóller building, and the Church of Sant Bartomeu with its Gaudí-influenced rose window. Lunch at Plaça Constitució in the shade of centenary plane trees. Afternoon: Port de Sóller’s horseshoe bay — swim at Platja d’en Repic, watch the fishing boats, and taste the valley’s famous fresh-squeezed orange juice. Optional hike up to the Torre Picada watchtower (17th century) for panoramic views of the entire bay. Overnight Port de Sóller.
Day 4: Serra de Tramuntana — Sa Calobra & the Tie Knot (80km day trip)
Full day driving the most spectacular road in Mallorca. The Ma-10 winds through the heart of the UNESCO Tramuntana range, past the Mirador de Ses Barques and the historic Son Marroig estate. The highlight: the descent to Sa Calobra — the ‘Tie Knot’ road (Carretera de Sa Calobra) engineered by Antonio Parietti in 1932, featuring a 270-degree hairpin loop that crosses under itself, plus 11 other switchbacks dropping 800 meters in 13km. At road’s end lies Sa Calobra, a dramatic pebble beach at the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis gorge — walk through the 200m-long pedestrian tunnel carved through the cliff to reach this natural amphitheater of 300m limestone walls. Return via Lluc Monastery (Santuari de Lluc) — Mallorca’s holiest site, a 13th-century pilgrimage destination with a boys’ choir school (Els Blauets) and botanical gardens. Overnight Port de Sóller.
Day 5: Port de Sóller to Porto Cristo — Caves & Coast (95km)
Cross the island from west to east. Route passes through Inca — Mallorca’s leather-working capital and a great place to visit a traditional leather factory. Continue to Porto Cristo on the east coast. Afternoon visit: Cuevas del Drach (Dragon Caves) — four interconnected chambers with Lake Martel, one of the world’s largest underground lakes (177m long, 30m wide). The hour-long tour culminates in a classical music concert with musicians gliding across the illuminated lake on boats — a magical experience unchanged since the caves opened to visitors in the 19th century. Evening: waterfront dinner at Porto Cristo’s fishing harbor. Overnight Porto Cristo or Can Pastilla.
Day 6: Can Pastilla & Es Trenc Beach (60km round trip)
Morning at Can Pastilla’s marina and the Platja de Palma (4.5km of sandy beach). Drive south to Es Trenc — Mallorca’s most famous natural beach, a 2km stretch of pristine white sand and shallow turquoise water backed by protected dunes and salt flats (Salines d’Es Trenc). This is the closest Mallorca gets to a Caribbean beach: undeveloped, wild, and stunning. Collect Fleur de Sal d’Es Trenc (Mallorca’s artisanal sea salt) from the salt pans. Afternoon: drive to Alcúdia in the north. Overnight Alcúdia or Port d’Alcudia.
Day 7: Alcúdia — Medieval Walls & Roman Past
Explore Alcúdia — one of Mallorca’s best-preserved medieval towns. Walk the complete circuit of 14th-century walls (built by King Jaume II) — you can climb sections for views over the rooftops to the Badia d’Alcúdia. Visit the Roman ruins of Pollentia (founded 123 BC), including a small theater, forum, and residential quarter. If it’s Tuesday, the Alcúdia market fills the old town with stalls selling Mallorcan olive oil, sobrassada (paprika-cured sausage), almonds, and handicrafts. Afternoon: drive to Port d’Alcudia — a long, shallow bay with powdery sand perfect for swimming and water sports. Optional: boat trip to the Formentor peninsula or stroll the beachfront promenade lined with chiringuitos. Farewell dinner in Alcúdia’s Plaça de la Constitució. Overnight Alcúdia.
Day 8: Departure
Morning drive to Palma de Mallorca Airport (45 minutes). Return rental car. Depart.
