With more and more people arranging their own flights to take advantage of the cheaper budget airlines, the best way to avoid expensive airport transfers at the other end of your journey is to hire a car. Likewise if you simply want to explore Mallorca or want to be able to transport your group around at your own pace and see more a hire car is the best option. Hire cars come in literally all shapes and sizes of vehicle. If you are travelling with a large group hiring a mini van can often mean bigger savings. You will avoid having to use multiple taxis and you will also avoid having to use Taxis during your stay.
Once you have hired a car you will want to put it to good use here is a list of the highlights around the island that you should visit.
A good stating point when you arrive would be Palma Old Town great for a night out or just exploring some of the interesting historic monuments Palma Old town has it all. The attractions which draw most people are found near to the port. The Royal Palace, The Castle of Bellver and the Stock Exchange are worth looking at. The castle has been a feature of Palma since the 14th Century and is a bold statement on the city skyline, once a royal holiday home it was transformed into a prison look out for graffiti carved by French prisoners of war!
The Cathedral however is what most locals are proud of and would recommend visiting. It is classed as one of the worlds most significant and finest examples of gothic architecture. The Cathedral is huge so take your time exploring, try visiting during the high heat of mid day as it stays relatively cool inside the gigantic stone building.
The twisting narrow streets and secret squares are lead of from the central point of the Cathedral. Palma was recently voted the best place to live in Spain so make sure you give it a chance and see it all. By night it is a busy bustling cosmopolitan city during the summer some 600,000 people live here. Make sure you experience the incredible vibrant scenes all around town in the bars and clubs.
A trip on the Edwardian era vintage train to Soller winds it’s way through the beautiful Tramuntana mountains, the miniature railway climbs the mountains and passes trough narrow tunnels offering some of the best views on the whole Island. The last gorge on the way to Soller is simply stunning. The original solid mahogany coaches rattle and bump for an hour until your reach your destination. Stretch your legs and explore the pretty village. Don’t worry about getting back though as all the trains return to Palma just jump on the first one you see. Don’t forget the camera on this trip!
Getting a tan on Mallorca is part and parcel of the experience the sun shines for more than 300 days of the year. Beaches do tend to be rather crowded but that has just become expected here. The advantage of a hire car is that you can escape the crowds and visit some of the less frequented coves.
One such quiet spot is the Cape de Formentor at the very most northern tip of the Island. This wild peninsular is often much quieter than other areas, you will be spoilt for choice of white sandy beaches and perfect bathing. This journey in your hire car takes you along some twisting roads occasionally on 400 meter high cliffs where the pine trees appear to be growing from the solid rock! Any nervous passengers or drivers should probably miss this trip.
This is known as Mallorca’s most sacred site, and has been the centre of pilgrimage since the 13thcentury. The story behind the site begins when an Arab boy discovered a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary in the rocks. The boy brought the statue back to the church; however upon returning to the church the locals discovered the statue was missing. The Arab boy again found the statue in the same place, this happened on 3 separate occasions where upon the locals decided it was a message from god and built a church to house the statue. When you visit the church today the statue is still visible, and is now encrusted with precious stones. There is also a museum displaying artifacts and telling the story of Lluc. |
