Car Hire Mallorca - Mini guide to Mallorca

This popular Mediterranean destination has a well-oiled tourist infrastructure to match its Gothic architecture, spectacular hilltop villages, olive groves and hidden beaches.

Palma is lively and boasts a good nightlife. However, by day you can explore the attractive old quarter, crammed with cobbled lanes, tree-lined boulevards, Gothic churches and designer boutiques. The Gothic cathedral, Palau de l’Almudaina (Moslem castle), Banyas Arabas (Arab baths), Bellvar castle and La Llotja are notable attractions. The Museu de Mallorca is a converted 15th-century palace containing some good archaeological finds. For those disinterested in history, the beaches are a bus ride away on the remote waterfront. The town centre however is more lively, if somewhat covered in tourist tack, but full of tapas bars, bodegas, discos and excellent seafood/international restaurants.

Manacor is Mallorca's second largest town but somewhat unremarkable, famous for cultivating pearls, though the clones are more expensive (and better) than natural ones.

Valldemossa is a former monastery with lovely gardens and palatial rooms, including remnants from Chopin. Wandering around the quaint old town is delightful and the Costa Nord show offers a fascinating perspective on its history. The rocky cove of Port de Valldemossa is 7km away, if you feel like a swim.

By car you can explore Alcúdia, the Coves del Drac, Soller and it’s many unspoilt beaches.