Palma
Palma is an international Mediterranean metropolis offering almost everything. Here you can find excellent shopping with anything from the larger shops to designer brands, art galleries, cultural events and a large variety of gourmet restaurants, bars and clubs. You will discover a truly beautiful city with centuries old architecture and many stunning buildings, palaces and patios.
Palma dates back to the Roman times and was founded with its city walls around 122 BC. The island later came under Arab rule in 902, and Moors modified the Roman walls to meet their needs. They brought water from outside to the centre of Palma, and art and culture prospered. Around 1200 the Christians took over from the Moors and eliminated almost every trace of the Arabs and many Moorish buildings were destroyed. In 1230 the king Jaume I ordered the cathedral of La Seu to be built as a sign for those approaching from the sea, that Mallorca was now in Christian hands. However it was built on a former mosque which means that the cathedral faces Mecca, and not Jerusalem! Many major changes have been made over the years to expand the growth of the city - the river Riera was diverted to the west and around 1900 the city walls were more or less torn down to give place for the large streets called the Avenidas, that today surrounds the city instead.
Palma has a wonderful old town core where the beautiful and central boulevard Paseo del Borne offers nice strolls along the palm trees and great shopping. Paseo del Borne leads up to a small fountain and plaza de Juan Carlos I, and into the large shopping street called Jaime III. Other good shopping areas are the pedestrian streets of Jaime II and c/ San Miguel. Most of the restaurants and bars can be found in the area of La Lonja, close to Paseo del Borne, but also in Santa Catalina. The larger clubs are located on Paseo Marítimo along the waterfront. In La Calatrava, also known as the cathedral district, you can enjoy interesting and quiet walks among the historical city palaces and patios.
Just outside Palmas old town you'll find the area called Santa Catalina. This is a old fisherman’s village with broader streets and lower houses. Here you will find a more bohemian atmosphere with many quaint shops, cafés, restaurants and a nice market place. A little bit further on is the area of El Terreno, a small town in the town, with narrow cobblestone streets and large houses from the turn of the century and amazing views. It's set on a hill between the bay and the Bellver Park with one of Spain's most beautiful medieval castles, Castell de Bellver.
Further on to the west you will find Genova and La Bonanova, which are more residential areas set on the mountain and offering wonderful views. Genova has many good restaurants and a mountain village atmosphere. Along the water are Cala Mayor and San Augustin with great beaches, small harbours and many restaurants.
On the eastern side of Palma, towards the airport, are the popular seaside areas of Es Portixol and Es Molinar. These also used to be the homes of fishermen and they fortunately most remain genuine in character. All along this area you have good beaches and many restaurants and cafés. Further on, past the airport, is the long and 40 m wide beach of Playa de Palma, known for its popular (and mainly German) tourist resort of Arenal.
