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Clear turquoise water and a white-sand beach at Cala Turqueta, Menorca, between pine-covered rocks

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Two islands, unhurried: Mallorca's mountains and Menorca's coves

Palma, the Serra de Tramuntana, Pollença, Ciutadella & Mahón

Photo: Carly Jones / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

The Balearics are famous for their beaches, but the two largest islands also have another, quieter face. Mallorca's north-west is taken up by the Serra de Tramuntana, protected by UNESCO: stone villages where Chopin spent a winter and the poet Robert Graves made his home, terraces of olive and lemon trees, dry-stone walls, and below them small coves reached by steps. Between the mountains and Palma's cathedral rising above the sea lies a whole world worth taking slowly.

Menorca is the neighbouring island, with a completely different character: a biosphere reserve of low hills, stone walls, prehistoric towers and the Camí de Cavalls, the old bridle path that circles the whole island and leads to coves no road reaches. The journey suits couples, honeymooners and families: drives are short, and the stays, from a boutique hotel in Palma's old town to a stone finca among the olives or a house with a terrace above the sea, would be chosen around your rhythm.

The route

The journey

  1. Palma
  2. Valldemossa & Deià
  3. Sóller
  4. Pollença & Formentor
  5. Ferry to Menorca
  6. Ciutadella & the southern coves
  7. Mahón
  1. Palma's La Seu cathedral above the lake of the Parc de la Mar under a blue sky

    01Days 1–3 · Palma

    A cathedral above the sea

    Two nights in old Palma, a city often skipped on the way to the beaches. La Seu cathedral stands right above the sea, and inside, its rose window throws coloured light across the columns; both Gaudí and the Mallorcan contemporary artist Miquel Barceló left their mark here. In the old town there are stone courtyards whose gates are sometimes left ajar, Arab baths and the Santa Catalina market, where a morning coffee with an ensaïmada, the island's spiral pastry, is a must. On day two, a walk or a bike ride along the seafront, Bellver Castle on its hill and dinner in the old town's lanes. Palma is at its best in spring and autumn, when there are more locals than visitors in the streets.

  2. The village of Valldemossa and its church tower among the green Tramuntana mountains

    02Days 3–5 · Valldemossa, Deià & Sóller

    Villages on the Tramuntana slopes

    About half an hour into the mountains, and two nights in a stone finca or small hotel between Deià and Sóller. On the way, Valldemossa, whose Carthusian monastery sheltered Chopin and George Sand through the winter of 1838–39. The road then winds along the cliffs to Deià, where houses of golden stone climb the hillside and the poet Robert Graves lies in the churchyard. On the second day, a footpath through olive terraces to the Sóller valley, or a shorter trail down to Deià's little cove and a fish lunch by the water. A wooden train more than a century old still runs from Sóller to Palma, and an old tram rattles down to the port; for children it's the adventure of the trip.

  3. Sunset over the rocky cliffs and sea of the Formentor peninsula near Pollença

    03Days 5–7 · Pollença & Formentor

    Calvary steps and a cape above the sea

    About an hour north-east by mountain road lies Pollença, and two nights in a country house outside town. The old town has a Sunday market, and 365 stone steps lined with cypresses climb to the Calvari chapel, with a view over the whole bay. On day two, the Formentor peninsula: a narrow road climbs to a viewpoint above the cliffs and winds down towards the lighthouse at the very tip of the cape. In summer, private cars are often not allowed onto the peninsula, so the way in is by bus, by boat from Port de Pollença or early in the morning. In the afternoon, a swim in a calm pine-fringed bay, or Alcúdia's old town walls and the Roman ruins of Pollentia. In the evening, dinner on a terrace as the sun sets over the mountains.

  4. Ciutadella's harbour from above: boats along the quay and the houses of the old town

    04Days 7–9 · Ciutadella & the southern coves

    A bridle path to the coves

    In the morning, the ferry from Alcúdia to Ciutadella, roughly an hour and a half to two hours across the sea, and two nights in Menorca's old capital or a farm nearby. Ciutadella is unhurried, with a Gothic cathedral, palaces and a narrow harbour where restaurant lights come on in the evening. On day two, the Camí de Cavalls, the old bridle path that circles the island: its southern stretch runs through pine woods and over limestone cliffs to the coves of Macarella, Macarelleta and Turqueta, with white sand and turquoise water. Each cove is half an hour to an hour's walk from the next, so it suits families too. On the way, the Naveta des Tudons is worth a stop: a stone tomb more than three thousand years old and one of the Talayotic sites of Menorca on UNESCO's list.

  5. Whitewashed houses along a sunny lane by the sea in Binibeca, Menorca

    05Days 9–10 · Mahón & the south-east

    One of the Mediterranean's great harbours

    About an hour east across the island lies Mahón, and a final night near the town. Mahón's harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, and its shores still show traces of 18th-century British rule: sash windows, gin and even a few English words in the Menorcan dialect. In the afternoon, a boat along the harbour's islands and fortresses, and in the evening a walk on the quay and a last dinner. Nearby is the white hamlet of Binibeca, built in the 1960s in the style of a fishing village; its residents ask visitors for quiet, so it's best visited calmly and early. On day ten, the flight from Menorca, usually via Barcelona or Madrid.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Tramuntana villages

    Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller: golden stone, olive terraces and a wooden train.

  2. 02

    Cape Formentor

    Cliffs, a lighthouse and a view worth getting up early for.

  3. 03

    The Camí de Cavalls

    The old bridle path to Menorca's coves, reached only on foot or by boat.

  4. 04

    Mahón's harbour

    By boat between islands and fortresses: a history best seen from the water.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • For a honeymoon

    Fewer bases and more time: four nights at a finca in the Tramuntana and three at a Menorcan farm, with a private boat trip to the coves.

  • With children

    Shorter stretches of path, the wooden train and tram at Sóller, kayaks in calm coves and the shallow bays of Menorca's north coast.

  • In spring or autumn

    In April and May the mountains are in flower and good for walking, and in September and October the sea is still warm; the coves are far quieter then than in July and August.

  • With Barcelona or Catalonia

    Barcelona is a short flight or an overnight ferry from the islands, so the journey can naturally begin with a few days in Catalonia.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly April to June and September to October. In July and August the islands are hot and at their busiest, and in winter many places close.
  • In summer, car access or parking is restricted at the most popular coves (Macarella or Turqueta, for example) and on the Formentor peninsula, sometimes with buses only; we check the current rules before you travel.
  • The ferry between Mallorca and Menorca runs from Alcúdia to Ciutadella; schedules depend on the season and the weather, so we confirm them closer to the journey.
  • A tourist tax is charged on overnight stays in the Balearics, usually paid at the accommodation; the amount depends on the season and type of stay, so we check it before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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