Mallorca has a lot to offer for both adults and children and is therefore a good choice for a family holiday. Beautiful beaches, cultural visits, and fun activities. We went to Mallorca twice and have done quite some sightseeing there! We stayed in the northern part of the island once, and the second time more south.
If you go sightseeing, always bring your towels with you, because chances are high that you may just find a beautiful beach along the way where you would like to relax, or a restaurant with a swimming pool, you never know 🙂
If you would like to see something of the island, I would recommend to hire a rental car for your whole stay. There really is a lot to see and to do! Also, often, the best restaurants and places to eat Spanish or Mallorquin food are located a bit more inland.
What to do in Mallorca?
Cap Formentor
Cap Formentor is the Northernmost part of Mallorca and has several viewing points. The 400 meter tall cliffs are spectacular and often described as ‘dramatic scenery’ and I couldn’t agree more. You can walk on a small path to reach the last part to the lookout. There were some points of this walk where I really wanted to hold our kids hands though, but it was really beautiful.
Alcudia
Not to be confused with the port of Alcudia. We are talking about the historical town which lies a bit more inland and has a really nice city centre and real authentic restaurants. Alcudia is surrounded by ancient walls and has a large pedestrian area. The town also holds a nice market twice a week.
Valldemossa
Valldemossa is a beautiful town in the Tramuntana mountains and probably the most famous because Frédéric Chopin and his lover George Sand spent one winter here. We visited the beautiful Monastery and walked around in the nice historical town streets with shops and restaurants.
Soller
Soller is another beautiful town in Mallorca that shows you you should really not come for the beaches alone. It appears you can take a scenic train from Palma to Soller, but we have not tested this yet. We went there by car and also enjoyed the scenery while driving there.
Coves del Drach
The Drach cave in Porto Christo is definitely worth a visit. Go early to avoid to stand in line in the warm temperature, or buy your tickets in advance online. You will find a big underground lake inside the cave and the tour ends with a music concert on the lake which lasts approximately 10 minutes. Breathtaking to listen to music in such a beautiful environment. For the way back out of the cave you can be taken on a boat, or walk back. After the visit to the cave you can go to the beach in Porto Christo if you don’t want to head back to the hotel immediately.
Palma de Mallorca
If you come to Palma de Mallorca, the kids will love the Palma Aquarium. It is quite big, has a nice playground with a pirate ship and also a sort of water playground for warm days. You can easily spend hours here.
We also visited the Cathedral of Palma and the nice little streets in the area behind it. What makes this cathedral special, apart from it’s size and prominent location on the beach front, is the art work of Mallorquin contemporary artist Miquel Barcélo.
Of course Palma is the capital of Mallorca and so a bigger town with all the big shops, and sometimes it may take a while before you find a parking spot, but you should at least visit Palma once if you come to Mallorca!
One shopping center in Palma where you have a parking lot and all the Spanish stores you might be looking for is Porto Pi shopping center.
Hotels
We were really happy with both hotels we have tested, and especially their swimming pools!
For the hotel near Alcudia, click HERE. This hotel has a really nice swimming pool and activities like mini disco and kids club.
And for the hotel more to the south of the Island, click HERE. This hotel is in a great location because you are only a few steps away from a beautiful beach!