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The Balearic Islands are famous for their parties, beaches, and overall enjoyable atmospheres. Mallorca (the largest of the island) is no exception to this rule, and has a variety of holidays and festivals throughout the year to celebrate events ranging from Spanish pride, to Christianity, to just plain fun.

Here is a brief list of the events taking place in Mallorca each year:

Jan 1st, Año Nuevo (New Year’s Day)
Jan 6th, Dia de los Reyes Magos (when Christmas presents are given)
Jan 17th, San Anton (patron saint of domestic animals)
Feb, Carnaval
Mar 3rd, Dia de Baleares
Mar 19th, San Jose (Father’s Day)
Variable, Viernes Santo (Good Friday)
Variable, Dia de Pascua (Easter Sunday)
May 1st, Dia del Trabajo (Labour Day)
Jun 24th, San Juan (St.John’s Day)
Variable (mid June) Corpus Christi
Jun 29th, San Pedro y San Pablo (St.Peter & St.Paul)
Jul 25th, Santiago (St.James, patron saint of Spain)
Aug 8th, San Ciriacois Day
Aug 15th, Asuncion (Assumption)
Aug, The day of the Moors and the Christians
Oct 12th, Dia de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day)
Nov 1st, Todos los Santos (All Saints Day)
Dec 6th, Dia de la Constitucion (Constitution Day)
Dec 8th, Immaculada Concepcion (Immaculate Conception)
Dec 25th, Navidad (Christmas Day)

The nightlife timetable in Spain will throw even the most late night party goers for a loop, and definitely takes a little getting used to. Things in Spain happen LATE. On top of this the Spanish lifestyle is very laidback, and being on time is not a major concern. After a late lunch and an even later dinner, you need a couple of hours to relax in a bar before heading to a club. It is normal to leave the house at midnight, as most of the clubs don’t open until 1am. It’s also the norm to leave the club any time between 3 and 6 am and go for coffee and croissants at a sidewalk café (or even better.. churros con chocolate!). The best advice to give you is: when in Spain, do as the Spaniards do; have a siesta and your bedtime will be extended well into the morning.

Nightlife in Mallorca completely depends on which resort you choose. The southern resorts on the island tend to be the livelier ones, as these resorts have a wide selection of bars and discos. The northern resorts are a lot quieter in comparison and the main nightlife is centered around bars and restaurants, where after a leisurely meal, you can sit for hours watching people go by. Nightlife in the south of Mallorca, near the busy and popular tourist resorts of Magaluf and Palma Nova, is interesting. There are a huge number of British tourists who flock to Magaluf every year and a huge amount of English-themed bars. Palma Nova is the quieter resort, and therefore is perhaps more suited for familier.

There are lots of places for you to choose from to eat and drink throughout the island, from cafés, to bars, to take-aways to restaurants. The majority of the places tend to be geared towards international food. However, you can find local cuisine in the smaller restaurants in the inland villages. Palma is also packed with bars and dance clubs. The islands northern tier does have some fun hang-outs, but if you’re after something a little more youthful and hedonistic head to the capital. Good quality restaurants, both local and touristy, can be found all over the island and especially in Palma. There is a huge selection of clubs that play a variety of music, from salsa to R&B and pop to funk.

If you are looing for something different, in Palma there are several casinos. In the resorts around the north of the island, the atmosphere is still lively but perhaps more suited to families, the older generation or couples, as here you will find the bars that have the traditional tourist entertainment including karaoke, live bands and stand-up comedians. There are also quieter bars along the seafront or leading to quaint squares where you can sit outside until the early hours. In this area you will also find a large variety of restaurants, serving traditional and international food.

Mallorca’s climate allows for a wide range of outdoor adventure sports. Fans of cycling will find many places to hire bicycles on the island. Hiring a bike is very inexpensive, very popular and  provides an alternative way to explore the city. The island provides interesting trails for mountain bikes, which traverse through Mallorca’s wild mountainous terrain.

Hiking is a sport that is growing in popularity on this island. The mountains of Mallorca provide one of the best places for hiking. You will find trails that lead through the Serra de Tramuntana and also some spectacular views from the top. Golf is a very common sport in Spain and a major sport in Mallorca. The have a large number of courses in this city, mostly set in beautiful surroundings.

The golf courses provide great facilities and golf equipment is readily available for hire. Those needing lessons should book in advance. Horse riding schools are plentiful in Mallorca as well, providing good facilities for both beginners and more experience riders. Mallorca has great conditions for windsurfing and sailing, with beginner and advanced conditions along the coast. There are several places from which to hire sailing and surfing equipment and lessons are available.

If you’re looking for alternative sports from the ones mentioned above, you can choose from rock climbing, canoeing, hang gliding, hot air ballooning and if you’ve got the nerve, pot hole caving.

The Balearic Islands‘ chain of islands is situated southeast of Europe, in the central part of the western Mediterranean basin. Palma, the capital of the Balearics, is in Mallorca, the largest of the islands. The present position of the city of Palma is believed to have been originally occupied by a talayotic settlement closely associated with the sea. Later invaded by the Romans and then by the Arabs who named it Madina Mayurqa, the city contains evidence of those periods in monuments such as the Almudaina Palace and the Arab baths.

Since then, the growth of tourism in the Balearics has been remarkable: the 500,000 visitors to the island in 1960 rose to over 6 million in 1997. This put the Balearic Islands into the top position in Spain with respect to the gross domestic product per inhabitant, and the only community in Spain to exceed the European Union average. A busy, working city, Palma is home to over half the island’s population. Its importance stems from its port, as you can learn at the excellent Museu de Mallorca; C/Portella 5, which traces the island’s history.

A list of Museums in Mallorca.Museu de Mallorca
Where: Carrer de sa Portella, 5
Phone: +34 971 717 540
Opening Times: April to September: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 to 14:00, 17:00 to 20:00. Sunday’s: 10:00 to 14:00. October to March: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 to 13:00 & 16:00 to 18:00, Sunday’s 10:00 to 14:00
This museum is considered  the best museum in the whole Balearic Islands. Here you can view a number of collections on display and several thousand exhibits, highlights include: prehistoric artifacts that were discovered during archaeological digs. Also you can study the Moorish ceramics, medieval and Baroque paintings and important pieces of ancient buildings that are no longer in existence.

Museu d’Art Espanyol Contemporani
Where: Carrer Sant Miquel, 11
Phone: +34 971 713 515
Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 10:00 to 18:30 & Saturday: 10:00 to13:30
This museum gives you an insight into some of the lesser known Spanish artists as well as the well known artist, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali.

Mallorca Museums: Museu Krekovic
Where: Carrer de Ciutat de Queretaro, 3
Phone: +34 971 249 409
Opening Times: Mid-January to Mid-December: Monday to Friday: 09:30 to 13:00, 15:00 to 18:00. Saturday: 09:30 to 13:00
Here you can study many works of art by the famous Croatian artist, Kristian Krekovic. There are also numerous interesting paintings and handcrafts from both Spain and Latin America.

Arriving at Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca
Airport code: PMI
Address: Palma de Mallorca Airport, 07000, Palma de Mallorca
Phone: +34 971 789 000
Fax: +34 971 789 014
Website: www.aena.es
E-mail: mcladera@aena.es

Transportation from the Airport
The Airport is located about 5 miles east of Palma de Mallorca.

Car Hire:
Hiring a car at the Airport will be straight forward and there are a range of companies to choose from: Avis, Betacar-Europcar, Centauro, Europa, Hasso, Hertz, Record and Tui Cars-Ultramar Express.

Taxi:
Getting a Taxi from the Airport to Palma de Mallorca will cost you about €17. The taxis can be found outside Door D on the Arrivals floor.

Bus:
Bus number 1 goes direct from the Airport to Palma de Mallorca. It starts running at 06:10 am and stops at 02:10 am. It takes about 15 minutes and runs every 15 minutes and costs €1.80.

Trains:
Palma de Mallorca has two railway lines, both of which terminate in Palma’s Placa d’Espanya. The train going to Soller runs north takes a scenic route through the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountains.

Tren de Sóller
Address: Plaça d’Espanya, 2, Palma de Mallorca
Phone: +34 971 752 051
Fax: +34 971 631 222
Website: www.trendesoller.com
Email: info@trendesoller.com

The other train heads north across the plains to the town of Inca. This passes through the villages of Marratxí, Santa Maria del Camí, Consell, Binissalem and Lloseta.

Ferrocarril d’Inca
Address: Estació Plaça Espanta, Palma de Mallorca
Phone: +34 971 752 245
Fax: +34 971 501 454
Website: http://tib.caib.es

Time tables are available on the website.

Buses
The town bus stop provides good links to all of the regions in Mallorca. It’s located in the same place as the train station. Buses are excellent when travelling locally, but not as good when travelling further a field.
Website: www.a-palma.es
Website: www.sonservera.com

Galeras
If you want to explore Palma de Mallorca in a different and traditional way try Galeras. It is basically a horse and cart and can be a fun and bumpy way to enjoy the sights.
Website: http://www.a-palma.es./eng/eng_cone_arri03.htm