This was the fish chips house from the 13th century and it's still with the bishop stays today…read more The palace dates back to the 13th century. The museum is located in the mansion popularly known as "Casa de la Gran Cristiana". In 2015, a section opened as a museum. It is housed in a segment of the city wall in Palma de Mallorca is the ES Baluard museum. There are exhibition rooms on 3 floors where we admired contemporary art. A highlight is the impressive light installation entitled "Light caught in the belly of the whale".

An interesting find, this decently sized museum is not more than a block or two from the famous…read moreCatedral and is well worth a visit. It includes items dating from the time of the Catalan conquest of 1229 and goes through the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. The museum is on three floors with collections that show the history of Palma and Mallorca, displaying archaeological artifacts, fine arts and a large number of Gothic panels. The museum has works by Francesc Comes and Joan Rosat (Gothic painters), as well as the Spanish-Flemish artists Pere Terrencs and Baltasar Buira, and the Renaissance artist Mateu López , all active in Mallorca. Most of the exhibits had captions and explanations in English, Catalan and Spanish.

Free museum with a workshop, posters, huge oyster shells ending in an expensive gift shop much…read morelarger than the museum.

Mallorca is famous for pearls and so here's this Pearl Museum that has a number of interesting…read moredisplays dedicated to the pearl industry. Among the exhibits are pictures of famous people wearing pearls, a bunch of pearl jewelry and even what looks like a pearl jeweler's workstation complete with machinery, tools and pearls. A looped video showing how pearls are grown and harvested is interesting. The museum is completely free and low key. Unless you cross over to the other side where the (very expensive) pearls are for sale, you'll be clear from any hassle. I thought it was interesting and worth the ten minutes of walking around to check it all out.

Interesting to see where Joan Miró lived and worked…read more The Fundació Miro Mallorca's collection is comprised of thousands of works by Joan Miró. Interesting to see paintings on canvas, sculptures, drawings, notes and sketchbooks. The weavings were an unexpected surprise. It was amazing to see the wealth of techniques, materials and procedures that Miró used in his creative process. Unfortunately, much of the gallery and the studios were closed due to renovations. Nice bookstore though. Able to pick up an illustrated book and some beautiful prints for a family member. The walk in the garden was also pleasant to see more sculptures. The museum is free on Saturdays from 3-6 and on the first Sunday of the month from 10-3. Admission is 9 Euros for adults and 5.5 Euros for seniors. We walked from the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus line. Nice museum in Palma.

The trip to the museum was part of a group tour. They opened the museum just for us but…read moreunfortunately, we were running so far behind we really didn't get a chance to enjoy all the museum had to offer. The docents were well versed and passionate about sharing stories of Miro's life and process. The last stop of the tour was a lovely cafe where we had snack cakes, the traditional Mallorcan pizza which is all veggies and no cheese. They also served a selection of fruit juices and lemonade. A nice visit that was way too short. If you are familiar with Miró, it's worth the trip. If not, it's interesting to get to know his work.

Es Baluard is the former armory that has since been converted to Palma's contemporary art museum. I…read morestopped by in the evening and had a lovely time exploring the building and enjoying the artworks. On this particular evening, admission was "you decide" which I thought was a nice concept and I put several Euros into the collection box. The museum was established in 2003 and the permanent collection is based on 400 works that were ceded by the chairman of the foundation. There are also a number of temporary exhibits that tour. The building itself is a former 17th century military fortress and is part of the remaining old city walls that once surrounded all of Palma. It's a very interesting building in the way it incorporates the walls and at the same time allows patrons to take ramps up and down including to the roof level. Lots of Joan Miró but also Léger, Dali and a Mapplethorpe. A unique audio exhibit in the elevator, which is recorded sound. Of the elevator! In many cases, "contemporary art" goes right over my head. Not so much today at Es Baluard. Well worth your time to soak up some culture.

This simple sculpture by famous Catalan artist Joan Miró is not far from the Cathedral of Palma…read more While Joan Miró was not a Mallorca native (he was from Barcelona which is the nearest big city to the island), Palma de Mallorca was his adoptive city. The Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró Museum is not too far away - a three mile walk or a short taxi ride. Joan Miró was born in 1893 and he died here in Palma in 1983.

The he Castell de Bellver is a 14th-century circular castle, the only one of its kind in Spain…read more Jaume II ordered it built atop a hill known as Puig de Sa Mesquida in 1300 and it was largely completed within 10 years The castle was conceived above all as a royal residence but only King Sanç in 1314 & Aragón's Joan I in 1395 lived here for any amount of time. In 1717 it became a military prison,used in both the Napoleonic and Spanish Civil Wars. Prisoner's' graffiti was etched into the stonework. The ground-floor City History Museum traces the development of the city from the prehistoric Talayotic civilisation to the present day. As well as Roman & Arabian ceramics there are classical statues & artifacts. Upstairs are a series of largely empty chambers, including the one-time kitchen.

Yes, the Hop On / Hop Off doubledecker bus goes to the Castillo and makes a stop but I decided to…read morewalk it. It's a nice walk along Palma's marina with a few coffee shops and bars along the way and then begins the 100 meter ascent through a few streets and an "interesting" alley that made getting to the castle an earned event. The castle itself was built in the 14th century and was the original residence of the kings of Majorca. It was also a military prison for a long time. It survived two attempted sieges (one in 1343 and another in 1391), only falling once into enemy hands in 1521. It is quite the impressive structure and well worth the visit. From the heights of the castle, there are some great panoramic views of the port and the city of Palma. It is well worth making the effort to visit, whether you do it by food or by vehicle. There is a free parking lot.

Three days in Palma is not nearly enough. And I didn't even leave the city limits to explore…read moreMallorca! If you're going to spend your time in Palma, you can do well by foot or even by bicycle with plenty of restaurants, tapas bars, museums and sights. Great food with a big Catalan influence. As for the city itself, it is clean and seems well operated. I noticed a reasonable police presence in the more popular sites though a few more planters along Passeig de Born would be a good investment. Great food, great culture, nicely organized, a few buses and a lot of taxis with an airport that has flights to lots of European cities. Five stars for Palma.

Palaccio Real de la Almudaina or Royal Place of la Almudaina is located in Palma; the capital city…read moreof Mallorca, Spain. The Royal Palace dates back to the 14th century and it was the official residence of the King and Queen during their stays in Mallorca. There is a museum as well as church that one can visit. The palace itself is huge and beautiful and there a plenty of photo opportunities all around. An interesting thing at entry point of the palace; there are lots of vendors all around selling magnets and other knick knacks. It's most likely because they know this is a big tourist spot for folks going to Palma. Be careful though as it looked like there were a lot of imitation goods like fake branded purses, hats and sunglasses. Best to just shop at one of the storefronts. Overall this a good and pretty tourist stop when in Palma.

Originally an Islamic fort, this mighty construction opposite the cathedral was converted into a…read moreresidence for the Mallorcan monarchs at the end of the 13th century. The King of Spain resides here still, at least symbolically. The royal family is rarely in residence, except for ceremonies. The Romans built a fort here, possibly on the site of a prehistoric settlement. The Governors of Muslim Mallorca altered & expanded the Roman original to build their own fort. Jaume I and his successors modified it to such an extent that little of the alcázar remains. After his death, no king lived here permanently. The first narrow room you enter has a black-and-white Mudéjar ceiling, symbolising the extremes of night and day, darkness and light You then enter a series of three grand rooms. Notice the bricked-in Gothic arches cut off in the middle. Originally these three rooms were double their present height and formed one single great hall added to the original Arab fort and known as the Saló del Tinell (from an Italian word, tinello, meaning 'place where one eats'): this was once a giant banqueting and ceremonial hall. The rooms are graced by period furniture, tapestries and other curios. The following six bare rooms and terrace belonged to the original Arab citadel. In the main courtyard, Patio de Armas, troops would line up for an inspection & parade before heading out into the city. The 11th century lion fountain here is one of the palace's rare Arab remnants. Up the grand Royal Staircase are the royal apartments. Next door is the royal Capella de Sant'Anna, a Gothic chapel whose entrance is a very rare Mallorcan example of late Romanesque in rose & white marble.