We first visited Palma Mallorca while on a Mediteranean cruise in the year 2000 and liked the city so much we have now holidayed there every year since. The purpose built cruise and ferry terminal is situated at the opposite end of the bay to the old city and most of the tourist attractions but it does have a shopping mall, supermarket and American type food outlets close by. For the energetic passenger it is possible to walk from the cruise terminal to the old city along the curving sea front, where you will pass the yacht moorings in the inner bay with the commercial moorings beyond. As you make your way along the sea front you will eventually come to the old city and tourist area on your left with its restaurants, museums, places of interest, hotels, bars and shops. For those of us less energetic mortals a local taxi will transport you to the Cathedral, a good place to start and finish your tour. The taxis are all metered and reasonably priced. Walk around Palma within about a mile of the cathedral and you are bound to stumble across many of the places of interest, but to make the most of your time in Palma I recommend obtaining a good guide book or tourist map as there is so much to see and do in this fascinating city. The shops in Palma are varied and plentiful selling everything from tourist souvenirs to designer goods. A good department store is the El Corte Inglese of which there are two in Palma, if you’re looking for somewhere to sit down out of the sun for a while and enjoy a pot of tea, a coffee, a beer or a light snack then the cafés/restaurants in these stores can be relied on to provide reasonable fare at a reasonable price. The El Corte Inglese stores also provide clean toilets, which can be found on the top floors next to the restaurants, (public toilets are far and few between in Palma). If you wish to partake of lunch in Palma then there are all the usual quick food outlets and many restaurants with outdoor tables offering everything from tapas to Paella, the hosts of these restaurants will do their best to encourage you to eat at their establishments, my advice is to take a look at several establishments before choosing which one you wish to eat at. If you’re ship gives you a full day in Palma with a late departure then you could take a trip to Soller on the train turistico which leaves from the Placa d’Espanya in Palma at 10:40. Take an early breakfast onboard ship and take a taxi to the railway station (Soller train) to arrive at least an hour early, as this trip is extremely popular during the summer months. Obtain a one-way ticket at the kiosk and join the queue to ensure you obtain a seat when the attendant obtains the gate to allow the throng of tourists onto the train. This old mahogany electric train leaves Palma and passes through the plain before entering a 3km tunnel climbing high into the mountains where a stop is made to take photographs before the train winds its way down to Soller. Take a stroll round Soller and a beer before taking the tram into the port of Soller where you can enjoy lunch. If you’ve the time you can take one of the many boat trips on offer from the pier and then when you’re ready to make your way home you can take the bus back to Palma which also leaves from the jetty. Stay on the bus until it reaches its destination back at Palma railway station. Outside the station, hail a taxi to take you back to your ship in time to shower and change for dinner. Mallorca may not have glamour or the history of other ports of call but we fell in love with it on our first visit and have been back there every year since. ( With thanks to Carl Hill)
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