I was in Valencia in February with a plan to spend some time in Belgium, a country I’d never been to, and fly home from Brussels. What was I thinking?? Winter in Belgium is cold, windy, and rainy! Checking the weather again, I decided I’d spend more time in lovely (and warmer!) Spain.
It didn’t take long to conclude that Mallorca would be a terrific place to explore, especially since there’s easy flights to Mallorca from Valencia and easy flights from Mallorca to Brussels. I could enjoy some more beautiful weather in Spain and still get to see at least Brussels, but not be commited to more than 4 nights in chilly Belgium. I love it when a plan comes together!
I didn’t know much about Mallorca (Majorca in Spanish) before this adventure. It’s the largest of the Balearic Islands, it has rugged high mountains, lush green folliage, picturesque villages, a vibrant capital city and is steeped in history. My kind of place! I decided to spend 3 nights in the capital, Palma, and 6 nights in Sóller where I could do lots of day trips from.
Top Experiences
- Scenic drives in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a craggy mountain range running southwest-northeast. The Tramuntana Range even has UNESCO World Heritage status!
- Robert Graves house Museum
- Chopin Museum in Valldemossa
- Drach Caves
Loop drive from Palma
This scenic drive to the southwest coast from Palma has plenty of time for stops at scenic villages and viewpoints, and finishes at the Bellver Castle high above Palma.
Southwest day trip route from Palma Mallorca 
Sant Elm 
Fiat 500 
Torre de Verger 
Mirador Ricardo Roca, Mallorca, Spain 
Torre del Verger 
Castell de Bellver 
Palma from Castell Bellver
Sa Calobra Road
Sa Calobra means snake, and this road with its twists and turns are a joy to drive. YES to renting a stick shift, my little Fiat 500 was just zippy and a heck of a lot of fun up and down this road. The drive to and from Sóller has lots of scenic places to stop. On the way back take a little detour to visit the picturesque village Fornalutx, wander around and have some dinner.
Robert Graves House Museum
Just outside the pretty village of Deià is the terrific museum in the home where the British poet and writer Robert Graves lived the last 35 years of his life. I had to read “I, Claudius” – his most famous work – after this visit.
Robert Graves museum theater 
Robert Graves Office 
Robert Graves I Claudius
Chopin Museum in Valldemossa
One of the most picturesque villages in Mallorca, Valldemossa is a must-see stop. It’s been home to many famous people, and one of them was the famous composer Frédéric Chopin and the novelist George Sand (her pen name). I didn’t know much about their story until visiting the Chopin Museum. They’d started a relationship in 1838 and Sand planned a trip to Mallorca over that winter, hoping that the warmer climate would improve his health. But Mallorca in winter is cold! The locals started viewing the unmarried divorcée and invalid partner with suspicion. In the end, they left 10 weeks after they arrived. Chopin composed some of his best known works in the abandoned monastery where they’d rented rooms.
Valldemossa is a charming place to visit, especially the historic part of town where Mallorca’s only Saint, Santa Catalina Thomas, was born.
Drach Caves
On the east coast of Mallorca is one of top tourist destinations in Mallorca, and with good reason! In the caves you’ll see one of the biggest underground lakes in the world AND be treated to a concert by musicians arriving by boat.
Drach Caves 
Drach Caves boat
Tips for Visiting
- Get the tiniest rental car you can. I rented a manual transmission Fiat 500, super fun to drive on all those winding roads in Mallorca and the easiest to park in all those teeny-tiny places.
- Stay in just 2 base locations. My first 3 nights were in Palma, the capital city, and my other 6 nights were in Sóller, a town often described as one of the most beautiful in Mallorca.
9 Nights in Mallorca Summary
I really loved my time on Mallorca. it’s not a big island and being there in the off-season I often had all those fantastic windy roads to myself. There were lots of places closed in the more remote villages, but the bigger places were jammed with tourists especially on the weekends. My Airbnb host in Sóller said she’d never seen a February so busy. 3 nights in Palma was plenty to see the Cathedral and Palace, do a walking tour and the scenic loop drive to the southwest. 6 nights in Sóller was perfect, enough time to do many day trips, see Sóller and Port de Sóller, and return to a beautiful home base.
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams
Oprah Winfrey
