Mallorca | Majorca

Welcome to NorthSouthGuides - a valuable and helpful resource of information about Mallorca (Majorca, Spain) for the traveller and resident alike. My philosophy in making this website is to make searching for information on Mallorca quick, easy and as painless as possible and I create every page with this in mind. The site is growing on a daily basis so please check back often.

I have created travel pages to help you find the cheapest flights to get here, the quickest way to find the best deals on car hire and scooter hire (and what you should look out for) and the most popular, and efficient way of finding good hotels at the best price. Also find out about taxi costs before arriving and whether you should be thinking about travel insurance if you don't have any.

Discover what the island has to offer by checking out Mallorca's attractions, events calendar and things to do for the whole family. There is more than enough for the kids with the water parks, nature reserves, caves and aquariums. If you're more into history then there's a ton of museums, stunning historical buildings, beautiful gardens and courtyards, which all tell a different story about Mallorca's unique and diverse history. All Mallorca's attractions and things to do are displayed clearly on interactive maps to help you find them quickly and easily.

I have also provided a slew of the usual but extremely important tourist information pages like weather forecasts, climate info, maps, useful numbers and money saving tips. The main tourist information page has numerous links to Mallorca's official websites where you will find other useful info like public transport timetables, mallorca's official beach guide and local council websites.

Mallorca, or Majorca if you will, does have it all and is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. It embodies the perfect island holiday with the deep blue and transparent turquoise water of the Mediterranean, 300-plus days of brilliant sunshine a year, hundreds of kilometres of coastline with secluded coves and wide bays and a vast choice of cheap flights and hotel accommodation.

By day you can relax in the lazy paradise of the golden beaches or take a walk around the island's cultural centers and by night you can go lose yourself in the unbridled hedonism of Mallorca's pumping clubs or have a romantic dinner at a picture-perfect waterside restaurant. It's all here!

But Mallorca's not only known for its beaches and clubs. It has so much more to offer. The hugely varied terrain for example, with a mountain range running along its north-western coast, attracts hikers, cyclists and climbers from all over the world. And the history, culture and cuisine are just as unique making this a truely diverse and enchanting island.

In fact, I'm so passionate about Palma's cultural heritage that I've compiled a 2 hour Audio Guide of Mallorca's (Majorca's) fascinating history and its most famous historical sites. Everything from Parc de la Mar to the Diocesan Museum is covered in detail, including huge chapters on The Palau March, The Almudaina Palace and of course The stunning Cathedral. (If you don't know what an audio guide is, or how it works, please click here).

Listen to an extract from the Palma Audio Guide (Adobe flash player required) or download the audio file.

Did you know...

...if you kneel at the alter in Palma's Cathedral you are actually facing Mecca, like a Muslim not, as you might expect, Jerusalem.

...the name Balearics actually refers to the ancient inhabitants of the island.

...there are over 4000 words in the Spanish language that are Arabic in origin.

...a Mallorcan/Majorcan man was instrumental in the founding of San Diego and San Francisco.

...mayonnaise comes from Mahon in Menorca.

...the man who commissioned the construction of the Palau March was one of the richest men in Spain (and also a swindler and pirate!).

...the Palau March museum holds over 30 illustrative works by Salvador Dali.

...the The Almudaina Palace is one of the oldest buildings in Mallorca/Majorca.

...the Bellver Castle is witness to a unique architectural design.

...the Arabs ruled the Balearics for more than 4 centuries.

...Antonio Gaudi spent a total of 13 years labouring on Palma's Cathedral.

...the gigantic rose window in the Cathedral is formed from 1236 pieces of stained glass.

...the Diocesan Museum holds some of the most important Gothic works of art in all of Spain and also some fascinating pieces by Antonio Gaudi.

To find out more interesting facts about Mallorca's history you could start with the History of Mallorca, or go straight to the audio guide for a walking tour of Palma.

Summary of available Mallorca mp3 Walking Tours