5 Days in Mallorca: What Lies Beyond the Resorts and Endless Parties?

Hearing the name Mallorca, I bet the first things that spring to mind are Magaluf, party-resorts, beaches and more parties. For this reason, when we booked 5 days in Mallorca, I was a bit skeptical.

However, let me tell you this, Mallorca surprised me so much! For this reason I’d like to show you what lies beyond Magaluf, the resorts and endless parties! Hopefully it will inspire you to book a flight ticket to this beautiful Spanish island right away.

We visited the island towards the end of February 2019. As February is technically off-season, the island was relatively quiet. Well, I personally wasn’t complaining, but bear in mind that many restaurants and even supermarkets are closed. So just make sure you plan ahead to avoid getting hungry during the day (or hangry in my case…).

5 Days in Mallorca Itinerary

Day 1 in Mallorca – Explore the capital city of Palma

Our flight landed in Palma in the early afternoon. We successfully checked into our hotel and admired the view from our balcony! Then we caught a local bus and headed back to the city centre.

If you enjoy exploring a city’s Old Town, then you’ll love Palma’s narrow streets, cute shops and cafes. Walk around the tree-lined avenue of Passeig des Born and explore its high end shops bars and restaurants. You’ll definitely run into a well-photographed ancient olive tree – Olivera de Cort – in the middle of Plaça Cort.

Did you know? – The roughly 600-year-old olive tree was transported to Palma in 1989 as a symbol of peace.

Of course, you can’t miss one of the main attractions in Palma, the Catedral de Mallorca. Just walk around the area, take pictures, enjoy the view and the well-deserved sunshine. (Saying that, the temperature that weekend in the UK was actually a few degrees warmer than it was in Mallorca. Unfortunately it returned to the normal rainy days on the day we came back. Typical isn’t it?).

Day 2 in Mallorca- Explore quaint villages

The next morning, we hired a car and started a 3-day road trip around the island. If you do the same, make sure you head over to Valldemossa. This small village is located in the valley of the Tramuntana mountains to the west of the island. Safe to say that I was left speechless by the beauty of the place. Undoubtedly, I took way too many pictures of doorways which are decorated with beautiful plants and flowers. I think the village became one of my favourites I’ve seen so far so you shouldn’t miss it.

Did you know? – Plenty of artists, writers and composers were truly inspired in Valldemossa (I’m not surprised at all). The most famous of them all was probably Chopin, who spent a whole winter there.

Top Tip – If you have more time to spend on the island and love to hike, Valldemossa is an ideal base. There are plenty of great hiking trails in the area leading up to some epic views of Mallorca. It’s also a great spot if you prefer ‘less touristy’ places and would rather stay in a small village than at a big all-inclusive resort. If life takes me back to this island it will definitely be for a hiking holiday.

After a quick coffee and cake break, head towards Deià another charming village located to the north of Valldemossa. Again, the village is beautiful and definitely worth exploring. If you dare, you can also drive down to its beach – Cala Deià – you won’t be disappointed!

Did you know? – Because of its natural beauty, Deià and the Serra de Tramuntana mountains are part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another good reason to visit Mallorca.

Day 3 in Mallorca – Drive along crazy roads to discover hidden gems

1. Sóller

Hop in your hire car bright and early and head towards Sóller to the north west of the island. But also make sure you venture even further north for the rest of the day. Sóller itself is a typical Mediterranean town with cute narrow streets, cafes and restaurants. It also has a port – Port de Sóller – which is worth visiting too. Both the port and town were relatively quiet, but we could imagine the place buzzing with tourists during the summer.

Did you know? – If you’d like to visit Sóller in an extra special way hop onto the vintage train! It runs between Palma and Sóller (a tram also runs along the port too). I read that the ride is quite spectacular .

2. Sa Calobra

From Sóller head towards a hidden beach and a magnificent gorge – Torrent de Pareis. Drive down the 13 km long Sa Calobra road (or officially the MA-2141). This is one of the most scenic roads in the world or at least a ‘must do’ in Mallorca. If you’re after a crazy, fun but a little bit stressful drive I highly recommend it, you won’t be disappointed.

Top Tip – As we visited the island off-season, we luckily didn’t have to pass many cars. But there were still plenty of cyclists enjoying the downhill and some daring to go uphill. (For reference, the gradient is about 7% which isn’t the most challenging but it would make you sweat I guarantee). I bet the road gets even busier during the summer, so be alert the whole time! Keep your eyes on the road – pretty hard when the view is this amazing!

3. Torrent de Pareis

Once you’ve parked your car you can start your walk along the first smaller beach of Sa Calobra. After a short stroll you start walking through a tunnel to reach the beautiful Torrent de Pareis gorge and beach. (The tunnel has some floor lighting which is great). Have your lunch break at the beach whilst admiring the view! (Look both towards the beach and to the gorge half expecting a dinosaur to pass you at any moment).

Did you know? – If you’re adventurous you can hike down the gorge starting from Escorca all the way to the beach. I would definitely do that if I ever visit the island again. You can even walk back up, which is of course harder and requires you to be relatively fit. Either way you should do a little research of the best times to do the hike. It can get flooded during winter, but alternatively be very hot during the summer. Just do your homework and come prepared!

4. Mirador Es Colomer / Cap de Formentor

Torrent de Pareis shouldn’t be your last destination that day. Head further north towards the famous viewpoint called Mirador Es Colomer and Cap de Formentor with its famous lighthouse. Again, the drive is spectacular and a bit crazy but definitely a must do in my opinion. Once you’ve snapped enough pictures of the cliffs, drive through pine woods and pass more viewpoints until you reach the famous lighthouse. It is very windy out there so make sure you hold onto your hat.

If you have a little more time before sunset drive back the way you came. At Mirador Es Colomer turn left and drive higher up. There’s an old watchtower from where you can see the whole of the peninsula and the bays surrounding it. The sunset from there was breath-taking and I cannot recommend it enough.

Day 4 in Mallorca – Chase beautiful bays and beaches

After exploring the beauty of the north western areas of Mallorca, I recommend doing a ‘beach road trip’. You just cannot miss seeing the amazing beaches and bays located to the south east of the island. Firstly, head to Cala S’almonia then head towards Cala Santanyí to see the famous Es Pontàs natural arch. Here I suggest spending a little longer enjoying the breeze from the ocean and the sunshine. Head towards Cala Figuera and stop there for lunch before going further north towards Cala D’or, Cala Ferrera and Cala Sa Nau. During off-season the weather is nice but not warm enough to be in the water! So just enjoy walking around these beaches and bays.

Top Tip – Bear in mind that during the off-season these towns are pretty much closed. It is perfect if you want the whole place to yourself. However, not so great if you get hungry and have to spend ages trying to find something that is open. Even supermarkets are closed so just come prepared.

Day 5 in Mallorca – Explore more of Palma

If you’re flight is departing later in the day, stay local and explore more of Palma. Walk up the million steps to reach Castell de Bellver which is one of the few circular castles in Europe. Luckily that day they were offering free entry so we went up to the top to admire the 360° view! We headed back to Palma and enjoyed the city a little longer before leaving for the airport.

I had never imagined that Mallorca was this spectacular and offered so many breath-taking views, quaint towns and villages, sparkling blue beaches and countless other activities apart from parties. No wonder that many families, teenagers, and outdoor oriented people visit the island every year. It offers something special for everybody.

Finally, here is a map of our trip showing the places we managed to visit in a long weekend. Have you been to Mallorca before? How much of the island did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments section below.