There is so much to see in this beautiful island in the Mediterranean sea, just east of Spain. If you’re looking for a sunny island with beautiful geography, delicious food, profound history, historical charm, and I’m just going to say it, SEXY locals. You’ve come to the right place.
Mallorca attracts tons of tourists from colder countries, like the UK and Germany, with affordable flights deals making it easy to hop on a plane for a quick weekend getaway. And I’m no different.
I happened to come across a flight+hotel deal for a good price. But here’s the kicker, it was only for 1 day. Meaning I had to see, do, & eat as much as I could, inside a country I’ve never been to, all within 24 hours. I wish I could’ve stayed longer but suffice to say, I think I did a pretty good job exploring as much as I could in such a short time.
So let’s get started with my 1-day or 24-hour itinerary in Mallorca, Spain. Feel free to copy my itinerary and paste it into 1 day of your trip if you’re staying longer. I’ll show you where I went, where I stayed, where I ate, and how I got around.
I’ll also share some tips that I would do to maximize a short stay. And by the way, every single thing and place I mention here, all the links can be found on my blog.
Watch my video guide on Mallorca below or scroll down to read
Weekend Itinerary in Mallorca, Spain
Day 1
7 pm – Arrival
At 7 pm, we arrived at Palma de Mallorca airport and picked up our rental car. Here’s tip#1, If you want to explore the different & unique areas of Mallorca, I highly recommend renting a car. We went with Avis & Budget since there were located at the airport which saved us a lot of time.
We rented with Avis & Budget (they were located right outside baggage claim in PMI airport – SAVED SO MUCH TIME!).
8 pm – Tapas in Palma City
After picking up our car, we drove 15 minutes to Palma, the city & capital of Mallorca, for dinner. We ate at Toque de Queda, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant known for their laid-back atmosphere and delicious tapas. We didn’t know what exactly we ordered when we ordered it but we were not disappointed.
My next tip is if you’re planning on eating in Palma city, I would recommend you make a reservation ahead of time. Especially if you plan on coming in during peak dining hours and peak travel season. Lucky for us, we walked in.
And if you’re feeling a little sosyal or want something a little bit upscale, I recommend El Camino. I had my eyes on this restaurant but when we walked in, there was a waiting line outside. So that’s why I recommend making a reservation, especially if it’s a place high on your Mallorcan bucket list.
Toque de Queda
Address: Carrer de Can Cavalleria, 15B, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
El Camino
Address: Carrer de Can Brondo, 4, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
10 pm – Walk through Passeig de Born
After eating pretty much to the brim of what our stomachs could fit, we walked through Passeig de Born. It’s a tree-covered street lined with lights, restaurants, cafes, and shops.
11 pm – Hotel Sant Jordi check in
And after walking, we checked into our hotel, Sant Jordi, and slept to prepare for a jam-packed next day.
Hotel Sant Jordi
Address: Carrer de la Grua, 5, 07610 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Phone: +34 971 26 23 71
Day 2
8 am – Ensaimada for breakfast
After getting beach ready, we went to Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo, one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Mallorca dating back to the 1700s, which pretty much makes it a gastronomic institution for both locals and tourists.
This cafe is known for keeping the tradition when it comes to coffee, hot chocolate, ice cream, and ensaimada.
If you’re Filipino, you’re probably thinking of our version of ensaymada, the sweet pastry covered in butter, sugar, and cheese. The Mallorcan counterpart is much simpler. It’s also a sweet pastry but rolled into a spiral and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s very light and I recommend dipping it into coffee or hot chocolate.
If you have time, I recommend sitting down and eating here as C’an Joan has a great breakfast and merienda vibe. But we were running late so decided to take our food-to-go.
Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo (they have 3 locations in Palma)
Address: Carrer de Can Sanç, 10, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
10 am – Bask in Calo Des Moro
After getting our ensaimadas and panadas, we drove 1 hour east to Calo des Moro, one of the well-known beaches on island that I knew I had to see in person. There’s a free parking lot nearby so we didn’t have to worry about street parking. If the parking lot isn’t filled like this one, then it’s a good sign that the beach isn’t crowded. After we parked, we went on a 15-minute hike to the beach and on our way in, we saw a great bird’s eye view of the turquoise waters, the cove, and the beach itself.
Coming from Guam, you can say I have high expectations for what I think is a good beach, and Calo des Moro does NOT disappoint. The sand was powdery soft and the water visibility was so clear. My only gripe was that there was not much space to place your things but this can easily be fixed by going here early.
This brings me to tip #3, arrive here before 10 am to get easily get a spot. When we left at 12nn, it was hard to walk on the beach because it was covered by so many people. And when we hiked back to the parking, it was completely filled with cars looking for empty parking spots.
And tip #4, if you plan on staying long, I recommend bringing water and snacks with you as there is only one vendor there who sells only water.
And tip #5, if you find Calo des Moro too packed, you can also walk to the other side called Cala s’Almunia. There is no beach here but if you want to cliff jump, this is a better spot for you.
Where to park to get to Calo des Moro (Google map link)
1 pm – Lunch & shop at the hills in Valldemossa
When I saw photos of this next spot, I knew I had to go here. So from Calo des Moro, we drove 1 hour up north to Valldemossa, a small town that exudes early Spanish culture in the mountains. On you’re way here, don’t forget to take in the views of the Serra de Tramuntana, the Mallorcan mountain rage that’s also a world heritage site by UNESCO.
Upon arriving in Valldemossa, we had planned to have lunch here but we were still full from our food from C’an Joan. But the places I would’ve checked out were La Posada & QuitaPenas for tapas and vermouth.
So if you’re like me and you’ve been seeing ladies toting straws bags and while wearing gorgeous sundresses, Valldemossa is the place to shop. I went to Vall 5 to shop for a sundress and ended getting 3 & a hat. They had so many classic sundresses that were loose, light, and perfect for Mallorcan weather. It was fun because Vivek got to dress me up like a doll which I enjoyed a lot.
And after shopping, we walked through the cobblestoned streets and the Carthusian monastery & gardens that once housed the famous composer, Frederic Chopin. I wish we had more time here but we had to leave for our scheduled tour back in Palma.
But if I had more time, I would’ve visited the Son Moragues, an olive farm, for olive oil tastings and gin that they also make themselves.
Where to park in Valldemossa (Google maps link)
La Posada
Address: Plaça Miranda des Lladoners, 3, Local 6, 07170 Valldemossa, Balearic Islands, Spain
QuitaPenas
Address: Carrer Vell, 4, 07170 Valldemossa, Illes Balears, Spain
Vall 5
Address: 07170 Valldemossa, Balearic Islands, Spain
Son Moragues
Address: Av. Lluís Salvador Cilimingras, s/n, 07170 Valldemossa, Illes Balears, Spain
4 pm – Walking food tour through Old Town
Because of our short time here, I booked a walking food tour in Palma so that we could learn the history of Mallorca, while at the same time eating delicacies recommended by a local. It’s one of my favorite tours to do because it puts together 2 of my favorite things, history & food. Enter: our tour guide, Alvaro.
He walked us through Palma, from the Museum of Modern Art, to Old Town, to the Catedral de Mallorca. All while hitting up a few food gems in between. Like an afternoon drink of vermouth with olives that taste like ham and chips with salsa espinaler. Traditionally made strawberry & almond ice cream, with ensaimada dipped in Spanish hot chocolate. Finished by a glass of wine at this unique bar.
Food tour we did: “10 Tastings of Palma de Mallorca” (choose Alvaro if you’re a foodie who loves history & art + you want a suave voice to narrate the tour)
Tip #6: Understand that not all places will be open during COVID
There were a few places that we couldn’t visit due to COVID like the Mercat de Santa Catalina, the city market that’s like a dampa. Where you get to handpick the seafood you want to eat and get it cooked to however you like. Sadly, this was closed but I still thought the rest of the tour was worth it.
And whether you tour or not, I highly recommend walking through Old Town. But it’s best if you do so with a guide. There are so many intricacies to the city that you won’t easily understand without a local. Like these old caricatures of business owners with objects on their heads. And this wall filled with notes of people looking for answers to life’s questions. Tip #7 by the way, bring a pen so that you can reply to these notes. It’s really fun. Anyway, it’s details like that, that tell a story every corner you turn.
8 pm – Shop at Passeig de Born
After a 3-hour tour and a 1-hour wine down, we went back to Passeig de Born to shop but this time for my husband. Apparently, Zara is one of the few stores that fit my husband’s body type. And this time I got to dress him up like a doll.
9 pm – Dinner at Bodega Can Rigo
Next, we walked 10 minutes for dinner at Bodega Can Rigo, a tapas bar with great food & great prices. It’s a small restaurant with tons of character and very down-to-earth. And it seemed like it was mostly locals eating there too.
Bodega Can Rigo
Address: Carrer de Sant Feliu, 16, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
10 pm – Sleep
And afterward, we went back to our hotel to shower & sleep to prepare for our early flight the next day.
Tips for Mallorca
And that wraps up my 24-hour itinerary for Mallorca! Now, here are more travel tips to make the most out of your visit to Mallorca.
Tip #8 Rent a car (directly from the airport) to get out of the city
I highly recommend renting a car if you want to get out of Palma. You can easily rent straight from the airport and immediately go straight to the city like we did. There are tons of parking houses everywhere you go so you don’t have to worry about parking. We originally rented with Ok Rent A Car before our flight but found out we still had to take a cab from the airport to the rental. It was almost a 30-minute wait for a cab, to which we found out the fixed starting fee from the airport was 15 euros, even if the drive was only 5 minutes. We decided to bail because we also found out that even though Ok Rent a Car, a cheap car rental, had a 950 euro deposit if you don’t get insurance with them. And according to reviews, it takes a long time to get that money back. And apparently, this is common in Spain and Italy. We wanted to save time, so we ended up with the more reputable car rentals at the airport. And at the end of the day, if you’re staying for a short time, it’s better to pay more to save time, than to save money but lose your time.
Tip #9 Prepare for COVID measures
If you’re traveling during COVID, make sure to fill out all the necessary forms and paperwork in order to even land in Spain. We got our EU digital vaccination certificates (similar to a vaccination passport) handy on our phones which were required to check in to our flights. Alternatively, you can show a negative COVID test too. That said, make sure to plan ahead and set aside time to take a COVID test to and from Mallorca.
In general, we felt very safe traveling here during COVID. Many restaurants & stores follow COVID guidelines and require a mask indoors.
Tip #10 Where to stay
We stayed at Hotel Sant Jordi in S’Arenal. It’s a quiet area by Playa de Palma where apparently a lot of Germans stay. And it was convenient for us to leave for the airport early in the morning because it was only 8 minutes away. So if you want peace and quiet but want to be near Palma city & the airport, this is the area to stay. But because we spent so much time in Palma, I would stay in Palma next time. It will cost more but well worth the convenience.
Hotel Sant Jordi
Address: Carrer de la Grua, 5, 07610 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Phone: +34 971 26 23 71
Tip #11 Local dialect
You might come across signs and menus that are not in Spanish but in the local dialect of Mallorqui or Catalan. But if you speak Spanish, that’s widely accepted here too. And if you speak neither, you’ll still survive with English. Especially in the tourist areas.
Tip #12 What to pack
In terms of packing, I recommend packing your pretty sundresses and bikinis. If there’s a place to wear your more fashionable resort wear, Mallorca is the place to do it. And in general, bring light & breathable clothing. I would double-check on the weather before you go just in case. That said, bring a hat, bring sunblock. And also pack an adapter as the outlets are 2 round poles like this. And in general, bring cash in Euros.
Speaking of packing, I’ve got a lot of packing tips to share with you to maximize as much space and weight in your bag if you plan on hand carrying your luggage. Here’s my video on how to pack light for a weekend trip. And if you sign up here, you can also download my packing list for weekend trips for free.
Thank you so much for watching! I hope you have an amazing time in Mallorca. Travel safe and get out of your comfort zone. Like, go topless at a beach for the first time. Okay please subscribe BYEEEE!!!