1 day in Palma, Mallorca

I've just got back from a whirlwind trip to Mallorca - 2 nights on the coast and a whole day/night in the capital, Palma. I spent roughly 24 hours solo in Palma, so I thought I'd give you a run down of how I spent the day there. I would do a post about what I did for the other two days but it can be summed up in one sentence: cider, crisps and books on the balcony.

1 day in Palma, Mallorca

So, Palma. I booked a taxi from my apartment, somewhere between Costa de la Calma and Santa Ponça - it took around 25 minutes to get me to Palma, and I paid around 27euros. Worth it not to have to drag my suitcase half an hour to the nearest bus stop, honestly. Anyway, the taxi driver dropped me off near the cathedral and I walked around 10 minutes to the Brick Hotel, where I was staying that night. I dropped my case off and headed back out into the sun at around 11am.

The view from the palace terrace.

After a quick pit stop at McDonalds (I'm not a snob when it comes to eating abroad and I like to see what foreign Maccies has to offer, okay?) I walked back to the site of the Cathedral of Santa Maria. At first I couldn't work out how to get in, and actually ended up next door at the Royal Palace of Almudaina. This used to be an alcázar, which is a castle built during Muslim rule, and it's absolutely stunning. There's tapestries and Arab baths and an amazing view across the marina. It's 7euros to get in but only 4euros if you're a student, which I said I was, and she put it through for me even though I'd "forgotten" my card.

Palma Cathedral

I made it across to the cathedral next, where I did have to spend 7euros to get in; this is possibly a bit steep in price but also it's SO BEAUTIFUL. I was genuinely in awe, and I've been in a lot of cathedrals. It's huge and there's a lot of stained glass and various artwork, tombs and statues. Very cool. I probably spent around 1.5 hours exploring the palace and the cathedral, so it's a good way to spend some time out of the sun if it's a bit hot for you.

PALMA

👉🏼 HOTELS IN PALMA 👈🏼

My next port of call was the big red Palma sign because I wanted a cool photo for Instagram, after I'd seen both Kirsty and Florence had posted one. I had to ask a stranger to take my photo and she really didn't know my angles so it didn't turn out great but what can you do? Well what I did do was take some selfies... The sign is on the big stretch of road on the other side from the port, pretty much just around the corner from the cathedral/palace etc. It was actually a lot smaller than I'd expected so kind of underwhelming, but you've gotta do it. Kirsty had also recommend Bar Coto which is in a little courtyard to the right of the sign, so I headed there to read my book and sip on an Aperol Spritz; the bar is all pink and floral and has Frida Kahlo on the menu, and my drink was €5.80 which isn't too bad.

View from the mezzanine at Palau March.

After some lovely chill time, I decided to wander around the pretty little streets and alleys for a bit which I did until I stumbled across the Palau March Museum, which cost €4.50 to get into and was 100% worth it. As you enter you're on a sort of outdoor mezzanine level with incredible views and the most beautiful sculptures by all different artists, which made me feel emotional to be honest. Then as you move into the actual building (another palace, no big deal) where you're greeted with a huge Neapolitan Nativity scene, which is fascinating. The museum currently also has loads of Salvador Dali paintings which was frankly a bit overwhelming for me, seeing them in real life - they're just stunning. You can head upstairs and see some very old maps and beautiful furniture, too. 

Brick Hotel, Palma

It was around 4pm by the time I got back to the hotel and checked in, and I felt like I'd done so much in a relatively short space of time. Check in was easy peasy; I had to pay the €1.10 city charge, and then I was showed to my room. Brick Hotel is really a hostel, but also has some private rooms which is what I opted for - it cost me around £49, and I booked it through Agoda. Most hotels in Palma are easily around £100 a night, and this was in such a good location that I was really pleased with the price.

Brick Hotel, Palma

The room was basic but spacious: think chipboard and concrete, but in a cool way - the building used to be a pottery factory. I had a massive double bed, 2 bedside tables, balcony, TV, desk & chair, wardrobe with plenty of space for loads of clothes, a safe and a lovely big bathroom. The bed was so comfy and the room was warm and clean; I couldn't really have asked for anything better! There's a bar, they do snacks and breakfast, and there's plenty of outdoor seating too.

An evening in Palma

I chilled in my room for a bit as I was fairly tired, and then I decided to check if Palma had a Flying Tiger store - it did, and miraculously it was only around a 5 minute walk from my hotel. I touched up my make up, swapped my t-shirt for a jumper and wandered a couple of streets until I arrived at the motherland. I picked up some bits and also visited Sephora for skincare browsing, and frankly I was over the moon with myself. I grabbed some pizza (I can't remember where from, I'm the worst) and headed back to the hotel bar to watch the Champions League and drink Rosa Blanca, a local beer from Mallorca that is absolutely delicious. There was a dog in the bar, too. Amazing.

By the time the football finished I went straight to bed, knowing I was up early to get a bus to the airport the next day. Check out was a doddle (shove your card in a box kind of thing) and the bus stop was only about a 4 minute walk from the hotel. Smashed it, really.

pin for later!

So there's how I spent approximately 24 hours in Palma - it's a lovely, lovely city and I definitely want to go back because I've truly fallen in love with it's pretty streets and friendly faces. I hope my review of the Brick Hotel, Palma was useful too! I have a photo diary post coming soon if you're interested in a more visual account of my time in Mallorca.

Want to know my top 5 things to do in Warsaw? CLICK HERE