By Shelbi Hales | Posted: March 21, 2025

Mallorca, Spain, is the perfect destination to live out your European summer dream! It has the perfect mix of amazing beaches, beautiful mountain villages with cobblestone streets, shops to explore, delicious food, and friendly people. Keep reading to learn about my favorite locations on the island, tips, and must-do activities!

**WHERE TO STAY**

We spent about 7 days in Mallorca and split our time between Valldemossa (the CUTEST mountain village) and Portocolom (a seaside village) on the southeast side of the island. If you have more time, you could also spend a couple of nights in Palma or travel to the northern side and stay in Alcudia.
**STAYING IN VALLDEMOSSA**
Valldemossa is about a 25 to 30-minute drive from Palma (where you will be flying into), so it’s a very quick journey to this dreamy village! The view as you drive into the city is worth the trip all on its own! We loved our stay here. There are plenty of delicious restaurant options and great shopping. It’s also a great base to explore other small mountain villages and beaches in the area. Here are a few must-see places nearby:
**Deia and Fornalutx** — Other small mountain villages! The drive from Valldemossa to Deia is stunning, with ocean views as you drive along the coastal mountainside. Deia and Fornalutx are even smaller than Valldemossa, but worth the visit to check out!
**Cala Deia and Sa Colabra** — Two beautiful swimming spots in the area!
**Soller** — Check out this city for more shopping! Don’t forget to take a scenic train ride down to the port and back. It’s a quick ride but a fun way to spend some time in this area!

STAYING IN PORTOCOLOM

The drive from Valldemossa to Portocolom is about an hour, so not bad at all! Portocolom is a coastal town, but you could also stay in the larger city nearby, Santanyi. This side of the island has some of the best beaches you can find! Here are a few of the best beaches and other things to do in the area:
Best beaches:

Cala Llombards
Cala Mondraga
Cala Figuera
Cala Pi
Cala S’almunia
Calo Del Moro

Cala means “beach” if you haven’t caught on to that yet!

Other things to do

Every Saturday, Santanyi hosts a large outdoor market. If you are in this area over a Saturday, it’s fun to wander the streets and check out the handmade items and foods for sale!

PALMA

If you decide to stay in Palma or drive back to Palma to spend a day in the city, here are a few fun things to do!!

Take a boat tour — We loved this! Seeing Mallorca from the water was so fun, and they took us to a beautiful secluded swimming cove. Highly recommend it!

Take a cooking class — We had this booked and it got canceled at the last minute, but there are lots of cooking classes in Palma, so you can learn how to make local dishes like “Paella!”

Explore the city — We had a couple of spare hours and decided to take the “Hop On Hop Off” bus to see more of the city! If you are quick on time and want to see the city, this could be a great way! Don’t forget to hop off to grab some gelato! Can you really go to Europe without getting gelato? I don’t think so!

GETTING AROUND

We rented a car, and I recommend it if you visit Mallorca and want to get outside of the city. Driving was super easy, and most of the beaches aren’t close enough that you can get to them easily by public transit. We used DiscoverCars.com for our rental and had a great experience!

Make sure to watch out for the many bikers and get ready for a lot of switchbacks if you visit all of the mountain villages!