Mallorca

1. ~9:00a●Ensaïmada & café

   Mallorca's spiral, sugar-dusted pastry with a café con leche at a Palma bakery — the island's beloved breakfast.

2. 9:30a◆La Seu cathedral

   The vast Gothic cathedral over the sea, its interior reworked by Gaudí and its side chapel a surreal Miquel Barceló ceramic — light pours through the great rose window.

3. ~11:00a→Palma's old town

   The Arab baths, the courtyards and patios of the old mansions, the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, and the boutique-lined lanes of the Born.

4. ~1:30p●A Palma lunch

   Tumbet (the Mallorcan ratatouille), fresh fish, and a sobrassada-and-cheese tapa, with a glass of island wine in a courtyard restaurant.

5. ~3:30p◆Bellver Castle & a gallery

   The unique round hilltop castle for the view over Palma Bay, or the Es Baluard contemporary-art museum in the old sea walls.

6. 8:30p✦A Michelin table (Marc Fosh / Adrián Quetglas)Anchor table

   Palma punches above its weight — Marc Fosh's bright Mediterranean tasting or Adrián Quetglas's playful menu. The marquee meal; book ahead.

Palma is a genuinely sophisticated small city — the cathedral and old town deserve a full morning. The island's restaurant scene has quietly become one of the Med's best.

1. ~9:30a◆Valldemossa

   The honey-stone mountain village where Chopin and George Sand wintered — the Carthusian monastery, the flower-filled lanes, and a coca de patata pastry warm from the oven.

2. ~11:30a→Deià & the artists' coast

   The cliff-clinging village of Deià, long a haven for painters and writers (Robert Graves lived here) — and the walk down to the rocky cove of Cala Deià.

3. ~1:30p●Lunch at Cala Deià

   Grilled fish and a cold beer at the legendary Ca's Patró March, a shack on the rocks above the cove (the View from Cala Deià that's launched a thousand photos).

4. ~4:00p✦The vintage train to Sóller

   The 1912 wooden train through the mountains and orange groves to Sóller, then the open tram down to the Port — a beloved island journey.

5. ~6:30p✦Sóller's port at sunset

   An aperitivo by the harbour, the Tramuntana glowing above the boats.

6. ~8:30p●A mountain-village dinner

   Back in Deià or a Tramuntana village for slow-cooked lamb, local vegetables, and a Binissalem red.

The Serra de Tramuntana is a UNESCO landscape and the island's soul — Valldemossa, Deià, and Sóller string together a perfect day. The vintage Sóller train is a highlight in itself.

1. ~9:30a✦A boat to the calas

   Mallorca's glory is its hidden coves — a boat to the turquoise calas of the north or east (Cala Varques, Caló des Moro) that are hard to reach by land.

2. ~11:30a✦Swim & snorkel

   Anchor in a pine-fringed cove of impossibly clear water for swimming, snorkelling, and a paddleboard along the cliffs.

3. ~1:30p●Lunch on the water

   A long boat lunch — Mallorcan cheese and sobrassada, fresh bread, and a chilled rosé, with a swim between courses.

4. ~4:00p✦A coastal cala by land

   Or explore on foot — a hike to a secluded beach, or the dramatic Sa Calobra and the Torrent de Pareis gorge on the north coast.

5. ~8:00p●A seaside dinner

   Fresh-grilled fish at a port restaurant, the boats bobbing and the cliffs darkening.

The hidden calas are what set Mallorca apart — many are only reachable by boat, which is the best way to spend a day. The water is at its calmest and clearest in the morning.