Palma (de Mallorca)

Palma (pop. 401,270) is the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands and the largest city on the island of Mallorca. It is located on the southern coast of Mallorca, five miles west-northwest from Palma de Mallorca Airport (IATA code PMI). Palma was founded as a Roman settlement in the second century BCE, and was Rome`s connection to the colonies in Northern Africa such as Carthage. By the year 902 CE, the Moors conquered Mallorca and Palma was renamed Medina Mayurqa. The Aragonese captured Mallorca on New Year`s Eve 1229, and soon after Palma became the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca. The second-generation monarch, James II, commissioned the construction of two key tourist attractions: Bellver Castle and the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Palma. In the centuries that followed, Palma flourished as a key trading post on seafaring routes traveling to Venice, Barcelona, Provence, and Northern Africa. By the eighteenth century, the Spanish crown took over formal administration of the Balearic Islands, and Palma was named the capital of the region in 1833. By locals, Palma is referred to simply as the Ciutat (Catalan for `city`).

Palma is surrounded by two ring roads. The outer ring road is the Mallorca-20 motorway, which encloses 35 neighborhoods in an area 3.5 miles from west to east and 2.5 miles from north to south. The inner ring road goes by a number of names: from east to west, these names, among others, include Avinguda de Gabriel Alomar, Avinguda d'Alexandre Rossello, Avinguda de Joan March, Avinguda del Comte de Sallent, Avinguda d`Alemanya, Avinguda de Portugal, Carrer de Ramon y Cajal, Carrer Comte de Barcelona, and Carrer d`Espartero. The main waterfront road is the Mallorca-19 motorway, also called the Avinguda de Gabriel Roca. The Santa Catalina, Paseo Maritimo and La Calatrava neighborhoods are located along the waterfront; further inland, but still inside the inner ring road, you will find the Monti-Sion, La Seu, Cort, Sant Nicolau, Sindicat, Sant Jaume and Mercat neighborhoods. Along the upper edge of the inner ring road, you will find the Estacio Intermodal, on the Placa d`Espanya. This is a transportation hub for the southern coast and also links Palma to the interior and northwest coast.

Points of interest close to the waterfront include the Es Baluard Modern Art Museum, the 15th-century Gothic Llotja de Palma, the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Palma, and the fountain at Parc de la Mar. Out of the numerous plazas (spelled placa in Catalan), perhaps the most noteworthy are Palma Square and Placa Major. Bellver Castle is located 1.6 miles west of central Palma.

El Terreno

The area around Bellver Castle, to the west of Palma's old town, is referred to as "La Terreno" and is known as the town's marina district, as La Terreno is directly on the western side of the Port de Palma. While the Avinguda de Gabriel Roca runs directly parallel to the waterfront, you will find that many of the accommodation options, including 4 and 5-star resorts, are located one street behind, along the Avinguda de Joan Miro. Palma's bus system also stops frequently along Avinguda de Joan Miro, so the El Terreno area is easy to navigate even if you don't have a car. To reach Bellver Castle from El Terreno, take the Carrer Bellver from Avinguda de Joan Miro.