From Algaida to Sineu and even Binissalem: in the heart of the island lies the other Mallorca, as individualists call the authentic regions beyond the tourist hubs. Vineyards, windmills, fields, idyllic villages, homemade delights, traditional crafts, and much more is what the interior of Mallorca offers.
Cycling among flower-filled meadows
The most pleasant cycling routes traverse the fertile plateau in the center of the island (Es Pla). Around Algaida, Campos, Montuiri, Porreres, and Petra, there are beautiful rural roads with hardly any slopes. Cyclists or hikers can relax and get to know the land and its people. During siesta time, small farms or estates offer homemade Mallorcan delights.
It is also wonderful to enjoy a picnic in one of the many green meadows: sitting among poppies and daisies and savoring the scent of jasmine and apricot blossoms.
Staying in romantic estates
Restored with love and detail, these old Mallorcan stone farmhouses charm as a refuge beyond the usual tourist routes. Stressed city dwellers especially appreciate the meditative tranquility of the Mallorcan countryside. The tinkling of sheep bells, the song of the cicadas, and the nightingale’s trills are the only soundtrack.
Descubre lugares en el interior de la isla
Artà offers a unique blend of historical sites, traditional craftsmanship and pristine nature.
The idyllic mountain village of Biniamar, with about 400 inhabitants, is one of the smallest in Mallorca.
From mid to late September, Mallorca's most famous wine village, Binissalem, reaches its peak splendor each year.
Capdepera is known for its fortress, the Capdepera castle. However, this small town in the northeast has much more to offer.
Approximately 200,000 people gather each year on the third Thursday of November in Inca to celebrate "Buena Vista" or "Dia del Buitre."
In Sa Pobla, a small town in northern Mallorca, life revolves around agriculture. Every year, on the night of January 16th to 17th, it is filled with devils.
The small village of Sineu is located in the heart of Mallorca, away from the large tourist crowds.
Tasting wines of excellence
The Binissalem, Consell, Santa Maria del Camí, Santa Eugènia, and Sencelles route is known as the “Mallorca Wine Route.” In recent years, the vintners of Binissalem have gained an international reputation for their excellent red, rosé, white, and sparkling wines.
Distinctive: the main varieties cultivated are the native Mallorcan Manto Negro and Moll. The red wines have a high alcohol content and a strong personality. They are full-bodied, harmonious wines that are suitable for aging. The white wines are characterized by being distinct, delicate, and fruity.
Travel tip: Macià Batle Winery offers a virtual tour. The addresses of the most important wineries can be found on the website of the Regulatory Council (www.binissalemdo.com).
Enjoying cozy inns
Thanks to the numerous good restaurants along its route, the C-715 road in the Algaida area is nicknamed the “street of delicacies.” One of the most appreciated is S’Hostal d’Algaida, which combines a restaurant and a shop selling its own gourmet products (C-715, km 21, Tel.: 971-66 51 09, open every day with quite affordable prices).
Hot tip for barbecue fans: “Ca’l Dimoni” is right next door. They offer grilled Mallorcan meat dishes, such as lamb chops with roasted garlic and kale seasoned to taste (C-715, km 21, Tel.: 971-66 50 35, closed Wednesdays). Also famous are the “Cellers” (winery restaurants) in Inca (for example, “Celler Can Amer”, C/. Pau 39, Tel.: 971-50 12 61).
Relax in picturesque plazas
Follow the winding rural roads! Along the roadside, you’ll find towns and villages with sandstone churches and houses with green shutters. Each town, no matter how small, has a charming main square with an outdoor café or a bar.
Anyone who spends some time here will capture the essence of Mallorcan life beyond tourism. Don’t forget to take a stroll through the narrow flower-adorned alleyways!
Experience the spectacle of the Sineu market
For more than 700 years, every Wednesday starting at eight in the morning, not a word is heard in “Plaza España” of Sineu, due to the clucking, cooing, squawking, croaking, and chirping. Those who also want to hear bleating, mooing, and neighing should arrive early, as the trade of horses, donkeys, and cows finishes quickly.
Then, the farmers retreat to winery restaurants to savor their “Mallorcan sopes,” and hundreds of birds take over. Acoustically, the vendors keep up with their noisy wares. Children find the Sineu market almost as fun as a petting zoo.
The friendly vendors offer lettuce leaves to children to feed chickens, pigeons, or ducks. The adults are busy capturing curious images. Besides animals, you can find everything in the narrow streets around the church: fruits, vegetables, tablecloths, nightgowns, underwear, wooden carvings, ceramics, baskets… Art lovers can make an afternoon stop at the modern gallery S’Estació, in the old Sineu train station.
Buying high-quality products from the island
The leather factory outlets in the metropolis of Inca are a paradise for bargain hunters. Majorcan artisanal shoe stores like Lottusse (on the main avenue, Av. del Raiguer, 2) and “Barrats 1890” (Av. del General Luque, 480) offer products of the highest quality.
Fans of the cult brand Camper will find prototypes, display pieces, and discontinued models at the Re-Camper store (near Plaza 1º de Mayo). Handmade olive wood products can be found just before reaching Manacor at oliv-art (Ctra. Palma-Manacor, km 47). In Manacor, you’ll also find Mallorca’s most famous pearl factory, Perlas Majórica (Av. Majórica, 48).
On the C-715 road in Algaida is the oldest glassworks on the island, Gordiola. Before the eyes of numerous spectators, glass blowers transform molten masses into colorful horses, chandeliers, or bowls. High-quality Mallorcan liqueurs, such as Hierbas, Palo, or Mesclat, are produced by the small family distillery F. Vidal Catany in Llucmajor (C/. San Francisco s/n).
The best ceramic pieces are found in Pòrtol, where there are still eight small pottery workshops. In the nearby village of Sa Cabaneta, the typical Siurell figures are modeled with white clay. The sought-after Mallorcan decorative fabrics with tongue patterns (robes de llengo) are made by the small artisan workshop Artesanía Textil Bujosa in Santa Maria del Camí, on five mechanical looms (C/. Bernardo de Santa Eugenia 53).
Pilgrimage to Celestial Monasteries
Hidden behind tall walls is the old convent of the Mínimos on the main street of Santa María del Camí. Its hallmark is the wild and romantic garden. This green oasis in the center of the village is the perfect place to escape the routine and let the soul rest. Mount Randa, Puig de Cura, houses three monasteries.
On a sharp curve lies the entrance to the first monastery, Nostra Senyora de Gràcia, founded in 1440 by a Franciscan friar. Just a kilometer further up, the next monastery, Sant Honorat, comes into view, which can only be seen from the outside, as the brothers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, who have been the owners since 1890, live in strict isolation.
There is no visitor reception! But weary pilgrims find refuge just a few curves ahead: at a breathtaking height stands the Nostra Senyora de Cura Monastery, almost like a gateway to heaven.
The history of the monastery is inextricably linked to the name of Ramón Llull. This legendary medieval Franciscan (1235-1316) spent ten productive years here: he learned Arabic, invented Catalan writing, and a so-called thinking machine, considered by many computer scientists as the ancestor of the computer (visit the Llull Museum!).
The Monti-Sion Monastery in Porreres is also worth a little pilgrimage. The path to the monastery is lined with intriguing ruins: the pairs of columns from 1497 represent the seven joys and the seven sorrows. From the top of Mount Monti-Sion, there is a postcard view of the valley. This route is also part of a beautiful cycling trail.
Time travel
At the Els Calderers estate in Sant Joan (Ctra. Palma-Manacor, km 37), the former lords could move in at any moment. Everything appears almost the same as about 200 years ago: from the elegantly furnished rooms to the workshops, livestock, and agriculture (elscalderers.com).
Anyone who wishes to get a vivid impression of medieval Mallorca should visit the small town of Petra, with its sandy-colored houses and narrow streets. By the way, Fray Junípero Serra, the founder of nine missions in California, was born here (Serra’s Birthplace and Museum on C/. Barracar Alt, 6-8).
Admire nostalgic windmills
Especially in the areas of Sa Pobla and Algaida, you can see many mills. The beautiful blue or green and white metal blades have adorned the windmills of Mallorca since the 1930s. In the 1950s, many farmers replaced their mills with electric or diesel pumps, even though the windmills can pump 480 liters of water per minute with each rotation.
Since 1970, almost all the mills have been stopped. The first push to preserve them as emblems was given by private individuals, and today the Island Council also takes care of them, subsidizing the labor costs of their restoration.
Other regions in Mallorca
- Central Mallorca
- North
- Northeast
- East
- Southeast
- South
- Southwest
- West
- Serra de Tramuntana
- Cap de Formentor
