DK Travel : Mallorca

Known variously as the “Golden Isle”, the “Wooded Isle” and the “Tranquil Isle”, Mallorca is all of these, despite its decades-long dependence on mass tourism. The island is laden with history and sights, from its castles and enchanted gardens to caves and spectacular mountains. The eastern and southern coasts still sport some of the cleanest, most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, and the city of Palma is more attractive, culturally alive and fun than ever.

Mallorca (or Majorca) gets its name from the ancient Roman name for the island, Balearis Major, meaning the “biggest Balearic”

Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, Palma

Miró’s Mallorcan roots go deep – both his mother and his wife were Mallorcan-born, and the great artist spent the last years of his life on the island. So it is entirely fitting that the place he worked in that final period should have been turned into a museum devoted to him.
Fútbol

There are two football (soccer) teams in Mallorca: Real Mallorca and Atlético Baleares, both of whom play in Palma during the season, which runs from early September to April. Real Mallorca has enjoyed considerable success in recent years, and, in any case, attending a match can be a fun, high-spirited, and good-humoured way to see the locals participating in the game they love the best.
Galeries Vicenç, Pollença

Two large floors full of Mallorcan crafts and original art. You’ll find traditional robes de llengües cloth, genuine antiques, lamps, sculpture, rustic furniture, wooden bowls, ceramics and glassware.
Gaudí

Highly devout himself, the architect was responsible for the restoration of Palma Cathedral and other holy sites.
GE

A heavy-duty club veering towards black leather and thumping music to go with the macho attitude. The downstairs “Inferno” room is the place for over-the-top partying.
Golf

This is a sport that has taken Mallorca by storm. Courses are prevalent near the big resorts, though some of the finer hotels have their own and many more have putting greens. There are some 18 major golf courses scattered all around the island.
Good Friday

Many Mallorcan towns have processions during Holy Week. The Calvari steps in Pollença are the scene of a moving re-enactment, the Davallament (the Lowering) each Good Friday, when in total silence a figure of Christ is removed from a cross and carried down the steps by torchlight.
Gordiola Glassworks

The glassworks were founded in 1719, but the present castle-like, Neo-Gothic building dates from the 1960s. The place offers a unique opportunity to watch glass-blowers at work, and its world-class museum of glass (see Museu Gordiola) also fires enthusiasm for the substance. You can buy everything from cheap bibelots to chandeliers fit for a castle.
Gordiola Glassworks

Despite the rather kitsch building it’s housed in, this place is worth a prolonged visit. Watch the glassblowers engaged in their dangerous art, spend an hour in the museum upstairs, and at least another hour browsing through the vast warehouse shops with their prodigious output of beautiful glassware.
Gordiola Glassworks, Baixos

A great collection of glass from around the world, from ancient to modern, and an amazing array of glass merchandise.