DK Travel : Mallorca : Places of interest

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Jardins d’Alfàbia

This oasis of heavenly peace high in the mountains was designed by Arab landscape architects 1,000 years ago as an image of Paradise. The gardens have been reworked over the centuries, mostly with Gothic and Italian Renaissance touches, but the medley of fountains, terraces and groves is still essentially Arabic.
Jumaica

The Ca’n Pep Noguera is a banana plantation, established in 1973, when the owners started to transform the arid land into a tropical garden. It’s a mini-paradise of farm animals, birds and exotic plants.
Lloseta

Traditionally part of the leather-crafting enterprises in the area, this town is situated on a sloping foothill. It has a pleasant, tree-lined approach, a charming central square and several good restaurants.
Manacor

Mallorca’s second city is famous for artificial pearl factories, of which Perlas Majorica is the best-known, producing 50 million a year. The method, involving fish scales, repeated baking and polishing, can be witnessed on the free tour. Also look inside the Església de Nostra Senyora dels Dolors to find a figure of Christ with scraggly hair and a skirt, and pilgrims lining up to kiss his bloodstained feet.
Marineland

Children love the displays of dolphins, seals and sea lions showing off their acrobatic and aquatic skills. Kids can also swim in a pool of gentle rays, which feel like velvety gelatine.
Monestir de Nostra Senyora de Lluc

Since time immemorial, long before the existence of Christianity, this spot has been Mallorca’s holiest pilgrimage point. The heady mountain air and the presence of many groves of oak trees, considered sacred in Neolithic and ancient cultures, combine to create a peaceful, inviting atmosphere for believers and non-believers alike. You can stay in the monastery’s comfortable rooms, and explore the ancient mysteries of the surrounding area.
Montuïri

Built on a hill, the town of Montuïri is famous for its agricultural produce. Nineteen of the original 24 windmills still stand as testimony to the town’s former glory, striking in the landscape. The Ermita de Sant Miquel is nearby, offering good views.
Muro

A pleasant, sleepy town full of old mansions and dominated by the church of Sant Joan Baptista. The adjacent belfry has wonderful views (see Sant Joan Baptista Belfry). The Museu Etnológic (see Museu Etnològic, Muro) houses furniture, costumes, tools and instruments.
Museu de la Jugeta

Can Planes, a refurbished mansion in Sa Pobla, has a great Toy Museum with many Spanish antiques. Old comic strips, a doll that spins a hula-hoop around her waist, game boards and elaborate dolls’ houses are some of the exhibits that will fascinate and delight.
Museu de Mallorca

It’s worth the entrance fee just to see the building, a 17th-century palace built on the foundations of one of Mallorca’s earliest Arab houses. The museum contains some fascinating exhibits, providing a quick overview of Mallorca from prehistory to the 20th century. There are some powerful recreations of Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs and dwellings, and several treasures from Roman times. Some gorgeous examples of Modernista furniture are on the top floor – in particular a console with a daringly asymmetrical design (see aslo Museu de Mallorca, Palma).