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Go to the top for a 360-degree panorama, including the foothills and sea to the west and the mountains to the north. The perfume of the pine forests creates a heady mix with the maritime breezes.

The elegant round shape is unique among Spanish castles and a premier example of 14th-century military architecture. The circular structure also aided in the collection of rainwater into the central cistern.

There are three horseshoe-shaped towers and four smaller protuberances used for guard posts. Their windows are tiny so that archers could not be targeted by attackers on the ground.

The free-standing castle keep, called the Torre de Homenaje, is almost twice as high as the castle itself, connected to its roof by a small bridge supported by a slim, pointed Gothic archway. It is open to visitors by arrangement (971 730657).

The beautiful, two-tiered central courtyard has 21 Catalan Romanesque arches on the lower tier, which contrast with the 42 octagonal columns supporting 21 Gothic arches on the upper tier. Classical statues, such as those of Venus and Nero, grace the lower walkway.

Right up until 1915, the lower reaches of the castle were used as a prison, dubbed La Olla (“the kettle”). Jaume III’s widow and sons ( see Unification with Spain) were imprisoned here for most of their lives.

From the central courtyard you enter Palma’s Museu de Mallorca, in which sculptures and other artifacts trace the city’s history through Talaiotic, Roman, Arab and Spanish periods. The former Chapel of St Mark is now bare vaulted rooms.

The first three rooms contain impressive Roman statuary, a perfectly preserved column of rare cippolino marble, carved seals, marble inscriptions, lamps and 1st-century pots.

Surprisingly few remnants here beyond some pots, both painted and blue-glazed, a stone lion, terracotta lamps and sgraffito ware (pottery with etched designs).

A great range of styles and eras is presented, from medieval arms and a stone font with angels, dated 1591, to later works including 17th-century Mallorcan turquoise-glazed ceramics, Chinese porcelain, and items from the Belle Époque and Fascist eras.