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Heading out of Sóller, on the way to Lluc, the C710 is perhaps the most dramatic drive of all, traversing tunnels and gorges on its way between Puig Major and Puig Massanella. This beautiful but bleak ravine has been known since ancient times, as evidenced by the Talayot pillar that has been left as a silent sentinel. Several reservoirs have been created nearby.

A side turn off the road to Sa Calobra leads its winding way down to Cala Tuent, a small cove with a beach and a 13th-century church, Ermita de Sant Llorenç. Cala Tuent is probably the quietest beach on the northern coast, and there’s a nice café-restaurant on the far side of the cove. Swimming here is safe as long as you don’t venture out too far.

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.

Founded by the Romans in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana, Pollença still has much of its old-world charm with narrow, twisting streets, some good restaurants and a lively Sunday market. There’s a great municipal museum, too (see Museu Municipal de Pollença), while the pride of the town is the beautiful Way of the Cross, leading to a chapel that houses a Gothic statue of Christ. Climbing the seemingly endless set of steps (365 in all), you pass the Stations of the Cross. The statue is carried around town on Good Friday, in a moving torchlight procession.

As with all of Mallorca’s religious retreats, it’s the serenity of ageless isolation that rewards. Though located only a one-hour walk from atmospheric Pollença, it feels like you’re a world away from modern life, on this modest bump of a hill, barely 300 m (984 ft) high. Over the centuries, the typically tawny-hued stone complex has been home to both nuns and monks, but now, although still Church property, only overnight guests use the cubicles (see Ermita de Bonany, Petra). A well-laid dry-stone path leads the way, the air redolent with wild herbs and the pungent smell of rural life, the arid landscape broken up with olive, carob and fig trees, and dashes of oleander and wildflowers.

The resort has possibly the clearest, most beautiful blue waters of any truly sandy beach on the island yet is rarely overcrowded. There are actually three calas (coves) – Cala Sant Vicenç, Cala Barques and Cala Molins – separated by rocky outcroppings. Cala Molins is accessed down a steep hill from the main part of the resort and has the most laid-back character, as well as a broader beach than the others.

The port is a major resort, with beautiful restaurants, unique shops, a lovely pedestrian-only zone right along the water and loads of nightlife. It is a favourite with families year-round, while older visitors flock in winter. A large community of foreign residents, mostly retired British, have made it their permanent home.

Mallorca’s wildest part is full of vivid vistas and precipitous plunges, where driving or hiking are exhilarating and unforgettable experiences. It is also home to Mallorca’s most venerable hotel, where movie stars hobnob, and where crowned heads and diplomats have decided the fate of nations.

This two-part municipality consists of Mallorca’s most striking medieval town uneasily conjoined with one of its brashest tourist ports. The area around the fishing harbour is the most attractive, with the broad promenade of Passeig Maritim facing a row of fish restaurants.

The wetland south of Port d’Alcúdia was once a swamp, most of which was drained in the 1860s. The remaining marshes, overgrown with reeds, can be explored via marked trails. A major conservation project, this is an excellent place for bird-watching.