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This Talayot settlement was probably established around 1000 BC. Originally, it consisted of five stone structures ( talaiots ) and 28 smaller dwellings. The amazing Cyclopean walls, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in places, would have served as protection, but little more is known about the function of the rooms or the lives of the ancient inhabitants. Be sure to have a drink at the visitors’ bar, which is like something out of The Flintstones .

Mallorca’s most spectacular cave system is beautifully lit and can be toured in a gondola-style boat.

During the Christian Conquest, Jaume I found 2,000 Arabs hiding with their cattle in this extraordinary network of caves. However, it was not until 1876, when geologist Edouard Martel entered the grottoes, 46 m (151 ft) above the sea at Cap Vermell, that they were studied. Another early visitor was Jules Verne, whose book Journey to the Centre of the Earth is said to have been inspired by them.

These caves are less interesting than the Coves del Drac or Coves d’Artà. Their name means “fishhooks”, which the stalactites are said to resemble. You get a guided tour and a concert.

Cabrera (“Goat Island”) lies 18 km (11 miles) off the mainland. A rocky, bare place and virtually uninhabited, it nevertheless has a rich history. It served as a prison camp during the Napoleonic War and was used as a base by Barbary pirates. It was designated a national park in 1991. Boat trips leave from Colònia de Sant Jordi and take a day – highlights include a 14th-century castle on the island (see Castell de Cabrera) and Cova Blava (Blue Grotto). Keep an eye out for the rare Lilford’s lizard, identifiable by its dog-like face.

Marked as a protected area in 1992, the park incorporates marshes, rocky coasts, beaches, dunes, farmland, pine forest and scrub. Country lanes and easy trails provide access. Look out for herons, egrets, puffins, coots, ducks, finches and rabbits.