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Palma has two branches of Spain’s only true department store, the quality and prices of which are firmly upmarket.

This elegant, arcaded avenue is one of Palma’s main streets for chic boutiques, including Cartier and Loewe and good local shops such as Persepolis for antiques. Worth a stroll even if you don’t want to buy.

A Renaissance-style 18th-century mansion is the showplace for local artists sponsored by the Círculo de Bellas Artes.

Built on what was once a seasonal river bed, this long promenade doesn’t hold a candle to Barcelona’s famous Ramblas, but is lined with flower stalls and definitely worth a ramble.

Wherever you go all over the island, you’ll see the festive robes de llengües (tongue of flame cloth) they make here, in every possible colour and design. To watch it being made at this out-of-the-way spot is worth the trip in itself, plus you can buy bolts of fabric and ready-made items.

Though Inca is a dull town, it is the island’s centre for the production of leather goods. Countless outlets offer buttery leather jackets, supple handbags, trendy shoes and a host of other stylish items (see Pelinca, Inca).

The town’s central square on a Sunday morning is the place to be if you want to see what a real country market is like. You will find the freshest produce – strawberries and potatoes are specialities here – and have the chance to sample the local spicy tapas.

Sineu is one of the most interesting towns of Mallorca’s central plain (Es Pla), and its Wednesday market is one of the biggest agricultural fairs in Mallorca, where local produce and livestock are traded. Pearls, leather and lace are among the goods on offer.

The unprepossessing town of Manacor is notable for its manufactured goods, with pride of place going to its world-famous artificial pearls. The standards of fabrication are exacting, as a free tour of the factory will reveal, and the shimmering colours and variety of shapes indistinguishable from true pearls (see also Perlas Majorica, Manacor).

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.