The island of Mallorca (or Mallorca) is the most famous resort in the Balearic Islands. This is a huge, densely populated island with a rich history - there were primitive caves covered with drawings, and Carthaginian settlements, and pirate bases. The island has preserved medieval castles, rich mansions of the modern era, ancient monasteries and chapels.
And besides all the historical sights, there are also a lot of usual resort entertainment: large amusement parks, water parks, an aquarium, a dolphinarium, nightclubs, restaurants and shopping centers.
Top 10 attractions in Mallorca
La Granja Estate and Mallorcan History Museum
The settlement itself at this place, around a source of clean water, has been known since the 12th century. First, the land belonged to the monastery, then to several noble families. Under the owners named Fortuny, a manor house was built in the 18th century. In 1968 it was bought by Cristobal Segui Col and restored.
Now it is a private historical and ethnographic museum: the interiors of a rich Spanish house of the XVIII-XIX are recreated inside: a dining room, living rooms, a nursery, a kitchen with all equipment, a bathroom, a library. Numerous outbuildings have been restored: a bakery, a winery, a tannery, an ironing shop, a carriage shed, a barn - in a word, you can see the entire huge economy of this estate, which, by the way, is completely autonomous. The basement has its own small power plant from the beginning of the 20th century.
Since the estate remains a frequent residential property, it is not just a museum - it all works, there are horses in the stable, cattle graze outside the fence, and bread is baked in the bakery.
Bellver Castle
The Gothic Bellver Castle was built at the very beginning of the 14th century for the King of Mallorca Jaime II. It is believed that its prototype was the fortress of Herod the Great, built on the banks of the Jordan in the 1st century. BC NS. Pere Salve became the architect.
This round structure with four towers proved to be so powerful that it successfully withstood several sieges. It was rebuilt only after the emergence of artillery, in the 17th century, but it did not change its main appearance - they simply expanded the walls, removed the battlements and added another bastion.
In the 18th century, the fortress lost its strategic importance and, like many European fortresses, began to be used as a political prison. Many leaders of the Spanish revolutionary movement of the 19th century were sitting here. The last political prisoners were the participants in the 1936 putsch, which started the Spanish Civil War.
Now the castle houses a museum of the city of Palma, and concerts and festivals are held in its courtyard.
Dragon cave
The most famous cave of the island is located near the Porto Cristo resort. According to one of the legends, a dragon lived here in time immemorial, and according to another, it was here that the Templars hid their untold treasures.
After traveling along a narrow winding passage, visitors find themselves in a huge grotto, at the bottom of which there is a huge underground lake Martel, its width is about 200 meters. Live music concerts are held here every hour, accompanied by a light show, and after the concert you can take a boat ride. The total length of underground passages is 2.5 km, a section of one kilometer is open and equipped for tourists.
Unlike many other caves, it is not cold here - the average temperature is about 20 degrees. But it can be slippery - there is a whole lake inside the cave, and the air is rather humid, so shoes should be suitable.
Alfabia Gardens
Alfabia Gardens is a huge multi-level park near Bunyola on the slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana. It is a 14th century Moorish manor house, the summer residence of the kings of Mallorca.
Now almost nothing has remained of the oldest building - it was rebuilt several times, and the current building was created in the 19th century. Only the carved wooden throne of King Jaime IV remained from the Middle Ages. The estate continued to be a royal residence throughout the 19th century: for example, the Spanish queen Isabella II loved to relax here. The estate houses a museum.
The park is carefully looked after: there are many park structures, bridges, fountains, ponds with lilies and swans. There are palm and plane tree alleys, olive groves and flower beds - the best landscape designers in Spain have worked on this garden since the 14th century and brought exotic plants from all over the world here.
Luke Monastery
The spiritual center of the island is a temple with a revered statue of the Virgin of Lukas, one of the famous "Black Madonnas". Tradition says that the statue was miraculously found in the 13th century during the Muslim rule, in 1260 a temple was built on the site of its appearance, and then a whole monastery. The very first statue was lost over time; now there is a copy of it in the monastery, created in 1520.
The current building of Luke Church was completed in 1684. At the end of the 19th century, it was restored under the guidance of the famous Antoni Gaudi. The monastery has a small museum that tells about its history, as well as a botanical garden.
The monastery is located in the mountains, a serpentine leads to it, and beautiful views of the surroundings open from its walls. On the feast of the Virgin Mary of Luke, pilgrims flock here.
Oceanarium Palms
One of the best aquariums in Europe, opened in 2007 - it has 55 aquariums and more than 8,000 inhabitants. The largest exposition is dedicated to the inhabitants of the Mediterranean Sea - it occupies 24 aquariums. Here, in addition to fish, there are corals, invertebrates, a whole aquarium of various jellyfish and many others. The most colorful exposition is the world of tropical seas, there are even more corals and bright fish here. On the roof there is a real Amazonian jungle with a waterfall and a collection of freshwater inhabitants. Children's programs take place in the Mediterranean botanical garden, among the pool with turtles and ornamental carp.
And the main pearl of the aquarium is Gran Azul, the deepest shark pool in the world. Its depth is 8, 5 meters and length - 33 m. There are 2 types of sharks - tiger and gray-blue, and many other fish. You can dive and swim with sharks if you have a diver certificate, but you can go to stingrays without a certificate.
Capdepera Castle
The 14th century castle was built on the foundations of a 10th century fortress, from which only fragments have survived. The walls were erected under Jaime II, the towers were completed under his successors. In fact, there was a whole city inside the fortress, in which the population was reliably protected from pirate raids. There was no source of water in the fortress, water was collected in cisterns - they survived.
The city flourished in the 17th century, after which the fortress gradually began to lose its significance. The residence of the governor and the military garrison remained in it. Now, out of all the buildings that once existed, only two houses have survived. One of them is the governor's house, which houses the fortress museum. The tallest structure is the Church of the Virgin de la Esperanza, which, in fact, was also part of the fortifications: its roof was used as a platform for artillery. You can climb it to look at the castle from above.
Art's cave
Another beautiful karst cave is located near the village of Arta in a high cliff above the city - a wide staircase leads to it. It was formed more than 50 thousand years ago, and drawings of primitive people were found here, as well as traces of the presence of pirates, whose base it was in the 16th century. There are several large grottoes, each with its own name. There is, for example, the Hall of Flags, where stalactites resemble crossed flags hanging at the door, there is the Column Hall - lined with columns of stalagmites, one of which - 23 meters high - is considered the tallest in the Mediterranean. There is the Diamond Hall - quartz crystals shine so beautifully on its walls.
Here they show a light and music show for each excursion, and a pleasant addition to the inspection for our tourists will be the opportunity to purchase a booklet in Russian.
Spanish village
All Spain in a few hours! One of the most popular types of modern cognitive parks is to combine all the sights (at least in copies) in one place. This is one of the first projects of this kind, it was created in the 1960s: 24 famous Spanish buildings in miniature copies. The entrance to the Spanish Village is the famous Bisagra gate from Toledo. And where else can you see the Alhambra without crowds of tourists and without ordering a special excursion there? Traveling from Seville to Barcelona? Will you look at the houses of El Greco and Lope de Vega?
On the lower floors of the buildings, there are numerous cafes and souvenir shops, many buildings can be entered - all the interior decoration has been reproduced there.
Kathmandu park
Kathmandu is the best amusement park in Mallorca, in third place among all amusement parks in Spain. There are quite traditional entertainments: a video game salon, a 5d cinema with movable chairs, temperature control and other special effects. There are mini-golf courses - also with special effects: either an avalanche will descend, or a volcanic eruption will begin. But the main attraction is the upside-down house, which offers numerous adventures for visitors - from shark attacks to meeting with Bigfoot. There is a similar zone, but with "terrible" adventures designed for teenagers - zombies and vampires will be waiting there. The entertainment complex also includes the Katlantis water park and the K3 Climb rope park from 57.
