Alcúdia
Half a day for the walls, the Roman ruins and lunch on the square. Its beach makes it a practical base for a week in the north.
A complete medieval walled town standing on a Roman city — you can walk the walls and the forum ruins in the same afternoon.
Ibiza · Menorca · Valldemossa · Formentera
At a Glance
Alcúdia's medieval walls survive almost complete, with a gate at each point of the compass and a walkway along the top. Just outside are the ruins of Pollentia, the Roman city founded in 123 BC, with its forum and theatre. The town itself is small and lived-in, with the bay and its long beach a kilometre away.
How it got here
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus founded Pollentia in 123 BC to secure the Balearic Islands for the Roman Republic. The settlement grew into the primary Roman centre on Mallorca before suffering decline and abandonment as pirate incursions and economic shifts transformed the Mediterranean. By the thirteenth century, the Kingdom of Aragon occupied the island. King Jaume II initiated the construction of the current medieval fortifications to protect the northern coastline from seaborne threats. These high sandstone walls and the two remaining gates define the town layout today, preserving a compact, defensible shell that successfully turned the back of the medieval inhabitants toward the shifting currents of the open sea.
Where it sits
The town sits on a low rise between the bays of Pollença and Alcúdia, separating the northern coast from the central Mallorcan plain. Flat scrubland and limestone outcrops extend toward the rugged Serra de Tramuntana mountains to the west. Winds funnel across the peninsula through the seasons, keeping the summers temperate compared to the sweltering interior. Crowds congregate in the coastal resorts during the July and August months, yet the walled centre retains a slower pace of life. Cold winds sweep across the exposed headland in winter, stripping the streets of seasonal visitors and leaving the narrow alleys to the residents.
What to eat and drink
Ensaimadas, spiralled pastries dusted with icing sugar and traditionally made with lard, appear in every bakery and define the island morning. Sobrassada, a cured raw sausage made with ground pork, paprika, and salt, provides the base for many local recipes, often spread on rustic bread. Greixonera de brossat, a simple cottage cheese pudding, serves as the standard dessert. Local vintners produce bold red wines from the Manto Negro grape variety grown in the island interior. Almonds harvested from the surrounding orchards flavour almost every sweet preparation, grounding the local diet in the dry, rocky soil of the Mediterranean landscape.
Balearic Islands: the whole region
Four islands doing four different jobs: Mallorca, big enough to hold mountains, a serious city and quiet corners; Menorca, the calmest, with the best coves; Ibiza, which is two places — the clubs and a rural north almost nobody…
Minimum 5 days · better 10 days · deep 2 weeks
In Balearic Islands
In Balearic Islands
Other Worth a Detour in Balearic Islands
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Experiences worth booking ahead
- Mallorca: Kayaking, Sea Cave, Cliff Jumping & Snorkel Tour4.8 (1,305)3 hrsFrom €69
- Alcudia: Guided Sea Kayaking & snorkelling Tour (day & sunset)4.8 (55)2 hrsFrom €55
- Morning Boat Trip in Alcudia with Swim Stop & Tapas4.7 (46)4 hrsFrom €68
- Mallorca: Fast-Boat Dolphin Watching with Sunrise Option4.9 (30)2 hrsFrom €72
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