Castell de Bellver
Take bus 50 or the tourist train up. The circular courtyard and the view are the draw. The archaeological museum inside is secondary.
A rare circular Gothic castle on a pine-covered hill above Palma Bay — a 14th-century royal summer residence, now a city museum, with the best panorama on the island.
Palma Cathedral (La Seu) · Es Baluard Museu · Royal Palace of La Almudaina
At a Glance
- — You don't walk to a hilltop castle
Perched high on a pine-blanketed hill, this 14th-century fortress is a rarity for its perfectly circular structure and sprawling defensive moat. The courtyard radiates a quiet, stony geometry, but the real draw is the panoramic sweep over Palma Bay visible from the ramparts. It serves primarily as a historic lookout where the surrounding forest provides a welcome, shaded escape from the city heat.
How it got here
King Jaume II of Mallorca commissioned this fortress in the early 14th century to secure his dynastic seat. Its circular geometry deviates from standard military architecture of the era. The construction utilized stone quarried directly from the hill, leaving deep cavities that still mark the surrounding grounds. Through the centuries, the state converted the keep into a military prison for political dissidents, most notably Jovellanos, who wrote his reflections on the island while incarcerated within these walls. The fortification now contains the municipal museum, maintaining the architectural rigor that defined the Mallorca of the kings.
Where it sits
The castle crowns a limestone ridge clothed in Aleppo pines above the Palma plains. The path up from the city winds through dense Mediterranean scrub that stays fragrant even during the dry heat of August. In spring, the shade under the canopy tempers the intensity of the light, though the ramparts remain exposed to the gusts blowing off the Gulf of Palma. Paths remain quiet on weekdays, but weekend mornings attract residents from the port below. From the summit, the view stretches across the coastal plain and the blue reach of the Balearic Sea.
What to eat and drink
Palma cuisine draws from the soil of the island and the catch of the surrounding waters. Ensaimada, a spiral pastry made with lard and dusted with sugar, defines the local bakeries. Sobrassada, a raw cured sausage seasoned with pimentón, appears on crusty bread as a standard midday snack. Cooks prepare frito mallorquín, a fry of liver, potatoes, and red peppers, often served in the taverns near the old harbor. Diners pair these heavy dishes with local wines produced from the vines of the interior plains, typically bold reds from the native Manto Negro grape.
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
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