When the summer crowds have departed, you’re invited to experience Mallorca in a more laid-back way. The island’s winter is renowned for its clear skies, minimal rainfall, and scarce cloud cover.
Mallorca in winter offers an abundance of experiences to suit your interests, with more affordable accommodation and dining options compared to the summer months.
There are plenty of activities to enjoy while exploring Mallorca from a fresh perspective, and I’ll be detailing them for you right here.
1. Visit the Christmas Markets
Christmas Market in Puerto Portals
A traditional Christmas market functions every year in this exclusive area close to Palma. The market is assembled at the port’s boulevard. With beautiful Christmas decorations and music, it attracts not only locals but also a lot of tourists every year.
Visitors can choose from thousands of products, including handicrafts, jewelry, and many others that can make great gifts. Children can enjoy several activities like workshops, face painting, and storytelling. It also offers an ice-skating rink.
This market has been considered by the German newspaper Die Welt as one of the 5 best Christmas markets in Europe.
It opens from mid-December to January 7th, usually from noon to 10:00 pm.
Christmas Market in the Main Square of Palma
The Christmas Market in the Main Square of Palma usually opens from the end of November until January 5th. Many gift and food stalls offer their products. There are live music performances and a beautiful exhibition of Nativity scenes.
Christmas Market in Pueblo Español
Pueblo Español is a recreation of over 20 of Spain’s most iconic locations, including the Alhambra, the Toledo Gate, and the Golden Tower. It’s a place where you can take a leisurely stroll through the country’s most famous landmarks, all within a single enclosed space.
Every December, Pueblo Español holds a traditional Christmas market offering stalls with a wide variety of products as well as food.
2. Enjoy Ice Skating
This is a fantastic family activity to enjoy in Mallorca if you happen to be there in December. It’s suitable for kids over 4 years old. Ice skating rinks are installed every year from the last days of November until the first days of January. There are two options to choose from:
Ice Park Mallorca
This 420 m2 skating rink is set up annually in Palma, at the Parc de Ses Estacions. It opens every day from 10:00 to 22:00, with schedule variations on Christmas and New Year. Skates are available for rent; you just need to bring your gloves.
Christmas Fun Park
This 300 m2 ice skating rink is set up at Port Adriano, one of the most exclusive ports in the Mediterranean, located twenty minutes by car south of Palma. It’s open every day from 12:00 to 18:30. On holidays, such as December 24 and 31, the schedule may vary.
3. Observe the Winter Solstice at Es Baluard
Mallorca’s clear winter skies make it one of the best places to observe the solstice. The Baluard Museum, situated at Plaza de la Porta de Santa Catalina in Palma, organizes a solstice event annually.
From the museum terraces, you can witness the solstice, offering a unique perspective of the Mallorca Cathedral. The sunrise through the cathedral’s rose windows is a captivating sight. This celebration is free for everyone to enjoy.
4. Attend the Festa de l’Estendard
The Festa de L’Estendard or Banner Festival is celebrated every December 31st at Plaza Cort in Palma. Plaza Cort is where the Town Hall is located and is also home to a famous six-hundred-year-old olive tree.
This festival commemorates the reconquest of Majorca from Muslim rule by King Jaume I in the XIII century. It has been celebrated since then, making it one of the oldest festivities in all of Europe.
After the ceremony held at the Plaza, you can join the locals to attend a special Mass in the Cathedral.
Later in the night, the people of Palma gather in the same plaza to say farewell to the Old Year and welcome the New One.
5. Enjoy the Sant Antoni Festival
The Saint Antoni Festival has traditionally been dedicated to the patron saint of animals essential in fieldwork, every year on January 16th and 17th.
Arta, Manacor, and Sa Pobla are the towns where these festivals are most popular. Dancers dressed as demons dance accompanied by traditional music. Later, people take their animals to be blessed by priests. Particularly, the esplanade of the Mallorca Cathedral becomes full with animals waiting to receive holy water.
For a more lively experience, head to Pollença for El Pi de Sant Antoni, where young people compete to climb the soaped pole in Plaça Vella.
6. Attend the Sant Sebastiá Festival
On January 19th and 20th, the city of Palma celebrates its patron saint, Sant Sebastiá.
The Verbena of Sant Sebastiá on the 19th is the most anticipated festival in Palma, featuring musical performances and bonfires lit in several streets and squares of the city. Concerts and cultural activities for everyone, with firework shows in the bay that kids especially love.
On the 20th, Palma is filled with events. The morning starts with the Solemn Mass in the Cathedral, followed by the Cycling Day at noon. In the evening, there is a ceremony to honor the recipients of the Palma City Awards.
7. Join the Quarteró Festival in Bunyola
Bunyola (Buñola in Catalan) is a charming town, twenty minutes by car north of Palma, and forms part of a complete Mallorca itinerary.
The Quarteró Festival takes place on the last Sunday of January. Every year, it is held in a different historic property in Bunyola.
In ancient times, this festivity celebrated the end of the olive harvest season. The masters invited the gatherers to a meal based on herrings and olives, as well as a quarter of wine (equivalent to 16 liters). This “quarter” or “quarteró” gives the name to the festival.
Nowadays, locals and tourists enjoy a full day of celebrations. The traditional food served includes herring with vegetables, black olives, sweet potatoes, and wine. Majorcan bagpipers play music and students of the local Bunyola Dance School perform folklorical dances.
It’s a great chance to join a local party and get to know the culture and traditions of one of the most beautiful Spanish towns.
From Palma, take Bus Line 204 and reach Bunyola in about 25 minutes.
8. Partake in the Carnivals of Mallorca
The Carnival holidays, called Sa Rua, are held every February on a Sunday evening. The parade departs from the Rambla street and crosses the entire historical center. There is also a Carnival for kids known as Sa Ruete, which takes place on another Sunday.
The colorful parade starts at the Rambla street, following a route through the entire historical center. Many troupes participate, both with themed floats and on foot. The best theme receives an award from the City Council.
9. Visit the Palma Aquarium
Located close to the beach of Palma, this complex has 55 aquariums with more than 8,000 specimens from the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.
It’s a good activity to do in Mallorca in winter since the queues to enter are less, and the Aquarium offers special season prices. Palma Aquarium receives almost half a million visitors per year.
This aquarium has the deepest shark tank in Europe: the Big Blue. In December 2022, Palma Aquarium presented its first-ever underwater Nativity scene in the Big Blue. Created with safe materials like methacrylate and eco-friendly latex inks, this Nativity scene ensures the well-being of aquatic life by being non-intrusive, opaque, flat, and with rounded edges to prevent harm.
10. Explore the Caves of Drach
The Caves of Drach are located in the town of Porto Cristo, in the east of Mallorca, around one hour away from Palma.
These caves constitute one of the main attractions of the island. Exploring them in winter allows you to avoid the crowds that usually arrive in summer.
The Caves of Drach are around 1,200 m long and have a maximum depth of 25 m. They comprise four separate and gigantic caves full of impressive stalagmites and stalactites. They hide inside one of the largest underground lakes in the world, Lake Martel, 177 m long.
You can book a Caves of Drach Day Trip and enjoy a light show synchronized with the melodies of a small orchestra. This is a highly recommended activity in Mallorca.
11. Visit the Serra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana, also known as the Tramuntana Highlands, in the northwest of Mallorca, offers impressive views. It’s home to the highest mountain in Mallorca, Puig Major, standing at 4,741 feet (1,445 meters).
You can explore the Serra de Tramuntana on a road trip or go hiking. The most well-known hiking route is the Ruta de Pedra en Sec which joints Port d’Andratx with the city of Pollensa.
Ruta de Pedra en Sec comprises several difficulty levels, so it’s advisable that hiking beginners start with simple routes if not accompanied by a mountain guide. The terrain is rocky, and rain may come suddenly, so it is mandatory to bring along suitable equipment.
You can inquire about a tour at your hotel, as it’s advisable to go with a knowledgeable guide, even though some routes are easily accessible. If you travel with kids ask for simple routes suitable to walk along with them.
12. Fly in a Hot Air Balloon in Manacor
Manacor is a city located 50 km east of Palma. It boasts the only airport in Spain certified for civil aerostatic navigation.
Taking a Sunrise Balloon Tour will allow you to see the island from an entirely different perspective while enjoying a beautiful dawn.
On a clear day, you will be able to see the nearby islands of Menorca and Cabrera. A pilot will take you along with 14 other people in the basket. This tour even includes breakfast
13. Visit Soller and its Port
Soller is located northwest of the Tramuntana mountains, 40 minutes by car from Palma. This city has a rich history and is considered a year-round gem for visitors.
There is a romantic wooden train that takes you from Palma in one hour. It offers a journey through time, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes. I would recommend visiting Soller on a Saturday morning and exploring its local weekly market in the Plaza de la Constitucion. There, you will find traditional jams and preserves among many local products.
On the docks of Port de Soller, stroll through the fishing neighborhood of Santa Catalina. This is formed by a picturesque labyrinth of alleys, houses, and steep stepped slopes. In its upper part, you will get a nice view of the bay with the Tramuntana Mountains at the back.
Port de Soller restaurants are renowned for their excellent cuisine. Es Canyis, a Michelin-awarded establishment, is one of the most recommended Port de Soller restaurants. In Soller, there are two more Michelin-awarded restaurants that come highly recommended.
Finally, enjoy the sunset at one of the most charming ports in Spain.
14. Discover Valldemossa
The picturesque town of Valldemossa, with fewer than 2000 inhabitants, is less than half an hour northwest of Palma. Although not far, it’s nestled in the middle of the mountains. Once in Valldemossa, you will feel a world away from the capital.
Valldemossa is considered the most visited town in Mallorca. It became famous because of the stay here of Frédéric Chopin and his lover, the French writer, George Sand. Both spent time living in the Cartuja, an architectural complex including a palace and church.
At the Cartuja, visit Cell No. 4, now the Chopin museum where he and George Sand lived during their stay in Valldemossa. Chopin composed several of his music pieces there, and you can still see the piano he ordered to be brought there from Paris.
