Museu Municipal

Menorca

　　Within the 17th-century Bastió de Sa Font, the single, vaulted gallery of Ciutadella's town museum provides an excellent insight into the island's history through a small but eye-opening display of Talayotic, Roman and Islamic finds from the area. Comprehensive explanatory documentation is available in Catalan, Spanish, English and several other...

Catedral de Menorca

Menorca

　　Ciutadella's 14th-century, single-nave cathedral was built in Catalan Gothic style on the site of Medina Minurqa’s central mosque (the belltower visibly reuses part of the original minaret), though its baroque facade with Corinthian columns wasn't added until the early 19th century. The cathedral was badly damaged during both the 1558...

Església i Claustre del Socors

Menorca

　　The baroque Església dels Socors, with its lovely tile-patterned floors, was built between 1616 and 1670, and contains striking works by Menorcan artist José R Torrent. Attached is the 18th-century Convent de Sant Agustí, home to a graceful whitewashed baroque cloister whose ceilings are carved with the emblems of major...

Palau Salort

Menorca

　　A couple of Ciutadella's magnificent noble homes are open to the public seasonally, including the splendid 1813 Palau Salort, which unfolds behind a neoclassical facade. On the ceiling of the entrance hall you'll spot the Salort family crest, before climbing to the dance hall, British-inspired library, kitchen (allegedly Menorca's largest)...

Plaça des Born

Menorca

　　Ciutadella’s main square is a gracious affair, framed by handsome 19th-century buildings like the neoclassical Palau Torre-Saura and fortress-like Ajuntament. The obelisk at its centre was raised to commemorate the townsfolk who died trying to ward off the Turks on 9 July 1558. For the finest view of the port...

Costa Nord

Serra de Tramuntana

　　The brainchild of part-time Valldemossa resident and Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, Costa Nord describes itself as a 'cultural centre' and begins well with a 15-minute portrayal of the history of Valldemossa, narrated by Douglas himself. The subsequent virtual trip aboard Nixe, the 19th-century yacht of Austrian Archduke Luis Salvador, who...

Casa Natal de Santa Catalina Thomàs

Serra de Tramuntana

　　The Casa Natal de Santa Catalina Thomàs, birthplace of St Catherine Thomas, is tucked off to the side of the parish church, the Església de Sant Bartomeu, at the east end of the town. It houses a simple chapel and a facsimile of Pope Pius VI's declaration beatifying the saint...

Miranda des Lledoners

Serra de Tramuntana

　　For an exquisite view embracing the ochre Valldemossa rooftops descending in steps down to the Església de Sant Bartomeu, the terraces below, the orchards, gardens, cypresses, palms, the occasional house through the mountains and the distant plains that lead to Palma, walk down Carrer de Jovellanos to Miranda des Lledoners....

Miramar

Serra de Tramuntana

　　With tremendous views, Miramar, 5km north of Valldemossa on the road to Deià, is one of Habsburg Archduke Luis Salvador’s former residences. It's built on the site of a 13th-century monastery, founded by the evangelist and patron saint of Catalan literature, Ramon Llull. Here he wrote many of his works...

Son Marroig

Serra de Tramuntana

　　Seven kilometres from Valldemossa is one of Habsburg Archduke Ludwig Salvator's residences. This delightful, rambling mansion is jammed with furniture and period items, including many of the archduke's books. Above all, the views are the stuff of dreams. Son Marroig hosts the Festival Internacional de Deià, a series of light-classical...

Sa Foradada

Serra de Tramuntana

　　At Son Marroig, ask permission to wander down to this strange hole-in-the-wall rock formation by the water, which resembles an elephant from afar. It's a stunning 3km walk (one way) through olive groves tinkling with sheep bells and along paths flanked by pine trees and caves. A soothing swim in...

Real Cartuja de Valldemossa

Serra de Tramuntana

　　This grand old monastery and former royal residence has a chequered history. It was once home to kings, monks and a pair of 19th-century celebrities: composer Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. A series of cells now shows how the monks lived, bound by an oath of silence they could only...

Iglesia de la Concepción

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　This 16th-century Renaissance church houses Vejer's Museo de Costumbres y Tradiciones, with displays highlighting local history and culture, including a section on the town's distinctive traditional women's dress, the cobijada (a black garment covering everything but one eye). ...

Plaza de España

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　With its elaborate 20th-century, Seville-tiled fountain and perfectly white town hall, Vejer's palm-studded, cafe-filled Plaza de España is a favourite hang-out. There’s a small lookout above its western side (via Calle de Sancho IV El Bravo). ...

Casa del Mayorazgo

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　If the door’s open, pop into this private 18th-century house to find two stunning flower-filled patios (home to 450 potted plants!) and one of just three original 13th- to 14th-century towers that kept watch over the city, with panoramic views down to Plaza de España and across town. ...

Iglesia del Divino Salvador

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　Built atop an earlier mosque, this unusual church is 14th-century Mudéjar at the altar end and 16th-century Gothic at the other. In the late afternoon the sun shines surreally through its stained-glass windows, projecting multicoloured light above the altar. 　　It's only open during hours of worship. ...

Castillo

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　Vejer's much-reworked castle, once home of the Duques de Medina Sidonia, dates from the 10th or 11th century. You can wander through the Moorish entrance arch, past the original rainwater aljibe (cistern), and climb the hibiscus-fringed ramparts for fantastic views across town to the white-sand coastline. ...

Museo de Vejer

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　Housed in a 17th- to 18th-century mansion, Vejer's museum has a small, impressive history and archaeology collection, running from the area's early Paleolithic inhabitants to Roman and Moorish times to the civil war. Highlights include a Visigothic sarcophagus from the 6th or 7th century CE and a hand-painted Iberian urn...

Estatua de la Cobijada

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　Just below the castle is a lookout guarded by this statue of a woman dressed in Vejer's cloak-like, all-black traditional dress, the cobijada, which covers the entire body except the right eye. Despite its similarities to Islamic clothing, the cobijada is believed to be of 16th- or 17th-century Christian origin;...

Walls

Southeast Cádiz Province & the Costa de la Luz

　　Enclosing the 40,000-sq-metre old town, Vejer’s imposing 15th-century walls are particularly visible between the Arco de la Puerta Cerrada (of 11th- or 12th-century origin) and the 15th-century Arco de la Segur, two of the four original gateways to survive. The area around the Arco de la Segur and Calle Judería...

Plaça de la Constitució

Serra de Tramuntana

　　Thronged with tables and seats from the cafes on its northern, eastern and western perimeters, the lovely main square, Plaça de la Constitució, is 100m from the train station. The tram line bends its way across the square, conveying the loaded and tooting tram to the beaches of Sóller Port....

Banco de Sóller

Serra de Tramuntana

　　Joan Rubió i Bellver, a Catalonian student of Antoni Gaudí, designed the strikingly modernist frontage of the 1912 Banco de Sóller (nowadays Banco de Santander), which is separated by a narrow road from the Església de Sant Bartomeu (the facade of which he also created). The bank is an imposing...

Jardí Botànic & Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals

Serra de Tramuntana

　　A short stroll 600m west from Sóller's town centre onto the busy road to Sóller Port brings you to the peaceful Jardí Botànic, with collections of flowers and other plants native to the Balearic Islands – from holm oaks to magnolias and myrtle to the endangered caraway pine – alongside...

Església de Sant Bartomeu

Serra de Tramuntana

　　A disciple of architect Antoni Gaudí, Joan Rubió landed some big commissions in Sóller. The town didn't want to miss the wave of modernity and so Rubió set to work in 1904 on the renovation of the 16th-century Església de Sant Bartomeu. The largely baroque church (built 1688–1723) preserved elements...

Sala Picasso & Sala Miró

Serra de Tramuntana

　　In two rooms at street level in Sóller's station are two fascinating, introspective and contemplative art exhibitions: the Sala Picasso and Sala Miró. Few train stations boast such a splendid artistic legacy. The Sala Picasso contains more than 50 gently illuminated ceramics from the hands of Picasso from 1948 to...

Ca'n Prunera – Museu Modernista

Serra de Tramuntana

　　One of Mallorca's standout galleries, Ca'n Prunera occupies a landmark modernist mansion along Carrer de Sa Lluna. The list of luminaries here is astonishing – works by Joan Miró, along with single drawings by Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Gauguin, Klimt, Kandinsky, Klee, Man Ray and Cézanne. Also part of the permanent collection...

Playas Corralejo Viejo & Muelle Chico

Northern Fuerteventura

　　The small beaches surrounding the town’s harbour have fine sand and shallow water – and also serve as a year-round canvas for sand sculptors. ...

Acua Water Park

Northern Fuerteventura

　　Has wave pools, kamikaze-style slides, rides, Jacuzzi and other watery attractions. If you've booked your ticket up front, a free bus service runs to the park from Caleta de Fuste and Jandía in the south. ...

Parque Natural de Corralejo

Northern Fuerteventura

　　This nature park of yellow dunes stretches along the east coast for about 10km south from Corralejo; it's also several kilometres wide, so covers a lot of territory and is excellent for hikes through sand. Breeziness also makes it popular with windsurfers and kiteboarders. The area is also known as...

Església de Monti-Sion

Northern Mallorca

　　With its imposing façade, this very handsome baroque church is located east of the base of the steps up Calvari and was built by the Jesuits in the late 17th century. The church's convent is today the home of the Town Hall. ...

Església de la Mare de Déu del Roser

Northern Mallorca

　　Part of the Museu de Pollença, the Església de la Mere de Déu del Roser is a marvellous old and now-empty church whose space is used for art exhibitions and contemporary art installations. ...

Museu Martí Vicenç

Northern Mallorca

　　A short way up the Calvari steps is the Museu Martí Vicenç. The weaver and artist Martí Vicenç Alemany (1926–95) bought this property, once part of a giant Franciscan monastery that also included the nearby former Església de Monti-Sion, in the 1950s. His works, mostly canvases and textiles, are strewn...

Casa-Museu Dionís Bennàssar

Northern Mallorca

　　This museum, the former home of local artist Dionís Bennàssar (1904–67), hosts a permanent collection of his works. Downstairs are early etchings, watercolours and oils, depicting mostly local scenes. Works on the other floors range from a series on fish that is strangely reminiscent of Miquel Barceló's efforts in Palma's...

Museu de Pollença

Northern Mallorca

　　This museum's star feature is the 17th-century baroque cloister of the Convent de Sant Domingo – a picture of tranquillity and poise – in which the museum is housed. At the entrance is a small collection of pottery, while upstairs awaits a superb collection of modern and contemporary art, where...

Església de la Mare de Déu dels Àngels

Northern Mallorca

　　A church was first raised on this site in Gothic style shortly after the conquest in 1229, but was given a complete makeover in the 18th century, so what you see today overlooking the Plaça Major is predominantly baroque. The unusually simple rough-sandstone facade is a superb backdrop to the...

Calvari

Northern Mallorca

　　They don't call it Calvari (Calvary) for nothing. Some pilgrims do it on their knees, but even just walking up the 365 cypress-lined steps from the town centre to the lovely 18th-century hilltop chapel, the Església del Calvari, with its simple, spartan and serene interior, is penance enough. This may...

Santuari de la Mare de Déu des Puig

Northern Mallorca

　　South of Pollença, off the Ma2200, one of Mallorca's most tortuous roads bucks and weaves up 1.5km of gasp-out-loud hairpin bends to this 14th-century former nunnery, which sits atop 333m Puig de Maria. If you come pilgrim style (the best way), the stiff hike through woods of holm oak, pine...

Museo de Ronda

Ronda

　　This somewhat faded city museum displays artefacts and information spanning several millennia of Andalucian history. Of even more interest to some will be the palatial setting. Built for Abomelic, ruler of Ronda in 1314, the palace has retained its colonnaded internal Mudéjar courtyard, from where a horseshoe arch leads to...

Museo Joaquín Peinado

Ronda

　　Native Ronda artist Joaquín Peinado was an amigo and contemporary of Picasso's, a fact reflected in his work, with its strong abstract lines, flirtations with cubism and seeming obsession with female nudes. Nearly two hundred of his pieces are displayed in the 18th-century Palacio Marqueses de Moctezuma, a typically Andalucian...

Iglesia de Santa María La Mayor

Ronda

　　The city’s original mosque metamorphosed into this elegant church. Just inside the entrance is an arch covered with Arabic inscriptions that was part of the mosque’s mihrab (prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca). The church has been declared a national monument, and its interior is a riot of decorative...

Plaza de España

Ronda

　　The town's main square was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Chapter 10 tells how, early in the civil war, the 'fascists' of a small town were rounded up in the ayuntamiento (town hall), clubbed, and made to walk the gauntlet between two lines of...

Puente Nuevo

Ronda

　　Straddling the dramatic gorge of the Río Guadalevín (Deep River) is Ronda's most recognisable sight, the towering Puente Nuevo, so named not because it's particularly new (building started in 1759) but because it's newer than the Puente Viejo. A rather lacklustre interpretive centre documenting the bridge's history sits directly underneath....

Casa del Rey Moro

Ronda

　　Several landscaped terraces give access to La Mina, an Islamic stairway of nearly two hundred steps cut into the rock all the way down to the river at the bottom of the gorge. These steps enabled Ronda to maintain water supplies when it was under attack. It was also the...

Museo Lara

Ronda

　　This crazy, cluttered museum is the private collection of Juan Antonio Lara Jurado, who has been a collector since the age of 10. Now in his 80s, he still lives above the museum. You name it, it's here: priceless, historic collections of clocks, weapons, radios, gramophones, sewing machines, telephones, typewriters,...

Plaza de Toros

Ronda

　　In existence for more than 200 years, this is one of Spain's oldest bullrings and the site of some of the most important events in bullfighting history. A visit is a way of learning about this deep-rooted Spanish tradition without actually attending a bullfight. The on-site Museo Taurino is crammed...