chloedickensonLast Updated on 3rd July 2025
ad | This 3 day Palma itinerary was written as part of a collaborative press trip with Jet2 who offer budget friendly city breaks to more than 30 European cities. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own; please see my disclaimer for more.
I first visited Palma in 2017 with Matt and it was our first proper holiday destination as a couple, at just 19 years old. Flash-forward eight years later, and I returned to Palma with Jet2 for an incredible 3-day city break with a group of the most amazing bloggers.
We spent hours wandering around the city, grazing on tapas, sipping on sangria, swimming in the sea, and taking numerous day trips to nearby towns and villages on the island.
If you’re heading to Mallorca any time soon, specifically the island’s capital city of Palma, and you’re looking to experience the same food and cultural aspects of the city that we enjoyed, check out my complete 3 day itinerary below!
How many days do you need in Palma?
You could easily spend weeks exploring the beautiful island of Mallorca, especially when flights to Majorca with Jet2 are so affordable, but if you’re specifically looking to spend a few days in the island’s capital, I’d recommend dedicating three full days to Palma. This will give you enough time to explore the city’s Old Town, try copious amounts of delicious tapas, and even take a few half-day trips to nearby towns and villages such as Sóller, Port de Sóller, and Valldemossa!
3 days in Palma – the perfect itinerary
This 3 day Palma itinerary is ideal for first-time visitors to the city looking to enjoy the incredible food scene, as well as partake in various cultural excursions such as a walking tour of Palma, a day trip to Sóller and Port de Sóller, and a half-day trip to Valldemossa!
Head to Google MyMaps to save my complete 3 day Palma itinerary!
Day 1
The first day of this 3 day Palma itinerary involves a guided walking tour of Palma’s Old Town where you’ll see the historic city hall (Plaça de Cort), the beautiful town square known as Plaça Major, as well as multiple churches and other wonderful feats of architecture, including the remarkable Palma Cathedral (Catedral-Basílica de Santa María de Mallorca).
In the evening, I’d suggest taking a sunset boat tour around the Bay of Palma to enjoy views of the city from the sea, all while leisurely swimming, snorkelling or even paddle boarding, before tucking into a scrumptious on-board tapas feast!
9 AM: Breakfast at Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo
Begin your day at Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo; a stunning family-owned cafe in the heart of Palma that’s been producing homemade delicacies for more than three centuries!
Their specialty is the Majorcan ensaimada, which is a spiral-shaped pastry with various fillings and flavours, such as chocolate, apple, custard, apricot and more, but they also offer an extensive coffee menu and various other pastries and breakfast treats.
10 AM: Walking tour of Palma
Pictured left to right: Basílica de Sant Francesc | Can Forteza Rey | Iglesia de Santa Eulalia
Once you’ve collected your pastries and morning coffee, head back to your hotel (assuming you’re staying in Palma itself) and meet your guide for a private custom tour of the city.
We booked a 2-hour walking tour via GetYourGuide for less than €40pp, and our guide, Theo, was super knowledgeable about the city and took us to some truly beautiful parts of the city, imparting plenty of wisdom and fun facts along the way!
Pictured left to right: Plaça de Cort | Jardins de la Plaça de la Reina | Plaça Major
We saw the famous Plaça de Cort town hall building, as well as numerous open spaces such as Plaça de la Reina and Plaça Major, plus stunning churches such as Basílica de Sant Francesc and Iglesia de Santa Eulalia, all pictured above.
A walking tour of Palma is an excellent first-day activity to acclimatise you to the city!
12 PM: Palma Cathedral and Terraces
Our tour guide, Theo, actually concluded our tour at Palma Cathedral, just in time for our entry time to head inside for the audio tour and terraces visit!
I’m not always the biggest fan of audio tours, but the one at Palma Cathedral provided helpful insights into the cathedral’s history, architecture, and religion. However, I do still think the cathedral can easily be visited and enjoyed without the use of the audio tour.
The cathedral’s terraces, however, are very much worth adding on to your Palma Cathedral entry ticket, even with the 200+ narrow and winding steps that you have to climb to ascend to the very top of the cathedral! The views from the terraces are absolutely stunning and you can see all across the city, as well as out into the Bay of Palma and beyond.
If you don’t want to add the terraces on to your cathedral visit, you can opt for skip-the-line entry to Palma Cathedral, which can be purchased via GetYourGuide and starts at just £9 (€10) per person.
If you opt for terrace access, tickets must be purchased separately via the Mallorca Cathedral website or on the day when you visit the cathedral. Terrace access tickets include entry to Palma Cathedral, the Museum of Sacred Art, and the Cathedral terraces from €25 per person.
I’d recommend allocating approximately two hours to your Palma Cathedral visit, especially if you plan to head up the terraces as well, as you’ll have to account for the ascending and descending times, as well as spending enough time at the top admiring the views (and maybe catching your breath after the steep climb to the top!).
2 PM: Lunch at La Malvasia
Just a 10-minute walk from Palma Cathedral, you’ll find one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Palma; La Malvasia! This incredible eatery boasts a fantastic menu of tapas dishes and sharing plates, and it was easily one of the best meals we had during our 3 days in Palma.
I could have quite happily ordered every single thing on the menu, but in the end, we settled on seven dishes to share between five of us, including fresh burrata with rocket pesto and cherry tomatoes, mango and strawberries salad with a toasted sesame dressing, hummus with crudités, Mallorcan mini-burgers with melted American cheddar, and crispy bacon, free-range chicken skewers with bulgur and baby vegetables and a yoghurt, lemon and mint sauce, and the fried aubergine sticks with honey!
Every single thing we ate was absolutely delicious, and if I could recommend just one food spot from this Palma itinerary, I think it would have to be La Malvasia!
4 PM: Jardins de la Plaça de la Reina & Parc de la Mar
After a leisurely lunch, I’d recommend walking it off with a stroll through Jardins de la Plaça de la Reina and L’Hort del Rei (Palma Cathedral gardens), before heading down to Parc de la Mar for gorgeous vistas of the sea and the cathedral perched on its little hillside lookout spot.
If you have time, head to the nearby rooftop at the top of Hotel Es Príncep for yummy cocktails and even more spectacular sea views!
6 PM: Sunset boat cruise
To conclude your first day in Palma de Mallorca, I would highly recommend booking a sunset sailing boat trip around the Bay of Palma. This activity is best experienced if you’re travelling with multiple people as the price to charter the boat is the same, regardless of whether there are two or eight people on board, so it’s definitely better value for money if you have more people!
The particular boat we chartered was less than £500 (€680), which does sound super expensive, but if split between 5 people (like we had), and considering that you have the boat with its very own skipper for three hours, as well as tapas, drinks, snorkel and paddle board access, plus stunning sunset views, I think it’s great value for money!
The on board tapas was actually probably the best we had during our whole 3 days in Palma (and we ate a lot of tapas!); I’ll be dreaming about that Spanish tortilla and cured meat and cheese board for a very long time!
Day 2
On the second day of your 3 day itinerary in Palma, you’ll take a trip out of the city to Valldemossa; a stunning countryside village located with the Tramuntana mountains, before heading back into the city for a self-guided tapas and wine tour!
Remember to head to Google MyMaps to see the complete list of recommended stops in this 3 day Mallorca itinerary.
9 AM: Half-day trip to Valldemossa
The charming village of Valldemossa is just a 30-minute taxi ride or bus journey from the centre of Palma and it’s super easy to get to.
We took a taxi from our hotel to Valldemossa which cost around €25, but we actually took the bus back to Palma from Valldemossa as we realised just how easy (and cheap – just €2.70 each way!) it was! You can take the 203 bus to and from Palma Intermodal Station and the journey takes just 30 minutes each way, so I’d definitely recommend doing that, rather than paying almost 10X the price for a taxi each way!
I’d recommend getting to Valldemossa fairly early in the morning, around 9-10 AM so that you can try and get there before the crowds descend on one of the prettiest villages in Mallorca!
Surprisingly, it wasn’t outrageously busy when we arrived at around 10 AM, but the crowds did start to grow just as we were leaving around lunchtime, so I definitely think it’s worth heading there early in the morning.
There’s plenty of things to see and do in Valldemossa, and while you could probably spend a whole day there if you wanted to visit every museum and stroll down every cobblestone street, I think 3 hours is a sufficient amount of time to enjoy everything it has to offer!
Things to do in Valldemossa
- Enjoy the spectacular views from the Mirador Valldemossa viewpoint
- Wander around the gorgeous cobblestone streets
- Admire the beautiful Carthusian Monastery Valldemossa and its gardens
- Grab a bite to eat at Plaça Cartoixa Cafeteria Ca’n Molinas (the smoothies are delicious!)
- Pay a visit to the Frédéric Chopin and George Sand Museum
- Explore the Museu Municipal de Valldemossa
1 PM: Self-guided tapas and wine tour
Once you arrive back in Palma, head off on a pre-booked self-guided tapas and wine tour of the city; this was one of my absolute highlights from our girls’ trip to Palma and it’s something that I recommend to everyone visiting the Mallorcan capital!
We booked the gourmet tapas and wine tour which starts at just £47 per person and includes five different tapas dishes and an alcoholic (or soft!) beverage of your choice at five tapas spots in Palma.
As the tapas tour is completely self-guided, you can spend as little or as long as you like at each place (we spent around 40-60 minutes at each spot as we were just having the best time hanging out and enjoying tour drinks!), and as there are five locations included in the tour, I’d recommend dedicating around 5 hours for the whole thing.
The tour included visits to Fervor, Casa S’Oli, Bodega Mayor, Bocalto, and Maura, and we enjoyed five different quintessential Mallorcan tapas dishes as part of the experience, including ham and cheese croquettes, sobrasada, Spanish tortilla, patatas bravas and calamari, and meatballs. A drink was also included at each place, and we got the choice of Cava, white and red sangria, white wine, rose wine, or red wine, and they were all incredible!
Each and every dish was absolutely delicious and I would happily recommend all five restaurants, even if you don’t partake in the self-guided tapas tour; just head there for lunch or dinner and thank me later!
6 PM: Drinks at Nakar Hotel Rooftop Bar
If you’re not quite finished enjoying the food and drink culture of Palma, I’d recommend concluding your evening with a visit to the rooftop bar located on the 9th floor of Nakar Hotel, which is just a 10-minute walk from the final stop of the tapas tour.
With an extensive cocktail menu, mesmerising views of Palma Cathedral and the Bay, and even its very own rooftop pool, the rooftop at Nakar Hotel is well worth visiting for a cocktail (or two!).
Day 3
The final day of this three day Palma itinerary involves yet another day trip, this time to the towns of Sóller and Port de Sóller. Unlike with Valldemossa where I think a half-day trip will suffice, I’d recommend dedicating a full day to Sóller and Port de Sóller, especially to account for the travel times and the time spent lounging on the beach, swimming in the sea, and sipping on Cava while tucking into more delicious food!
9 AM: Coffee at Surry Hills
Before you head off to Sóller, stop by Surry Hills; a stunning Australian-inspired cafe serving hot and cold drinks, as well as tasty breakfast and brunch treats such as smashed avo toast, French toast, Reuben sandwiches, and much more.
If you don’t have breakfast included at your hotel, definitely head to Surry Hills for a bite to eat before heading off on your day trip to Sóller.
10.10 AM: Train to Sóller from Palma
To make the most of your time in Sóller and Port de Sóller, I’d suggest getting the first train of the day from Train Sóller Station in Palma which departs at 10.10 AM. You definitely need to arrive early (around 20-30 minutes before departure) to ensure that you get a seat on the train as it gets super busy.
You can purchase tickets online at the Tren de Sóller website or you can buy tickets on the day from the train station (but I would recommend purchasing in advance to ensure you have them!).
There are numerous ticket types, and for the purpose of this 3 day Palma itinerary, I’d suggest purchasing the combined train and tram route which includes the return train journey from Sóller to Palma, as well as the return tram journey from Sóller to Port de Sóller from €40 per person.
The journey from Palma to Sóller takes approximately one hour and travels through beautiful countryside mountainous landscapes, as well as 13 tunnels!
1 PM: Tram to Port de Sóller
After enjoying the gorgeous streets of Sóller and the impressive vista of Sant Bartomeu church, jump on the next available tram to Port de Sóller. The tram journey takes around 20 minutes and is yet another beautiful route that takes you right along the beachfront once you get to Port de Sóller.
Port de Sóller is a stunning seaside village with a gorgeous beach, plenty of incredible restaurants, and ice cream parlours, as well as lovely cafes and bars.
1.30 PM: Lunch at Villa Luisa in Port de Sóller
By the time you arrive in Port de Sóller, it will already be after lunchtime, so head to Villa Luisa for an amazing lunch spot overlooking the beach and ocean.
We had an absolute feast at Villa Luisa and enjoyed sharing starters such as Iberian ham, cold cuts, and cheese, and zucchini carpaccio. For mains, I opted for the veal cheek, mashed potatoes, and confit onions, while the other girls in the group went for dishes such as chicken coquelet, Iberian pork, and fresh prawn pasta.
If you’re planning to spend the whole day in Sóller and Port de Sóller, I’d 100% recommend adding Villa Luisa to your itinerary for lunch!
3.30 PM: Explore Port de Sóller and swim in the sea
After lunch, enjoy a lovely, leisurely stroll along the beach, accompanied by an ice cream or frozen yoghurt from Petit Cafè (the lemon sorbet was so refreshing!). We even spent a couple of hours swimming in the sea to cool off, and a few of us also headed to explore the seafront stalls and winding streets.
5.30 PM: Tram back to Sóller & train back to Palma
Once you’ve enjoyed a dip in the sea and a scrumptious ice cream, hop on the tram back to Sóller, ready for the train departing back to Palma at 6 PM.
8 PM: Dinner at Primo Taqueria
Depending on where you’re staying in Palma, you may have time to head back to your hotel for a quick change after a busy day in Sóller before heading out for dinner at Primo Taqueria.
I’m a huge fan of Mexican cuisine anyway, and our meal at Primo Taqueria certainly didn’t disappoint! We started with sharing nachos and fried halloumi sticks, before going in on the chicken quesadillas and tacos!
The only qualm we all had with our visit to Primo Taqueria was that the staff weren’t the friendliest or the most attentive, and even with a constant huge queue of people waiting for a table, they weren’t the most helpful! However, the food and drinks were absolutely incredible, so I’d still definitely recommend visiting.
Bonus things to see/do in Palma in three days
- Bellver Castle
- Palace of La Almudaina
- Mercat de Santa Catalina
- Palau March
- Fundació Miró Mallorca
- Mercat de l’Olivar
Where to stay in Palma de Mallorca
With affordable flights from Manchester Airport, you can get to Palma from the UK in less than three hours, and there are dozens of stunning Palma hotels to choose from, right in the heart of the city.
We stayed at the gorgeous HM Jamie III Hotel with Jet2holidays and it was the perfect location to base ourselves for three days in Palma. The rooms are super spacious, with huge, comfy beds, the breakfast buffet was an absolute highlight with so much choice and variety, and our rooms even had balconies, with the rooms on the higher floors enjoying lovely views of the city!
Conclusion – 3 day Palma de Mallorca itinerary
I really hope you enjoyed this 3 day Palma itinerary and I hope it’s given you plenty of inspiration for things to do in Palma and beyond! Our girls’ trip to Palma was honestly one of my favourite trips ever, and I’m so grateful to Jet2 for hosting us and helping to facilitate so many memories and lifelong friendships!
Related posts:
- 4 Day Madeira Itinerary For First Time Visitors
- 3 Days In Jersey
- 1 Month Europe Itinerary By Train
- 2 Day Milan Itinerary
- Cyprus Road Trip Itinerary
Pin for later – 3 days in Mallorca
Is Palma de Mallorca on your bucket list Would you add anything else to this 3 day Palma de Mallorca travel itinerary? Let me know in the comments!
