Palma

Palma is the major city and port in the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of the island on the Bay of Palma. As of the 2005 census, the population of the city of Palma proper was 375,773, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 474,035, ranking as the 12th-largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Mallorca live in Palma. The archipelago of Cabrera, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality. Its airport, Son Sant Joan, is one of the busiest in Europe. The Marivent Palace was offered by the city to the then Prince Juan Carlos I of Spain. The royals have since spent their summer holidays in Palma. Palma (Palmaria) was founded as a Roman camp upon the remains of a Talaiotic settlement. The turbulent history of the city saw it the subject of several Vandal sackings during the fall of the Roman Empire, then reconquered by the Byzantine, then colonised by the Moors (who called it Medina Mayurqa), and finally established by James I of Aragon.

Since the 1950s, the advent of mass tourism radically changed the physiognomy of both the city and island, transforming it into a centre of attraction for visitors and attracting workers from mainland Spain. This contributed to a huge change in the traditions, the sociolinguistic map, urbanisation and acquisitive power.

The boom in tourism caused Palma to grow significantly, with repercussions on immigration. In 1960 Mallorca received 500,000 visitors, in 1997 it received more than 6,739,700. In 2001 more than 19,200,000 people passed through Son Sant Joan airport near Palma, with an additional 1.5 million coming by sea.

In the 21st century, urban redevelopment, by the so-called Pla Mirall (English "Mirror Plan"), attracted important groups of immigrant workers from outside the European Union, especially from Africa and South America.

The major island in the chain known as the Balearics, Mallorca is Spain's sunny outpost in the Mediterranean. The town of Palma boasts a shady plaza near the Gothic Cathedral. Visit the Roman ruins and the Drach Caves nearby, or journey to the enchanting village of Valledemosa. Leave time to shop for lovely majolica faux pearls and hand, made lace.

Palma de Mallorca, only a two hour flight away from London (Prices for flights now start from around £40 return, buses run from the airport to the city centre every 15 minutes and cost 1,80 Euros for the 10 minute ride). Most visitors to the island head straight for the beaches, which is a real shame as the city has a lot to offer: a beautiful setting, an atmospheric old town, great restaurants and nightlife, excellent museums, fantastic shopping, lovely parks with countless fountains, stunning architecture – all in one compact package, that can easily be explored by foot.

Originally founded by the Romans around 123BC as the city of Palmeria, it expanded with the arrival of the Moors in AD 902, who built palaces and the original city walls. In the 13th century, Palma fell back into Christian hands through the conquest of Jaume I. Today there are few traces of the Romans and Moors left, instead the city has a Gothic feel, almost like a mini Barcelona. This feeling is also enhanced by the use of Catalan instead of Spanish by the Mallorquins.

Transport connections on Mallorca are excellent with two train routes (the old narrow-gauge railway from Palma to Soller and the modern trains between Palma and Inca), and a widespread and cheap bus network to the rest of the island.

Shopping is also a very pleasant experience in Palma, with many unique and beautiful shops in the old town and surprisingly little ‘tourist tat’; jewellery, especially Mallorcan pearls are very reasonable priced.