Palma Lifestyle

Our next post is about Palma and the main landmarks in the island capital. We would also love to share our favorite spots in the city...

Palma de Mallorca is the capital city of Balearic islands.

And this is the most important information you need to keep in mind before your trip to Palma. Because what you imagine of Palma may surprise you and turn out to be a totally different capture. When we travel to an island, we think the capital city is a port which grew from some small fisherman's village and became a city.

Palma is not like that at all. First of all, the city history dates back to as long ago as the Roman Empire. It was 120 BC times. Talaiotic tribes founded the city which was later occupied by the Romans. And from that moment, Palma in its modern form started taking shape. Then it was Byzantine period, then Muslim period before Spanish king of Aragon on 31 December 1229 conquered the city and named it 'Cuitat de Mallorca' (Mallorca City). The King's name was Jaime I. You will see a lot of mentions of Jaime I, Jaime II, and Jaime III in Palma and all over Mallorca.

But was the name originated from the Spanish king? Not at all. The name 'Mallorca' comes from the Muslim period when Palma was named 'Medina Mayurqa' which translates from Arabic as 'City of Mallorca'.

Okay. What about Palma? Why Palma? Dig deeper. If the name 'Mallorca' is a footprint from Arabic times, then the name Palma is a footprint of the ROman times. Romans used to name city Palmeria which literally means 'Palma'.

To put things together, we now understand that in the face of Palma we have a capital city of all Balearic islands, which has great history and which, despite being located in Spain, is a wild combination of Roman and Muslim cultures. And this is what makes Palma so great and so unique compared to other Spanish cities.

The city is bigger than one may think. Don't overestimate your legs when you park your car in Palma far away from the place you wanted to see. We once decided to have a walk along the coastline with the yachts. We have hardly made half of the way in one hour on the sun and were completely exhausted.

At the same time, as soon as you get to the center, you will find yourself in a lot of shade. The Romans and the Muslims knew how to construct buildings in order to get more shade. Many trees that grow in the center also are a result of the wisdom of city governors from those times.

Modernity only added the chic to the look of the city with cafes, terraces, shops, and this wonderful flair of Spanish traditional lifestyle.

No, Sorry. Mallorquin lifestyle. :)