Guide to the charms of rural Mallorca

There are so many ways to experience Mallorca, and Zafiro would like to help you discover them all. This time we would like to suggest a different type of stay, taking a walk through rural Mallorca, the lesser-known part of the island.  

This brief guide goes beyond the famous coastline to visit the beating heart of the island, where the cobbled streets and shaded squares of inland towns and villages invite you to indulge in the serenity of the Mediterranean way of life. 

Index

1. Almond trees in bloom in Mallorca 


2. Mallorcan olive groves


3. The poppy fields in Pla de Mallorca


4. Traditional architecture


5. Mallorcan vineyards and wines


6. The Mallorcan kitchen garden


7. The traditional “matanzas”


8. Mallorcan herb liqueur


9. Rural markets in Mallorca 

Rural Mallorca has no sandy beaches. It’s a place dotted with pathways, narrow roads, agriculture and beautiful scenery. This natural canvas is the backdrop for the most vivid colours, from the pink and white flowers of the blooming almond trees to the silvery green of the olive groves. This mosaic of Mediterranean vegetable gardens, orchards, ancient olive trees and valleys with a legacy from another age is where our special journey begins, designed for travellers aiming to disconnect, be inspired and fall in love again on this magical island.  

Almond trees in bloom in Mallorca 

In late January and February, the island's mild climate allows the almond trees to bloom in Mallorca, creating the most extraordinary and beautiful sights. The island is covered in a carpet of white at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a sight which has been inspiring artists from every part of the world for centuries. This includes the Catalan artist Joan Mir Trinxet, the most important Spanish post-impressionist landscape artist and lover of rural Mallorca. Or the contemporary artist Miquel Barcelo, who has done a great job of capturing the beauty of Mallorcan almond trees in some of his works. 

• Where to see them? 

The fields around Sóller and Bunyola are the main almond growing areas. You don’t have to take any specific route to discover them. All the secondary roads that lead to the centre of the island (the Raiguer region) or the Tramuntana mountains will take you to them directly.  

• Our recommendation 

Make the most of your stay and visit some of the most beautiful viewpoints in Mallorca to see this awesome sight from above. For example, the Puig de Randa (Llucmajor), the Bonany Hermitage (Vilafranca de Bonany) or the Sant Salvador Sanctuary (Felanitx) are perfect viewpoints.  

If you would also like to take a stroll through the history and culture of Mallorca, we suggest you visit the Finca de Raixa, a beautiful Mallorcan manor and estate located in Bunyola, a place where the fields of almond trees are uniquely intertwined with the history of the island. 

• Did you know...? 

Almonds are used in numerous popular sauces, stuffings, stews or desserts, such as “gató” or the typical autumn “panellets”, and an almond granita is also ideal to cool down in summer. 

Mallorcan olive groves 

The Mallorcan olive groves are living witnesses of ancient agricultural traditions that are deeply rooted in the island's scenery and culture. Dating back to ancient times, brought to us by Phoenicians and Greeks, these fields full of olive trees create a green and silver blanket from the gentle slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana to the plains. In the Tramuntana mountains the olive trees grow in ancient, terraced fields, an ingenious adaptation by local growers to the terrain in rugged mountains that overlook the sea, creating a cultural landscape that has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These terraces not only help prevent soil erosion and maximise crops in a difficult terrain, they also create one of the most iconic views in Mallorca.  

In the flatter parts of the island, the olive groves occupy large fields that add a calming and serene beauty to the land. The twisted and robust trunk of each tree tells a story about survival, adaptation and continuity, year after year, in the heat of the Mediterranean sun, producing olives that are used to make extra virgin olive oil with an incomparable flavour and quality.  

This liquid gold is at the heart of Mallorcan cuisine and is an icon for the natural and cultural wealth of the island. The local varieties, Mallorquina and Empeltre, have a fruity and soft flavour with a hint of almond, and add a tasty surprise to any type of preparation.  

• Did you know...? 

In the village of Caimari, about 20 minutes from Sa Pobla, you can visit an oil-mill museum called Sa Tafona de Caimari, that still extracts oil by hand from the olives harvested from the trees that surround this beautiful village at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains. 

• Our recommendation 

Join in an olive-oil tasting session on the island and visit some of the olive oil producers in the Binissalem region and the Sóller Valley. You’ll love the quality and diversity of the oils, with a meticulous production process and the use of sustainable cultivation techniques. 

The poppy fields in Pla de Mallorca 

Another of the idyllic photos offered by the island interior are the fields full of poppies in the Pla de Mallorca. The bright red of the poppies makes the landscape vibrate, creating a setting so beautiful that you will need a well-charged camera battery. Taking photos of this red blanket covering the fields is one of the things you have to do in spring in Mallorca.  

• Where to see them? 

We recommend you tour the entire Pla region, visiting small, charming towns such as Muro, Petra, Santa Margalida, Sencelles, Costitx or Sineu. In the outskirts of town you will see extensive green fields, dotted with large areas of intense red that contrast beautifully with the blue spring skies. 

Traditional architecture 

Traditional Mallorcan houses take you on a journey to the soul of the island, where every stone wall and wooden beam has a story of yesteryear to tell. Famous for their iconic shutters, known precisely as "mallorquinas" in the whole of Spain, they are a timeless symbol of local architecture.  

The traditional stone walls and wooden ceiling beams provide both sturdiness and freshness, while also adding a unique and unmistakable charm. The architecture varies somewhat depending on the town, with different styles used in the houses in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains compared to the ones on the plains, where a more agricultural lifestyle and livestock farming have led to larger homes with annexes that were once used as stables and for other duties typical of rural life. 

• Where to see them? 

You’ll love the small, terraced houses you can find in every town and village in Mallorca. Often so close together that it looks like a movie set. If you want to see the most luxurious and distinguished examples, there is a lovely walk in Palma around the city’s numerous small palaces with their majestic central patios. The island interior is home to the country mansions known as “possessións”. Many of these buildings are listed as part of the cultural heritage of towns like Sa Pobla, allowing you to explore the history of the island, its ancient traditions and way of life.  

Mallorcan vineyards and wines  

At the end of summer, when autumn begins to appear on the island, a golden blanket covers practically the entire interior of Mallorca. The wheat fields and leaves in the vineyards announce one of the most deeply rooted traditions in the inland areas: the “vermar” (the grape harvest).  

Mallorca has a wine-growing tradition that dates back to Roman times, and today achieves its maximum expression in DO Binissalem and DO Pla i Levante. Unique, high-quality wines influenced by the Mediterranean climate, the altitude and the nature of the land. Discovering the native varieties (Manto Negro, Caller and Prensal Blanc) is a great way to learn more about the passion of generations of Mallorcan winemakers. 

• Did you know...? 

One of the towns with the longest history of vineyards is Binissalem, in the centre of the island, about 20 minutes by car from Palma and Sa Pobla. As well as being a lovely town, it’s also where the grape harvest becomes a huge festival. From mid to late September, the entire town celebrates the grape harvest. The festival showcases local wine and cuisine, including a very popular dinner on the streets featuring “vermar” noodles. If you get the chance, you should also visit the annual Binissalem wine festival, which is also held around that time. This event is an ode to this part of rural Mallorca, with tastings, dances and even a grape war. 

• Our recommendation 

Make sure you try the traditional aged reds and young white wines, take a tour of the fields or the most famous wineries to learn about the secrets of the production process. You’ll love the personality of wines such as a Reserva Veritas 2007 or a Pedra de Binissalem Negre 2011 made by the historic José Luis Ferrer winery. Or a private reserve 2010 or a Macia Batle 1856 from the Macià Batle winery, one of the largest on the island. 

The Mallorcan kitchen garden 

The ingredients for the real Mediterranean diet grow in the vegetable gardens and orchards of Mallorca. Towns such as Sa Pobla, Campanet, Mancor de la Vall or Muro are surrounded by fields full of all types of vegetables, creating unique and very diverse landscapes depending on the time of year. For example, the fields of artichokes, chard and watermelon are spectacular! 

• Did you know...? 

Sa Pobla is one of the few places in Spain able to produce a double potato crop, one of which goes almost entirely to the United Kingdom. This is because it’s a town with a big supply of underground water, allowing the fields to offer the perfect humidity to grow all types of vegetables and plants. 

The traditional "matanzas" 

Rural Mallorca is full of traditions and customs that date back to times that are almost forgotten, when only mallorquins lived on the island and hardly anyone came to visit. One of those traditions was the “matanzas”, consisting of the slaughter of a pig that a family had fattened up throughout the year.  

In the past, the “matanzas” brought the entire family and neighbours together under one roof, all working together to prepare typical Mallorcan sausages, including the “sobrasada”, “butifarra” and “camaiot”. The sobrasada made from “porc negre”, a local breed of black pig, has been a part of Mallorcan culture since time immemorial, and is one of its tastiest sausages. 

• Did you know...? 

Although the “matanzas” take place throughout the island interior, the ones in places like Llucmajor and Sineu, in the centre of the island, are particularly famous, making them the best towns for traditional pork dishes. 

Mallorcan herb liqueur 

As an aperitif or digestif, there’s nothing better than a local herb liqueur (Herbes de Mallorca), made from lemon verbena, chamomile, orange tree leaves, lemon tree leaves, rosemary, lemon balm and fennel. It can be found in shops all year round. And if you want to make it yourself, visit the Sóller region and take a walk through the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, full of fields and orchards where these herbs can be found. 

• Did you know...? 

This iconic sweet, dry or mixed liqueur was first made in the monasteries in Mallorca, such as the one in Lluc, where the monks were experts in botany and made the drink to help relieve indigestion. 

Rural markets in Mallorca 

To really feel like part of daily life in Mallorcan towns and villages, you must visit one of its rural markets. Unique and very lively events offering fantastic local produce to both locals and visitors. From oranges and lemons from the Sóller Valley to lambs, fruit and vegetables from the plains around Campos or olive oil from the groves behind the dry-stone walls in the Sierra de Tramontana. 

• Where to go? 

One of the markets in Mallorca that has best kept its traditional, authentic style is the weekly market held every Wednesday in Sineu. It's one of the oldest rural markets in Mallorca and a great showcase for artisan island produce (cheese, oil, wine, sausages, etc.). It’s also special in that it’s one of the few markets that still sells farm animals, handicrafts and plants.  

Another of the most popular rural markets is held in Inca, in the heart of the island, a town that also produces excellent “sobrasada” and leather goods. The market is held on Thursdays and is the perfect chance to stock up on local delicacies or buy original gifts during a visit to Mallorca.