The back story
Mallorca in Winter: What Opens, What Closes and Where to Go
The gardens, caves, kitchens and museums that keep going from November to March.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Abrget47j · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsWinter Mallorca is quieter, greener and wholly itself: the mountain villages belong to their people again, the caves and museums are calm, and the island’s cooks open for the weekend. Some places close for the season, though, so here is what to know before you go.
What keeps going
Palma carries on as a city. The Mercat de l’Olivar opens Monday to Saturday from 7am, with its food bars serving until 4pm; Es Baluard museum opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm. Up in the mountains, the Cartoixa de Valldemossa opens Monday to Friday 10am–5pm and Saturday 11am–4pm.
On the east coast, the Coves dels Hams keep winter hours of 10am to 4.30pm: the Classic Cave, the Round Cave with its garden of native birds, and the Blue Cave.
Kitchens for the weekend
Several of the island’s best village kitchens shift to a winter rhythm. In Caimari, Ca na Toneta opens on Friday evenings and for lunch and dinner on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. In Selva, Miceli opens from Thursday to Sunday between November and March, with Sunday lunch only.
After the rain
The wet months are the season of Ses Fonts Ufanes near Campanet: after heavy rain on the Puig Tomir, springs burst suddenly through a holm-oak wood, rising from nothing to as much as three cubic metres a second (caib.es). They flow only after enough rain, so go when the weather has been wet.
In winter the mountain villages belong to their people again.
What closes
The Jardines de Alfabia, on the Sóller road, open from February to October. The Santuari de Cura, on the Puig de Randa, is closed for the season until 26 February. Some hotels close for the season too (Son Brull, near Pollença, is shut for renovation until 11 April), so check each place’s own website before you plan around it.
Our advice
Our advice: in winter, plan around the weekend. Book the village restaurants for Friday to Sunday, give weekdays to Palma, the caves and Valldemossa, and keep a day free for Fonts Ufanes after rain. Pack layers: the Tramuntana is colder than the coast.
Why it's on our list
- What keeps going
- Kitchens for the weekend
- After the rain
- What closes
- Our advice
Location
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More in depth
The back storyThe Serra de Tramuntana: terraces, dry-stone walls and water channelsThe Tramuntana’s terraced landscape. UNESCO-listed.
History & heritageTalayots, a medieval kingdom, Chopin and Miró: Mallorca’s heritageTalayots, a medieval kingdom, Chopin, Miró and the mountains.The back storyMallorca Art, Architecture & Culture: from Gaudí’s light in La Seu to Miró’s studioGaudí’s cathedral, Miró’s studio and a museum in a bastion.