Aerial panoramic view of Palma de Mallorca harbor and cityscape with white buildings, a marina full of yachts, green hills, and a cloudy sky

Palma

Palma

Palma, formerly Palma de Mallorca, is the largest city of the Balearic Islands and the capital of the autonomous community of the Spanish group of islands.

Historic stone arch bridge over a calm canal lined with palm and cypress trees
Upside-down house-shaped art installation in urban setting.

The city is located in a bay in the west of the island of Mallorca. It was founded in 123 B.C. by the Roman consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus. Over the centuries the city was under different rulers. In 1343 Mallorca fell back to the Aragonese, later it was absorbed in the Spanish kingdom.

After the Second World War in the 1950s, the city developed into a popular destination for mass tourism. Today, several million tourists visit the city every year. Located east of the city centre, the islands airport handles around 28 million passengers a year.

This boom is also clearly reflected in the city's population. In the 1940s, around 120,000 people lived in the city, today over 400,000 people call Palma their home.

Large stacked-stone egg sculpture on a cobblestone plaza in front of a Mediterranean building
Black and white photo of a corner of a building with balconies and shutters.
Man on phone sitting on stone ledge in front of ornate building.
Vintage black street lamp with circular no-stopping traffic sign in front of a historic stone building facade
Empty playground swing set against a stone wall.
Gothic stone cathedral facade with crenellated roofline and ornate archways under a deep blue sky
Gothic cathedral facade with ornate arched window and palm tree shadows on golden stone wall
Palma Cathedral, Spain, exterior detail showing stonework and architecture.
Low-angle view of the ornate facade of La Seu Cathedral in Palma, Mallorca, featuring a large rose window and intricately carved stonework.
Fountain in Palma de Mallorca waterfront plaza with cruise ship and marina in background
Arched wooden door entrance on weathered stone building facade with visitors in paved plaza
woman using mobile phone while seated on wooden bench in a Mediterranean city plaza surrounded by trees and hedges
modern concrete cube sculpture connected by metal rods against blue sky
Palm trees and stone wall under blue sky with mountains
Tree-lined pedestrian boulevard with a dense canopy of plane trees, graffiti-covered kiosks, and patterned pavement in a Mediterranean city
Sunlit tree-lined avenue in Palma de Mallorca with cars and pedestrians alongside residential buildings and shops
Sunlit tan corner building with green shutters and an enclosed glass balcony on a quiet city street in Palma
Palma traffic signs and metal fence over a waterway.
Beige residential building with dark balconies and shutters.
Multi-story residential apartment building corner facade with balconies roller shutters and striped awning
Red and cream apartment buildings with balconies under a blue sky with white clouds
historic stone castle with cylindrical towers and fortified walls under a cloudy sky
Bellver Castle, Palma, Mallorca: Stone tower and wall.
Medieval stone castle towers with crenellated battlements connected by an arched stone bridge under an overcast sky
Medieval stone castle with cylindrical towers and an arched entrance
Historic stone building with arched entrance and wooden door serving as a public restroom at Bellver Castle in Palma de Mallorca
Gothic cloister with stone arches and cylindrical tower at Bellver Castle in Mallorca
Stone warrior statue with shield displayed in a historic castle cloister framed by stone arches and wooden chairs
Bellver Castle's observation deck with tourists overlooking Palma, Mallorca.
Lush green forested hills and mountains under a partly cloudy sky with scattered buildings on distant slopes
Black and white aerial view of Mallorca coastline with buildings and forest.
Aerial panoramic view of Palma de Mallorca harbor and cityscape with white buildings, a marina full of yachts, green hills, and a cloudy sky