Mallorca, Spain 8/10 -- 8/12, 2026  [Back to Photo Page]

Mallorca is the largest island in Spain's Balearic archipelago, located in the western Mediterranean Sea. Famed for its diverse landscape, it features the limestone peaks of the UNESCO-protected Serra de Tramuntana mountains, dramatic coastline and secluded turquoise coves, sprawling agricultural plains, and the vibrant cosmopolitan capital city of Palma.  Along with other Balearic Islands (Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, etc.), Mallorca is a highly popular holiday destination especially for tourists from other European countries.

Getting there ...

Continuing from our Norway trip, we had a flight from Oslo (at 11:35AM) to Palma (3:05PM).  The international airport, Palma de Mallorca Airport, is the third busiest airport in Spain (after Madrid and Barcelona).  When we got our luggage, we went to take a taxi to the city.  Although the line for taxi was very long, it moved smoothly and swiftly, and we got on our taxi only with ~10 minutes of wait time.  

Day 1 (8/10) ...

Palma de Mallorca is the vibrant capital and largest city of Mallorca, Spain, serving as the cultural, historical, and economic heart of the Balearic Islands. Home to roughly half of the island's population, it blends medieval Gothic architecture with a modern Mediterranean lifestyle.

• Palma de Mallorca
  After checked in to the hotel (Hotel Saratoga!), we went out for an early dinner (Woanyu's favorite seafood paella).  After dinner, we walked to the cathedral area for some pictures.  This was actually our 2nd time to visit Palma.  We have been here on the western Mediterranean cruise in 2015.  Although it was a brief visit in 2015, Woanyu had zero memory about Palma and could not recognize any of the Palma landmarks even I showed her the old photos...
  

• Palma streets

• I went out to the cathedral again after sunset for some blue hour photos.

Day 2 (8/11) ...

• Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma
  The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu, is a magnificent 14th-century Gothic Roman cathedral overlooking the sea, featuring one of the world's largest rose windows.  According to the legend, when Jaime I of Aragon was caught in a storm on his way to conquer Mallorca in 1229, he vowed that he would build a great church if God led him to safety. On New Year's Day 1230, the foundation stone was symbolically laid on the site of the city's main mosque. Work continued for 400 years - and had to resume in 1851 when an earthquake destroyed the west front. More touches were added in 1900's by the Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi.
  

• Palma Palace
  The Royal Palace of La Almudaina, which dates back to the 14th century, is the official residence of the King and Queen during their stays in Mallorca.  The palace is a historic fortress adjacent to the cathedral that originally served as an Islamic alcazar before becoming the official residence of the Kings of Mallorca.

• After the lunch in Palma, we got a Uber (a long wait time to get a Uber...) to move to our next destination in Mallorca, Port de Sóller.   Port de Sóller is a picturesque coastal village and natural harbor located in northwest Mallorca, serving as the beachside gateway for the inland town of Sóller. Sheltered by a large, crescent-shaped bay, it stands as the only protected port along an otherwise rugged 80-kilometer stretch of Tramuntana coastline.
  In the evening at about 7:30PM, we took a walk to hike up to the historic Far de Cap Gros lighthouse to scout some good locations for tomorrow's big event, total solar eclipse of 2026.

Day 3 (8/12) ...

• Port de Sóller
  After the breakfast in the hotel, we went to take the famous historical tram from Port de Sóller to Sóller (the first tram at 8:30AM).   The tram ride from Port de Sóller to Sóller is a beautiful, 20-minute sensory journey that takes you from the sparkling Mediterranean Sea into a historic mountain valley.

• Sóller
  Sóller is a historic town nestled in a lush valley of orange groves within Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana mountains. Known as the "Golden Valley," it sits three kilometers inland from its coastal counterpart, Port de Sóller, and is famous for its early 20th-century architecture and vintage transport systems.  After getting off the tram, we walked around the Plaça de la Constitució, the vibrant main town square, shaded by trees and lined with many lively outdoor cafes.

• Port de Sóller

• Solar Eclipse
  At about 4:30PM, we started to walk up to Far de Cap Gros lighthouse.  The location we planned has already been occupied by someone, so I had to adjust a little bit to set up my stuff (2 tripods and a lawn chair) at an adjacent flat rock.  The solar eclipse began at 7:38PM, and the totality started at 8:31:05PM and ended at 8:32:41PM, and sunset at 8:49PM while it was still in the partial eclipse phase.   Unfortunately, the sun was blocked by some cloud during the crucial totality moment, so we could not really see the typical total solar eclipse (Baily's beads and eclipse diamond ring, etc.), but we could still feel the coolness and darkness during the totality.  It was so amazing to see the crescent sunset.  It's truly a unique experience that we will probably not have the chance to see it again.

Next ...

Seeing the crescent sunset with sailboat and golden color was really like a dream.  In some sense, it was even more beautiful than the totality (which we have already seen twice, 2017 in Oregon and 2024 in Arkansas).  It's time to plan our next solar eclipse trip: we decided to skip 2027 in northern Africa because it will be too hot; we may go to Australia on 7/22/2028.  With the conclusion of the solar eclipse in Mallorca, our journey continued to Lisbon, Portugal.

[Back to Photo Page]