Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

Departing: April 2027 - October 2027

Away from the busy resorts, the Balearic Island of Mallorca offers a timeless, verdant landscape of wooded hills and orange groves, sweeping bays and rocky mountains. The gardens here are a delight to visit in the warm sunshine, including Raixa and Alfaiba, both with Moorish origins and later Christian influences, and the Gardens of Sóller, a botanist’s paradise. Elsewhere, we visit the monastery of Real Cartuja de Valldemosa, tour the island’s principal city of Palma, with its Gothic cathedral and Arab baths, and take an exhilarating ride on the Tren de Soller, a heritage train that runs through spectacular mountain scenery.

Included

Explore Raixa & Carthusian Monastery Valldemossa, with entrance fees included
All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
Professional Tour Manager
5 nights at Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma (or similar)
4 breakfasts, 1 lunch & 4 dinners
Private air-conditioned coach travel

Highlights

Enjoy Moorish gardens in Raixa and Alfaiba
Visit the largest prehistoric cemetery in the Balearics
Discover the monastery of Real Cartuja de Valldemosa
Spectacular mountain scenery

Colin Crosbie

Studied horticulture at the West of Scotland Agricultural College. He then worked in the Savill and Valley Gardens in Windsor Great Park before being appointed as Head Gardener to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother at Royal Lodge Windsor.

Tour Itinerary

Join our arrival transfer from the airport or meet your tour manager and fellow travellers that evening at our hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma

Day 1 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

After breakfast, we visit the Jardínes de Alfabia, set in the Tramuntana Mountains towards Mallorca’s northwestern coast and with origins stretching back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Shortly after the Christian re-conquest, King Jaume I rewarded his ally Benhabet with a large estate. In typically Moorish fashion, Benhabet channeled water from the surrounding hills to irrigate his gardens, which he designed as a series of shaded ‘rooms’, again typical of the Moorish style, and created in such a way as to merge seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. There are contrasts throughout the lush, terraced gardens, with clipped avenues of low hedging in places and a veritable jungle of palms, bamboos and bulrushes. Young chusan plams (Trachycarpus fortune) sit alongside substantial mature date palms and there are also bougainvillea-covered pergolas, flowers cascading over stone terraces and vistas of olive trees. It's a remarkable garden where the spirit of its founder Benhabet lives on.

Our next stop is Sóller, where we visit to the Gardens of Sóller. The gardens are organised into different terraces that group plants into two main collections: wild plants mainly native to the Balearic and Canary Islands as well as more common Mediterranean flora and cultivated plants including ornamental, medicinal, fruit trees and vegetables. The garden was first opened to the public in 1985 and was intended as a centre for research and conservation of rare and endemic species found with the Balearics.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma

Day 2 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

This morning we depart for the gardens of Raixa at Bunyola. These were once part of a Moorish estate, but after the re-conquest of Mallorca by the Spanish and the redistribution of land, it came into the hands of the church. In the 18th century it was owned by a cardinal, who was responsible for its Italianate characteristics, bringing statuary from Italy and exotic plants from the New World. The garden is divided into seven terraces with parterres, pergolas, fountains and loggias, and the cardinal had the water reservoir built over with a semi-circular belvedere, which offers a fine view over the valley towards Palma.

We continue to the monastery of Real Cartuja de Valldemossa – the composer Frédéric Chopin and his mistress George Sand spent a rather unhappy winter here in 1838-9. The monastery sports a distinctive, ornate green bell tower and the gardens still have a monastic air, with quiet cloisters around tall cypresses and long pathways through bushes of clipped yew and laurel. There is the odd splash of colour, such as the bright red climbing nasturtium (Trapaeolum speciosum), but the gardens are predominately dark green and grey, creating a tranquil and timeless atmosphere.

From here, we transfer to Sóller again for some free time. You may choose to visit the Modernist House (entrance not included) before we take the train back to Palma. The railway is narrow gauge, the track width being 914 mm (an English yard), which is infrequent nowadays. Its rolling stock is extremely varied, meticulously finished and maintained using traditional methods. The Sóller railway also stands out for the special, attractive route it runs along, overcoming the natural barrier of the Sierra de Alfàbia mountain range. To do so, in just seven kilometres, the railway rises up 199 metres, runs through 13 longitudinal tunnels ranging in length and crosses over several bridges, the cinc-ponts viaduct and a great many bends.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma

Day 3 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

Following breakfast, we visit Museo Sa Bassa Blanca. The Sa Bassa Blanca Museum showcases a collection of modern art exhibitions with surrounding beautiful gardens linking art, nature and architecture, to promote cultural development and respect for the natural environment. The gardens boast a sculpture park and medieval walled garden. We then head to the former capital of the island, Alcudia, for some free time to explore the Old Town before we take a scenic drive back to our hotel with the opportunity for a panoramic photo stop en route.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma

Day 4 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

Today we tour Palma, with visits to the cathedral (La Seu), the second tallest Gothic cathedral in Europe which contains many fine works of art, the former royal residence of Palacio de la Almudaina and the adjacent Hort del Rei (the king’s garden), virtually all that remains of the Arab city of Medina Mayurqua. We also visit Castell de Belver, a heavily fortified Gothic castle that is now the city’s museum, and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. The remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure to explore.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel THB Maria Isabel, Playa de Palma

Day 5 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

After breakfast, you will be transferred back to the airport where your tour ends.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 Gardens & Architecture of Mallorca

Accommodation

The 4-star THB María Isabel is a modern adults only hotel situated in Playa de Palma, just 4 km away from the airport, 10 minutes from Palma by car and just 500 metres from Palma Beach. All 148 guest rooms over 12 floors include free Wi-Fi, small fridge, hairdryer and most have a balcony. The hotel facilities include an outdoor swimming pool with sun beds, a lounge bar and the restaurant serves a daily buffet (international cuisine). Bicycle hire is available as well as a fitness and a wellness zone which includes a heated pool, a relaxation zone with sun beds and a sauna.

Availability & Booking

2027

20th April from $2,830

Call to Book

12th October from $2,830

Call to Book

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