Shopping in Mallorca

Mallorca has shopping options for everyone. The capital, Palma, is an active commercial city, with several shopping areas. The city's main shopping arteries are the Paseo del Born and the Avenida de Jaume III, where you can find the best selection of exclusive name brands for clothing and accessories. This area and the surrounding streets contain numerous cafeterias and restaurants where you can enjoy a snack, located in historical and unique buildings. There is also an extensive cultural scene, such as the Casal Solleric, a former palace turned into a cultural centre, or the Gran Hotel, a modernist building that is the site of the Caixa Fòrum Palma, which also houses a bookstore specialising in art.

Around the centrally located Plaça Major are commercial streets such as Sant Miquel, Sindicat, Jaume II and Colom, brimming with jewellery stores, fashion and accessories shops and gourmet establishments. There are also several businesses that have been operating for over a century. Another interesting option are the shopping malls in Palma and surrounding area, as well as an outlet centre for name brands, located 15 minutes from Palma, which can easily be reached by train.

Other interesting shopping areas are the luxury marinas such as Portals Nous or Port Adriano, where in addition to exclusive shops you will find a large selection of gourmet venues.

Not far from Palma is Inca, known as 'leather city' thanks to its long tradition in leather craftsmanship. There are also outlet centres for leather name brands and excellent restaurants offering traditional cuisine. A lively market is held every Thursday morning.

To the east of the island, Manacor is famous for its wooden furniture and its cultivated pearls, the main factories of which can be visited, Orquídea and Majorica. The historical centre houses all types of establishments for spending a day shopping, with obligatory stops at excellent restaurants.

If you would rather take home a genuine souvenir of Mallorca, an artisan and traditional island piece, there is a wide selection of products: The traditional blown glass, which you can purchase if you visit the factories at Can Gordiola (Algaida), Menestralia (Campanet) and Lafiore (Esporles), where you can watch the master glass blowers create unique pieces; objects for the home made of olive wood, such as spoons and bowls; coveted embroidery with Majorcan stitching decorating tablecloths, towels and cloths; jewellery finely worked with gold and silver or the bright and unique Majorcan llengos fabrics, artisan woven and dyed, traditionally used for curtains, tablecloths or cushions.

Pottery and ceramics are also traditional and renowned in Mallorca. Sa Cabaneta and Pòrtol are the towns where most of the pottery workshops are located, where you can purchase wonderful artisan pieces, among which are the typical siurells, traditional whistles shaped in the form ofhumans, demons or animals.

Artà and Capdepera are famous for their basket weaving, made by braiding dried dwarf fan palm fibres to create baskets and other Mediterranean-inspired pieces.

Make sure not to miss the weekly markets and fairs in all Majorcan towns, a pleasant way to acquire excellent local products out in the open.