What
is the capital of Mallorca?
The capital,
and much the largest conurbation, is Palma
de Mallorca. Palma is, in fact, the capital
of the whole Balearic Community.
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How
big is Mallorca?
Mallorca is
the biggest of the Balearic Islands and
Menorca the second biggest. Their names
derive from the Latin for ‘major’
and ‘minor’ (in English, they
are Majorca and Minorca).
Mallorca is
approximately 70 miles wide and 46 miles
north-south, although it has a good 325
miles of coastline. From wherever you are
in Mallorca, you can reach any other point
on the island in a maximum of half a day.
In 2006, the
population of Mallorca was 790,763, just
under half of whom live in Palma. However,
several million tourists visit Mallorca
every year, so there are always a lot more
people on the island than actually live
there.
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What
language do they speak in Mallorca?
Among themselves,
the locals speak Mallorquín, a version
of Catalan. However, everybody also speaks
Spanish, so do feel free to use your Spanish.
You are in Spain, after all, and the people
are bilingual Mallorquín/Spanish.
In the tourist
areas, almost everyone also speaks both
English and German, so don’t panic
if you run out of Spanish - although there’s
no doubt that you’ll make a better
impression if you can speak at least a bit
of Spanish.
See the Language
in Mallorca page for more information.
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How
come it’s sometimes Mallorca and sometimes
Majorca?
It’s
Mallorca in Spanish and in Catalan. Majorca
is the Anglicised name for the island. (The
pronunciation is the same, however: Mayorca.)
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What
is the weather like in Mallorca?
Mallorca has
a typically Mediterranean climate. The sun
comes out earlier in the year and gives
up much later in the year than it does in
Britain. Temperatures pretty well throughout
the year are higher than they are at home.
The sun can
be very strong and, especially if you’re
going in the summer, you will need sunscreen.
When I was there in April 2005, it already
felt like August.
In November
2005, I was still swimming happily in the
sea. Sitting on the beach, I usually needed
a jumper on but the water was warm and if
I was walking, rather than sitting still,
a T-shirt was fine.
However, the
weather is not completely reliable anywhere
in Europe and it’s always a good idea
to have a few back-up plans up your sleeve,
just in case it rains. During my stay in
September 2007, there were some very rainy
days.
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When
is the best time to go to Mallorca?
In terms of
time of year, it depends what you are looking
for, really. Summer is the obvious time
to go but spring and autumn are also good.
Just be aware that all the shops, bars and
restaurants that depend on the tourist trade
close down for the winter on 1st November.
If you have
never been to Mallorca, I would suggest
you go as soon as possible – not only
because it’s a great place but also
because it’s being developed at a
fairly alarming rate. If you want to see
the coast, particularly, before it’s
covered in tourist accommodation, don’t
leave it too long.
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What
currency do they use in Mallorca?
Mallorca is
part of Spain and uses euros and cents.
It’s quite easy to exchange pounds
for euros in Mallorca but you’ll probably
get a better rate if you shop around and
buy your euros at home. I do that but bring
some extra pounds as back-up, in case I
spend more euros than I expected to. You
can also use credit cards in most places
on the island.
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What
are the prices like in Mallorca?
Overall, I
have found that the cost of living in Mallorca
is similar to that at home in England. However,
the wine
is amazingly cheap, as is the beer, so that
adds to the holiday atmosphere!
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What
is the time difference in Mallorca?
Mallorca,
like the rest of Spain, is one hour ahead
of British time.
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What
are the opening times in Mallorca?
Shops are
generally open from 9.30 till 1.30, closed
for siesta, then open again 4.30 till 7
or 8 pm. Supermarkets are usually open all
day, from 10 till 10, and banks from 9.30
till 2 pm. Virtually all shops are closed
on Sundays.
Restaurants
tend to operate later than we are accustomed
to, particularly in the evening. The locals
would consider it normal to sit down to
dinner at 10 pm.
Many restaurants,
museums and other places of interest are
closed on Mondays, so it’s worth checking
before you set out that your destination
is open.
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How
safe is Mallorca?
Although,
of course, it’s always better to take
sensible precautions, Mallorca is pretty
safe. I get the impression that it would
be fine to leave the front door or the car
unlocked – but I’ve never tried
it because I might just be unlucky. Equally,
I never worry about walking around by myself
after dark. I keep to well-lit areas, though
probably just out of ingrained British habit.
I have never had any trouble of any sort
but it is as well to beware of pickpockets
if you’re in a crowd.
The only time
I have ever felt scared in Mallorca is driving
on the mountain roads in the rain.
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Is
it OK to drink the tap water?
I usually
consider that, if it tastes OK, it’s
probably not doing much harm, particularly
just for a week or two. However, I have
stayed in places in Mallorca where the tap
water was salty and completely disgusting.
On the whole, I’d suggest you buy
bottled water – it’s cheap and
you know you’re safe.
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What
should you bring with you to Mallorca?
A few things
you conceivably might have forgotten or
not thought of:
- Bring a plug
adaptor for your electrical items.
- If you’re going to
hire a car, don’t forget your driving
licence.
- It’s handy to have
some insect repellent.
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