Sightseeing in Mallorca

Sightseeing in Mallorca is a matter of height. Palma lies at sea level, Valldemossa more than 400 metres up, the Coll dels Reis, the pass on the Sa Calobra road, at 682 metres, and Puig Major, the island's summit, above 1,400. The climate follows the same slope: Palma gets about 470 mm of rain a year and only 5 mm in July, the Tramuntana as much as 1,500 mm, and brief snow on Puig Major in winter is not unusual. The same island is sold three ways, from the road, from the water and from the air.

Mallorca sightseeing tours are mostly private cars with a driver-guide for up to six: Valldemossa with Banyalbufar and Pollença with Formentor take four hours, Sa Calobra five. A classic convertible takes four guests through the Raiguer vineyards in four hours, tastings extra. Cruise passengers get an eight-hour small-group day, Palma and Valldemossa. Helicopters seat four, and the pilot of the half-hour flight can route it over the Tramuntana, the coast or your own hotel; a longer one lands at the Son Bordils winery near Inca. A two-hour dolphin-spotting cruise on a semi-submersible catamaran sails off the west coast, and a two-hour phone scavenger hunt through Palma needs no guide.

Practical. The sea is about 14C in February and 26C in August, and October is Palma's wettest month, with some 73 mm. Dolphin sightings are never guaranteed, the cruise suits nobody prone to seasickness, and transfers and meals are not included; bring a hat. Drivers, pilots and guides work in English and Spanish, with German added on the wine drive, and the cruise also runs in French, German and Italian. The phone hunt has no fixed start time and can be resumed the next day.