Valldemossa: a day trip from Palma, Palma de Mallorca

About Valldemossa

Valldemossa is a village in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains in north-west Mallorca, about 18 km from Palma. It sits in a green valley of olive and almond groves, its stone houses and tiled roofs climbing the slope towards the monastery.

Its fame began in the 19th century, when travellers and artists came, and Archduke Ludwig Salvator, who fell in love with Mallorca, made this corner known across Europe. Valldemossa is the birthplace of St Catalina Thomas, the island's patron saint, whose image appears on ceramic plaques by nearly every front door.

What to see in Valldemossa

• The Charterhouse — church, pharmacy and cells.
• Chopin's cells — a piano, scores and letters.
• King Sancho's Palace — next to the monastery.
• The old village lanes — flowers and green shutters.
• St Catalina Thomas's house — a tiny chapel.
• Valley viewpoints — groves and Tramuntana peaks.

The Charterhouse and Chopin

The Royal Charterhouse, or Cartuja, was founded in the early 14th century. Today you can see its painted church, an old monastic pharmacy with ceramic jars, the library and cells with small gardens looking over the valley.

In the winter of 1838–1839, composer Frédéric Chopin and writer George Sand rented cells here. Chopin worked on his preludes, and Sand later wrote A Winter in Majorca. The cells display a piano, manuscripts, letters and portraits, and piano recitals are held in the monastery in summer.

The lanes and coca de patata

After the monastery, simply wander. Narrow cobbled lanes wind between stone houses, geraniums hang on the walls and plaques of St Catalina adorn the doors. Find the house where she was born, now a tiny chapel.

Valldemossa's signature treat is coca de patata, a fluffy sweet bun made with potato and dusted with icing sugar. Local bakeries make it, and it's eaten warm with hot chocolate or almond milk on café terraces.

The Tramuntana around the village

Valldemossa lies at the heart of the Serra de Tramuntana, UNESCO-listed in 2011 as a cultural landscape of stone terraces, irrigation channels and groves of olives, almonds and oranges. Walking trails start from the village, including the Archduke's path along the ridge above the sea.

Tips for your trip

Valldemossa pairs well with a drive along the mountain coast: beyond the village the road leads to clifftop Deià and on to the Sóller valley. The mountains are cooler than Palma in summer, but the open streets are hot by day, so bring a hat.

Wear comfortable shoes, as the lanes are steep, narrow and cobbled. Souvenir shops sell ceramics, olive oil and almond sweets; small shops away from the main street are better value.

Children enjoy the old pharmacy in the monastery and spotting the St Catalina plaques on the front doors. Buggies struggle on the steep village streets, so a baby carrier is easier.

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How to do it right

• Fewer people in the morning.
• Chopin's cells are in the monastery.
• Coca de patata with coffee.
• Comfortable shoes.

Questions