Four islands, four walkable old towns, none of them interchangeable. Pick the one that matches the island you’re actually on. Palma Old Town and courtyards (Mallorca) A roughly 2.5-hour walk through the medieval and Renaissance quarter takes in La Seu Cathedral , the adjoining Almudaina Palace, the historic Jewish Quarter (El Call), and the wrought-iron gates opening onto Renaissance palace courtyards that most visitors walk straight past. Dalt Vila’s ramparts (Ibiza) The 16th-century fortified old town of Ibiza Town, part of the Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture World Heritage site, climbs steep cobblestone streets through Renaissance-era battlements built under King Philip II, with harbor views from the top.

The Balearic Islands’ best views split into two categories: sheer vertical drops and flat turquoise shallows. Knowing which island does which saves you chasing the wrong one. Cap de Formentor (Mallorca) The Mirador d’es Colomer viewpoint looks down 300-meter cliffs to the jagged sea stack of El Colomer below. Private vehicles are restricted on the final approach road from 15 May to 18 October, 10:00 to 22:00, so check the official TIB timetable and plan on the shuttle bus, Line 334, from Port de Pollença during that window, or take a guided Formentor day trip that handles the transfer for you.

Inter-island ferries and flights eat entire days here, so a multi-day Balearic trip needs to be planned around transit legs first and sightseeing second. Don’t attempt more than two islands on anything shorter than five days. The island-hop: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza (7-10 days) Days 1-4 on Mallorca cover Palma’s cathedral, the Sóller train through the Serra de Tramuntana, Valldemossa, Deià, and the Cuevas del Drach; the official Illes Balears tourism site is a reasonable starting point for checking what’s actually open on your dates before you book a base in Palma.

A real day trip in the Balearics means a fixed ferry or bus schedule you build the whole day around, not a rental car and a vague plan. Here is what actually fits into one day, and what doesn’t. Formentera from Ibiza (30 minutes each way) A round-trip ferry ticket from Ibiza Port to La Savina takes about half an hour each way. Rent an electric bike or scooter at the port to reach Ses Illetes, the narrow white sandbar with water on both sides, then continue down to the lighthouse at Cap de Barbaria before lunch in Es Pujols.

Pick your island before you pick your adventure tour. A speedboat safari built around Es Vedrà only exists off Ibiza; a road-free cala only opens up by sailboat out of Menorca. Match the tour to the island it actually runs on. Mallorca: Cabrera by boat, and a 4x4 inland Colònia de Sant Jordi is the departure point for the full-day Cabrera Archipelago National Park boat trip: a hike to the 14th-century castle, a seabird sanctuary, and a swim inside the Blue Cave (Cova Blava).

“The Balearic Islands” is not one destination with four beaches. It is four separate islands with their own airports (three of them, anyway), their own character, and a ferry schedule between them that you need to plan around rather than ignore. Mallorca: mountains, a cathedral, and a 1912 train The biggest island by far, anchored by Palma and its Gothic La Seu Cathedral , with a 44-meter nave and a 12-meter rose window.