6 Best Sights in Ibiza and the Balearic Islands, Spain

Originally built as a palace in 1309, the monastery was founded in 1399, but after the monks were expelled in 1835, it acquired a new lease on life by offering apartments to travelers. The most famous lodgers were Frédéric Chopin and his lover, the Baroness Amandine Dupin, the French novelist better known by her pseudonym, George Sand. The two spent three difficult months here in the cold, damp winter of 1838–39.

In the church, note the frescoes above the nave—the monk who painted them was Goya's brother-in-law. The pharmacy, made by the monks in 1723, is almost completely preserved. A long corridor leads to the apartments, furnished in period style, occupied by Chopin and Sand (the piano is original). Nearby, another set of apartments houses the local museum, with mementos of Archduke Luis Salvador and a collection of old printing blocks. From here you return to the ornately furnished King Sancho's palace, a group of rooms originally built by King Jaume II for his son. The tourist office, in Valldemossa's main plaza, sells a ticket good for all of the monastery's attractions.

Overlooking the city and the bay from a hillside, the castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century in Gothic style but with a circular design—the only one of its kind in Spain. It houses an archaeological museum of the history of Mallorca and a small collection of classical sculpture. The Bus Turistic 50 and the EMT municipal buses Nos. 4, 20, and 46 all stop a 20-minute walk from the entrance. In summer, there are classical music concerts in the courtyard, performed by the Ciutat de Palma Symphony Orchestra.

Palma's cathedral is an architectural wonder that took almost 400 years to build. Begun in 1230, the wide expanse of the nave is supported by 14 70-foot-tall columns that fan out at the top like palm trees. The nave is dominated by an immense rose window, 40 feet in diameter, dating to 1370. Over the main altar (consecrated in 1346) is the surrealistic baldoquí (baldachin) by Antoni Gaudí, completed in 1912. This enormous canopy, with lamps suspended from it like elements of a mobile, rises to a Crucifixion scene at the top. To the right, in the Chapel of the Santísimo, is an equally remarkable 2007 work by the sculptor Miquel Barceló: a painted ceramic tableau covering the walls like a skin. Based on the New Testament account of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, it's a bizarre composition of rolling waves, gaping cracks, protruding fish heads, and human skulls. The bell tower above the cathedral's Plaça Almoina door holds nine bells, the largest of which is called N'Eloi, meaning "Praise." The 5-ton N'Eloi, cast in 1389, requires six men to ring it and has shattered stained-glass windows with its sound.

From April through October you can take a guided tour of the bell tower and the cathedral's terraces overlooking panoramic views of the city. Reservations must be made in advance on the website.

A 15-minute boat ride from Mahón harbor is the tiny islet of Illa del Rei, once home to a naval hospital, which is now home to the first Spanish outpost of internationally lauded art gallery Hauser & Wirth. Exhibits come and go with the seasons, but the entire setting is hypnotic: the sensitive restoration of the outbuildings scooped a social responsibility award; the apothecary gardens are perfumed and purple-hued; while the siesta-relaxed outdoor terrace of Cantina restaurant wiggles in seats wherever gaps between tree trunks allow. A sculpture trail reveals big-hitters by Joan Miró, as well as one of Louise Bourgeois's famous spiders, while the naval museum offers fascinating historical context. Sustainability-focused craft workshops (for example, repurposing discarded fishnets into tapestries) and a kitsch-free gift shop complete an offering that will delight anyone seeking creative stimulation or disconnection.   

West of the city center, this museum rises on a long-neglected archaeological site, parts of which date back to the 12th century. The building itself is an outstanding convergence of old and new: the exhibition space uses the surviving 16th-century perimeter walls of the fortified city, including a stone courtyard facing the sea and a promenade along the ramparts. There are three floors of galleries, and the collection includes work by Miró, Picasso, and Antoni Tàpies, among other major artists. To get here, take the narrow Carrer de Sant Pere through the old fishermen's quarter, from Plaça de la Drassana.

The closest beach to the port at La Savina is an exquisitely beautiful string of dunes stretching to the tip of the Trucador Peninsula at Es Pau. Collectively called Ses Illetes, they form part of a national park and are consistently voted as among the five best beaches in the world. Ibiza clubbers like to take the fast ferry over from Eivissa after a long night and chill out here, tapping the sun for the energy to party again. The water is fairly shallow and the meadows of seagrass in it shelter colorful varieties of small fish; the fairly constant breezes are good for windsurfing. Nude and topless sunbathing raises no eyebrows anywhere along the dunes. Be warned: there's no shade here at all, and rented umbrellas fetch premium prices. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: nudists; snorkeling; swimming; windsurfing.