Pollensa old town: shops, where to eat and what to see

Pollensa old town is best covered on foot in one unhurried morning: the Plaça Major and its cafés, stone streets lined with shops that have been there forever, and the Calvari steps rising at the far end. It is not a stage set for tourists — it is a town that lives all year round, and that is exactly the difference you can feel. We live here; this is the walk we give our guests on day one.

The Plaça Major, the centre of everything

Everything starts and ends in the square: the church of the Mare de Déu dels Àngels on one side, the pavement cafés on the other, and the plane trees shading the middle. The trick is the hour: early morning belongs to the locals, with their coffee and their newspaper; by midday it changes language. And on Sunday mornings the market fills it — the big day of the week.

The shops: what they are really like

We will not give you a list of names that goes stale in two seasons. Here is how shopping works in Pollensa, which lasts longer:

• The bakeries. Open from first thing, and the correct way to start the day: an ensaimada or a slice of coca, plus the week's bread if you are staying somewhere with a kitchen.
• The grocers. Mallorcan cheese, sobrassada, olive oil and wine to stock the villa pantry without setting foot in a supermarket.
• Crafts and galleries. Pollensa has had a painters' colony for a century and it shows: more art galleries than you would expect of a town this size, and shops selling basketry, espadrilles and ceramics where "handmade" is literal.
• The golden rule: buy where you see locals buying. And almost everything closes at midday — the pause is respected here.

Where to eat

The rule for choosing is the same all over the Mediterranean: flee the menu with photographs and look for the hand-written blackboard. The dishes worth ordering, and why, get their own piece: the Pollensa food guide.

What to see as you wander

The old town has three stops you cannot not make: the Calvari staircase with its 365 steps, the Roman bridge on the edge of town, and the cloister of Sant Domingo. All three, with timings and tricks, are in what to see in Pollença.

When to come

The old town works all year because the town lives all year — one of the few in the north of the island you can say that about. Our favourite time to walk it is September and October: the light turns golden, the terraces stay open and you can stroll without dodging anyone. For everything beyond the town itself, see the area around the house.

Quick questions

Can you park in the old town? Badly, like every old town worth visiting. We solve it the blunt way: the house has parking within its own grounds and the town is a few minutes away.

Which is the best day? Sunday morning, for the market. If you prefer the town quiet, any other day, early.

How long do you need? One unhurried morning for the full loop, coffee and shopping included. Add an hour — and some stairs — for the Calvari.

Is everything open outside summer? Yes — the shops, the cafés and the Sunday market carry on all year. What closes in autumn are the beach bars, not the town. The town hall publishes what is on at ajpollenca.net.

If you want the old town on your doorstep — minutes away, with your own parking and no depending on anyone — have a look at the house we tell it from and write to us with no obligation. We are the owners and we reply within 24 hours.

More plans near the house, from the sea to the Tramuntana: Things to do in Pollensa and Port de Pollensa