Two Cool things near Palma, Mallorca

We spent a day venturing just outside the city to visit a couple of things we had read about and wanted to experience. Both of these can be done easily in an afternoon as we probably spent an hour in each place and are great on a clear day when you can soak up the views they offer.

San Carlos Military Museum

We made the 15 minute drive from downtown Palma to the San Carlos Military Museum and found parking by the main road. After walking from where we left our car we realized there was also a small parking lot right at the entrance so it would have been worth checking that first! The fort was built between 1610-1612 to defend the port of Palma from pirate and barbarian attacks. It began to be turned into a museum in 1981 and is free to enter and walk around. At first we wandered all around the defensive tunnels that and perimeter which was really interesting.

Then we entered inside the fort where we discovered displays of military artifacts and pieces of art that were hung in different rooms as well as the main entrance. It was really interesting to see them use the space like this and we really loved it.

Then it was time to climb to the top for some great views of the surrounding area and port.

Castell de Bellvor

This cost us 4 euros each and was well worth it. We drove to the top and parked on the side of the road which prevented us from having to walk all the way up the steep hill although driving through beautiful Bellvor Park made us realize how many trails and areas it had. The castle was built between 1300-1311 and over its history was utilized in a number of ways: residence, fortress, prison, mint and now periodically for concerts as well as being a museum. It was fun to walk across the moat (which was dry) and past beautiful towers. We could see they were continuing renovation work in several areas. The architecture was wonderful with the circular design and arches. Inside there were interesting artifacts and lots of historical information.