Alaro Holidays

Alaro is one of the best day trips in Majorca. The village sits in the foothills of the UNESCO-listed Tramuntana mountains, crowned by a ruined castle you hike up to for the view, famous for a rustic restaurant that serves the best slow-roasted lamb on the island, with a proper village square where locals drink coffee and the outside world slows down.

✨ Highlights of your Day in Alaro

• 🏰 Castell d'Alaró crowning the village. The ruined 11th-century castle sits on a dramatic rock outcrop 822m above the town, reached by a two-hour hike that ends with one of the best views in Majorca. Pilgrim-style chapel and basic restaurant at the top for the reward.

• 🐑 Es Verger, home of the lamb. The most famous rustic restaurant in Majorca is up the mountain from Alaro, serving slow-roasted lamb from a wood-fired oven. Wooden benches, no phone reservations (show up early), one of those meals Majorca regulars plan entire trips around.

• 🌳 Tramuntana mountains on the doorstep. UNESCO-listed as a cultural landscape, with olive terraces, stone-walled trails and villages carved into the rock. This is the serious hiking and cycling heart of the island.

• 🍷 Village-square pace. The Plaça de la Vila is a proper Majorcan square with cafes, a church and the rhythm of a place where locals actually live. Mornings with coffee, afternoons in the shade.

• 🚗 Central to half the island. Alaro sits between Palma and the Tramuntana coast, so it's under an hour's drive from most of the popular resorts, meaning you can visit from almost anywhere sensible.

💡 Good to Know

☀️ Mountain weather, not coastal: 13 to 15°C in winter, 24 to 27°C in summer, with fresher evenings than the beach resorts year-round.

💶 The Euro is standard across Majorca. A coffee in the square is around £1.50, a pint £3 to £4, a long lunch at Es Verger £15 to £25 a head with wine.

🗣️ Catalan (specifically Mallorquín) is the everyday local language, Castilian Spanish is universal, and English is spoken at the main restaurants. Give Catalan a go at the village bakery and you'll make someone's morning.

🛏️ Where to Stay (and Day-Trip from)

Alaro itself is a village, not a resort, so the smart move is to base yourself somewhere with a proper hotel scene and drive up for a day. Three recommended bases, each with a different character, all within an hour of the village.

🏛️ Palma City (30 minutes)

Palma is the easiest base for most readers. Majorca's capital has the Gothic cathedral, rooftop bars in Santa Catalina, boutique shopping, the Mercat de l'Olivar for tapas and the harbour lit up at night. Hotel choice is massive, from boutique city stays to five-star seafront, and the drive up to Alaro takes half an hour through olive groves. Best for culture-first travellers, couples on a city-and-villages week, and anyone flying into Palma airport who doesn't want a long transfer.

🏖️ Puerto de Soller (45 minutes)

Puerto de Soller is the same Tramuntana range, different side: a horseshoe harbour bay with a sandy beach, a vintage tram running along the promenade, and proper mountain views behind the town. The drive to Alaro takes 45 minutes over the mountain (tunnel shortcut if you prefer), and the historic narrow-gauge train from Palma also passes through Tramuntana country. Best for couples and small groups who want the mountain scenery alongside a proper beach week.

🌿 Puerto Pollensa (50 minutes)

Puerto Pollensa on the quieter north coast has the Pine Walk promenade, a sheltered sandy bay and the kind of laid-back harbour-town atmosphere that's been drawing writers and cyclists for decades. The drive to Alaro takes about 50 minutes through the middle of the island. Best for readers who want a calmer beach base with Tramuntana access, and for cycling groups since the Formentor road out of Pollensa is legendary.

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What are the best beaches to visit on your Alaro holidays?

Since Alaro is tucked away in the mountains, you’ll need to hop in a car for your seaside fix. Luckily, some of the island's most stunner coastal spots are within easy reach for a day trip.

• Port de Soller - A glamorous bay with a vintage tram and sandy shores, attracting those who like a side of sophistication with their sea salt.

• Cala Deià - A rugged, shingle cove with crystal clear water that’s a magnet for the artsy, A-list crowd looking for a private dip.

• Playa de Palma - A whopping stretch of white sand that’s perfect for those who want a classic beach day with every facility imaginable.

• Port des Canonge - A hidden gem down a winding road, ideal for adventurous types who want to escape the 'holibobs' crowds and tap into their inner explorer.

🗣️ Local Lingo

Catalan is the everyday language in Mallorca, Castilian Spanish is understood everywhere, and inland villages like Alaro lean harder on the Catalan in daily life. English is fine at the main restaurants and in Palma but a go at the local tongue goes a long way in the village. A handful of phrases to get you started:

• Bon dia (Catalan), Good morning

• Hola, Hi (works in both)

• Una cervesa, si us plau (Catalan), A beer please

• El compte, si us plau (Catalan), The bill, please

• Molt bo, Very good (what to say after the lamb at Es Verger)

🧳 Visiting Alaro – Travel Guide 2026 / 2027

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🚗 Hire a car on arrival. Alaro isn't reachable by practical public transport from most bases, and the good stuff (castle, Es Verger, Orient, market) is all drive-to. A small hire car opens up the whole Tramuntana.

• 🏰 Save the castle hike for older kids. The final chain-assisted scramble isn't toddler territory, but kids aged ten and up will love it and brag about it for months.

• 🛒 Aim for a Saturday morning visit. The weekly market is kid-friendly and you can pair it with ice cream in the square, fresh fruit for the car and a browse through the stalls without anyone flagging.

• 🍋 Combine with the Soller train. Vintage wooden trains are a universal kid win, and the route passes through the same mountain country.

💑 Couples

• 🐑 Book the Es Verger lamb day. Get there early, order the shoulder, drink the house red, walk it off afterwards. One of those meals that makes a trip.

• 🍷 Spend an afternoon on the Binissalem wine route. Pick one bodega, book a tasting, let one person drive. Manto Negro reds are the island's signature and very different from mainland Spanish wine.

• 🌅 Sunset from the castle. If you're fit enough for the hike back down in fading light, the view from Castell d'Alaró at dusk is unreal. Take torches and walking shoes that can handle the descent.

• 🏛️ Pair the day with Orient. Fifteen minutes from Alaro, pocket-sized mountain village, lunch on a stone terrace, walk between the two if the legs are feeling it.

🎉 Groups

• 🚴 One big cycling day. Even if only half the group rides, the Tramuntana roads around Alaro are bucket-list cycling country.

• 🥾 Do the castle hike together. Two hours up, an hour at the chapel with a drink, two hours down. Binds a group like nothing else.

• 🍷 Wine tasting at a village bodega. Civilised, cheap, properly fun, everyone comes home with bottles.

• 🐑 Book a long lunch at Es Verger. One group table, jugs of wine, hours to spare, the sort of afternoon that ends with you walking it off and getting home at dinner.

🌍 More Destinations

• 🏛️ Palma City, Majorca's capital with the Gothic cathedral, Santa Catalina tapas scene, rooftop bars and Bellver Castle on the hill

• 🏖️ Puerto de Soller, the Tramuntana's postcard harbour town with a sandy bay, vintage tram, seafront promenade and the narrow-gauge train from Palma

• 🌿 Puerto Pollensa, laid-back north-coast bay with the pine-fringed Pine Walk, cycling heritage and elegant harbourside dining

• 🎉 Santa Ponsa, south-west sandy bay with a family-friendly town centre, close enough to Magaluf for a big night but miles away in feel

• ☀️ Palma Nova, sunny and sandy next to Magaluf with three Blue Flag beaches, Golf Fantasia and a calmer family scene

• 🏝️ Majorca, the Balearics' biggest and most varied island, with everything from party resorts to hidden coves to UNESCO mountain trails