Mallorca

The northwest mountains run the length of the island and hold everything memorable. Drive the Ma-10 from Andratx to Pollença: the Sa Calobra road corkscrews down to a gorge mouth (drive it early, before the coaches), Cap de Formentor delivers the cliff-edge lighthouse, and the Mirador de Sa Foradada and Es Colomer viewpoints justify the stops.

Villages: Deià (stone houses, writers, expensive), Valldemossa (Chopin's monastery), Fornalutx (arguably the prettiest), Sóller with its vintage tram down to the port and the wooden train over the mountains from Palma.

Walking: the GR221 Dry Stone Route is a multi-day traverse with refuges; single-day highlights are the Torrent de Pareis gorge scramble, the Cúber–Ofre circuit, and the walk from Deià down to Cala Deià for lunch.

The southeast is where the postcard coves are: Cala Mondragó, Caló des Moro (tiny, viral, arrive before 9am), Cala Llombards, Cala S'Amarador. Long sandy stretches sit in the north at Playa de Muro and Alcúdia, which are the family-friendliest water in the island.

For the wildest coast, the Es Trenc dunes in the south feel Caribbean and have no development behind them. Snorkelling is best around Cabrera, a protected archipelago reachable by boat from Colònia de Sant Jordi.

Worth two days in its own right. The sandstone La Seu cathedral has a Gaudí-reworked interior and a Barceló ceramic chapel; the Arab baths, Bellver castle and the Es Baluard modern-art museum fill the rest. The old town's lanes are for tapas crawls, and the Santa Catalina market is the best eating in the city.

Mallorca is Europe's winter training island: February–April brings pro teams and thousands of amateurs for the Tramuntana climbs. Sa Calobra, Puig Major, the Coll de Sóller hairpins, on smooth tarmac with cyclist-aware drivers and bike hotels in Port de Pollença and Alcúdia.

That same window is the best time to visit for everything else too: almond blossom in February, warm hiking weather, hotels a fraction of the summer price, and the coast roads empty.

Besides all the natural beauty, there is also a vibrant party scene, and it is dominated by two resorts: Magaluf for the British and s'Arenal for the Germans. Both are neon-and-beer strips that run through the night all summer, and neither is subtle. If that is your scene they deliver it reliably and cheaply; if it isn't, they're easy to avoid because they're geographically contained.

Palma itself has a more grown-up version: rooftop bars around the marina, club nights at Tito's (which has been spinning since 1923), and the Puro beach clubs that start with sundowners and ease into the early hours. The Tramuntana side is where nights are quiet by contrast: a slow dinner, a walk, and a glass of local wine.

For the full island-club counterpart, the Ibiza guide is the obvious pairing.

May–June and September–October are the sweet spot for swimming plus sanity. July–August is hot, expensive and genuinely crowded, with cala car parks full by 9am. Winter is mild but many coastal places shut.

Hire a car and book it early for summer: buses reach Palma, Sóller, Alcúdia and Pollença but not the calas. Note that several coves cap parking and Sa Calobra is closed to coaches at certain hours.

For mainland Moorish cities, the Andalusia guide.