Hiring a car and setting out from Palma on the Ma-1 southwest of the city takes you to Calvia and Andratx, the main tourist areas of the south of the island. There you’ll find the big resorts such as Magaluf, built on miles of golden sand.
Taking a different direction, northeast on the Ma-13, you’ll reach picturesque Alcudia, set in a lovely bay and surrounded by forests in this greener part of the island. East of Palma on the Ma-16 is Manacor which is well known for its trade in pearls and gifts made from the island’s olive trees.
The Ma-11 north takes you to Soller where, amongst the mountains, you can have a refreshing change from sunbathing by hiring a mountain bike and racing along the miles of trails through the mountains that completely surround the village. For the less energetic there are walking trails or you can take the tram through scenic countryside down to Port de Soller on the coast.