Majorca for The Art Lover

Forsake the palm trees for Palma's wealth of museums next time you go on holiday. The city has plenty to offer the intrepid art lover.
If you're an art lover and you're headed to Majorca, you're in for a treat! A thriving contemporary arts scene awaits your exploration. Even if you're going primarily for the beaches, break up the day with a visit to the town of Palma for its splendid museums and art galleries. There's enough variety to keep everyone happy. Even if you're traveling with small children, it's the perfect opportunity to kick-start their art enthusiasm for life.

Everyone associates Majorca with its sleepy Mediterranean vibe, perfect beaches and gorgeous terrain. It's the main reason why people take a flight out to Majorca. But you can glean a superior insight into its culture by heading inland and visiting one of these art-centric venues. Go on - satisfy your inner Picasso.

Es Museu d'art Modern i Contemporani de Palma
A bit of a mouthful to say, but what the owners lack in their museum naming ability, they more than make up for with their extensive collections. Palma's Contemporary Art Museum (as it will be named from now on, for the sake of the word count) always contains a diverse mixture of temporary exhibits, making it an exciting place to go even if you've been before. These are often based around quite unexpected themes. Study a kaleidoscope of works that display unique uses of perspective in the current Reproducibility collection, for example.
Aside from its exhibitions, the museum also plays host to dozens of special activities and events each year, including the annual Jameson Notodo Filmfest. These demonstrate the museum's approach of showing as large a range of art forms as possible to cultivate interest. If you've got a lot of art tastes to please, this is the place to be. Check the website in advance for updates on the various activities available.

Where is it?
Placa Porta de Santa Catalina at the end of Paseo Mallorca.

Palau March Museum
In the centre of Palma's historic Old Town, you'll find the wonderful Palau March palace, full of charm and stunning architecture. Within its walls sits the Palau March Museum, home to a fascinating collection of contemporary sculptures and around 40 religious sculptures in polychromed wood. If that's not enough to get you there, there's also a wooden crib that originates from 18th-century Naples, among the more than 1,000 dressed and painted pieces. Be sure to venture into the Book Room for a scene that surely rivals Alexandria's library - manuscripts, scrolls, codices and incunabula are on display for all to see. A particular highlight is the collection of nautical maps from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

Where is it?
Calle Palau Reial 18.

Museu Fundación Juan March
Boasting a collection of 70 works by the most influential Spanish vanguard artists of the twentieth century, they have works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Juan Gris and Salvador Dali to be ogled. In all, 52 artists are represented, and that's without mentioning the temporary exhibitions that the museum frequently plays host to. A recent renovation and expansion has rendered this one of the best art gallery/museum combos in Palma. Don't miss it, whatever you do.

Where is it?
Sant Miquel, 11.