Museums & bad weather
What to do in Mallorca when it rains: the best cultural destinations
Rain clouds over the Bay of Palma do not mean a lost holiday day – the island has more covered museums, cathedrals and studios than most visitors expect.
The short answer
What to do in Mallorca when it rains: the best cultural destinations
If you are out and about in Mallorca when it rains, Palma has three fully covered destinations within walking distance of each other: Es Baluard, La Seu cathedral and the Museu Fundación Juan March. Three venues reach the top rainy-day score of 5: La Seu cathedral, the Museu de Mallorca and Can Prunera in Sóller.
Top destinations in the rain: fully covered
Five venues are particularly suitable for a whole rainy day because almost the entire visit takes place indoors: Es Baluard, La Seu cathedral, the Museu Fundación Juan March, the Museu de Mallorca and Can Prunera in Sóller.
This selection is based on the venues’ editorial rainy-day score, which takes into account how much of a visit is outdoors. A score of 5 means: little or no outdoor element – the cathedral, the Museu de Mallorca and Can Prunera reach it; Es Baluard and the Museu Fundación Juan March follow with a score of 4.
- Es Baluard – contemporary art in the bastion, indoor rooms and covered passages
- La Seu cathedral – the largest Gothic nave in the Mediterranean
- Museu Fundación Juan March – Spanish modernism, free, compact
- Museu de Mallorca – island history from prehistory to today in a baroque palace
- Can Prunera Sóller – Art Nouveau villa with an art collection
Museums by region
If you are not in Palma but in the north, east or the Tramuntana, you will find covered alternatives there too, though with varying outdoor elements.
- Palma: Es Baluard, cathedral, Juan March, Museu de Mallorca, Castell de Bellver, Palau March, Pueblo Español
- Tramuntana: Can Prunera (Sóller)
- North: Museo Sa Bassa Blanca and Pollentia near Alcúdia
- East: Artà Regional Museum
Indoors all day: the Palma old town combination
The cathedral, Es Baluard and Juan March are within walking distance of each other in or near Palma’s old town. This means you can plan a whole rainy day without a car and without long walks.
If you have more time, add the Museu de Mallorca or the Palau March, both of which are also in the old town.
If it only rains briefly: venues with indoor and outdoor areas
Some venues are also worthwhile during showers because the most important part of the collection is indoors, even if the grounds include a garden or terrace. These include the Fundació Miró in Cala Major and the Museo Sa Bassa Blanca near Alcúdia, with a rainy-day score in the mid range.
At Pollentia in Alcúdia and the Pueblo Español, on the other hand, the outdoor element clearly predominates – both are less suitable in persistent rain.
All rainy-day museums at a glance
The following list shows all individual pages with their editorial rainy-day score (5 = fully covered, 1–2 = mostly outdoors).
- Es Baluard – score 4
- La Seu cathedral – score 5
- Museu Fundación Juan March – score 4
- Museu de Mallorca – score 5
- Castell de Bellver – score 3
- Fundació Miró – score 4
- Museo Sa Bassa Blanca – score 3
- Palau March – score 3
- Can Prunera Sóller – score 5 (mostly indoors)
- Pollentia (Alcúdia) – score 2 (mostly outdoors)
- Pueblo Español – score 2 (mostly outdoors)
- Museu Regional d'Artà – compact indoor museum
Free alternatives in the rain
If you want to save money on a rainy day, the Museu Fundación Juan March in Palma is free all year round. Other venues are free on certain days of the week – details on the overview page on free museums in Palma.
At a glance
- Best starting point
- Palma’s old town (cathedral, Es Baluard, Juan March within walking distance)
- Number of fully covered top destinations
- 3 venues with a rainy-day score of 5, plus 2 with a score of 4
- Accessibility
- varies by venue, see individual pages
- Getting there
- Palma destinations reachable by bus/on foot, north/east better by car
Practical tips
- If heavy rain is forecast, head first for the Palma old town combination of the cathedral, Es Baluard and Juan March.
- Avoid venues with a large outdoor element (Pueblo Español, Pollentia) in persistent rain.
- Before driving to the north or east, check the current opening times of the venues.
Check the details
Admission prices, opening times and current exhibitions change at short notice. We only state the editorially checked information – check the venue’s official website before your visit.
Places
These cultural sites belong to this topic
Admission prices, opening times and current exhibitions change at short notice. We only state the editorially checked information – check the venue’s official website before your visit.
Palma
La Seu cathedral
The largest Gothic nave in the Mediterranean – and the only place in Palma where Gaudí and Barceló meet.
- Admission
- Admission charged for tourists, attending a service is free – check the day’s price before your visit
- Duration
- approx. 75 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 5/5 – fills a whole rainy day
- Getting there
- Parc de la Mar car park directly below the cathedral
step-free Guided tours
Don’t miss: Miquel Barceló’s ceramic wall in the Capella del Santíssim and Gaudí’s baldachin above the altar.
RM24 tip: early in the morning there are the fewest cruise groups, and the light through the rose window is at its clearest.
More on this → · Open in Google Maps
Palma
Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani
Contemporary art in a Renaissance bastion – with the best terrace view over the Bay of Palma.
- Admission
- Regular museum admission in the low single digits, concessions cheaper – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 90 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 4/5 – good for rainy days
- Getting there
- Parc de la Mar car park or Es Baluard itself
step-free Guided tours
Don’t miss: the walk along the bastion wall and the sculpture courtyard above the harbour.
RM24 tip: even without a long museum visit, the terrace is a good stop between the old town and Santa Catalina.
Palma
Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró
Miró’s real studio – Taller Sert looks as if the artist had only just popped out.
- Admission
- Regular admission in the low double digits or less – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 100 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 4/5 – good for rainy days
- Getting there
- Limited free parking at the museum
step-free Guided tours
Don’t miss: Taller Sert with brushes, paint tins and unfinished canvases, and the Moneo building above it.
RM24 tip: the circular path through the garden to the Son Boter farmhouse is worthwhile – access may be restricted depending on building work.
Palma
Museu Fundación Juan March
Spanish classical modernism – Picasso, Miró, Juan Gris, Dalí – free and right on the shopping street.
- Admission
- Free admission
- Duration
- approx. 60 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 4/5 – good for rainy days
- Getting there
- Plaça Major car park, a few minutes’ walk away
step-free free admission
Don’t miss: the permanent collection of the Spanish avant-garde in the restored Can Gallard del Canyar town palace.
RM24 tip: the ideal rainy-day destination for just under an hour, as there is no ticket and no waiting time.
Palma
Museu de Mallorca
The island’s history in one go: from Talayotic bronze and Islamic Madina Mayurqa to Gothic panel painting.
- Admission
- Very low admission, EU citizens sometimes free – check the rules before your visit
- Duration
- approx. 75 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 5/5 – fills a whole rainy day
- Getting there
- Parc de la Mar car park
step-free
Don’t miss: the Gothic altarpieces and the Talayotic bronze figures on the ground floor.
RM24 tip: the Can Aiamans town palace itself is part of the exhibition – don’t overlook the courtyard and staircase.
More on this → · Open in Google Maps
Palma
Castell de Bellver
One of the few circular castles in Europe – a city history museum with the best all-round view over Palma.
- Admission
- Low admission, concessions cheaper – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 80 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 3/5 – fine in showers
- Getting there
- Parking on the woodland track below the castle, uphill walk
Guided tours
Don’t miss: the circular courtyard with its two-storey arcade and the walk around the roof terrace.
RM24 tip: the courtyard and roof terrace are open to the sky, only the arcaded gallery is covered – in the rain, the museum part is still worthwhile.
More on this → · Open in Google Maps
Palma
Palau March Museu
Henry Moore, Chillida and Barbara Hepworth on a terrace above the cathedral – without museum queues.
- Admission
- Low admission – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 60 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 3/5 – fine in showers
- Getting there
- Parc de la Mar car park
step-free
Don’t miss: the sculpture terrace and the Neapolitan nativity scene inside.
RM24 tip: the terrace is open-air – in the rain, it is mainly the indoor area with the nativity scene and library that remains.
Palma
Pueblo Español
Spanish architectural history in model size: Alhambra courtyards, El Greco’s house and Andalusian lanes on one tour.
- Admission
- Admission in the mid single digits to low double digits – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 90 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 2/5 – only rain-proof for a short while
- Getting there
- Free parking at the entrance
step-free Guided tours
Don’t miss: the replica of the Patio de los Leones from the Alhambra.
RM24 tip: almost everything is outdoors – in the rain, the Pueblo Español is a worse choice than a real museum.
More on this → · Open in Google Maps
Alcúdia
Museu Sa Bassa Blanca (Fundación Yannick y Ben Jakober)
A Moorish-style country estate above the Bay of Alcúdia – Renaissance portraits of children, a sculpture park and a rose garden in one.
- Admission
- Mid-range admission, guided tour slots sometimes separate – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 120 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 3/5 – fine in showers
- Getting there
- Free parking at the museum, access via a gravel track
Guided tours
Don’t miss: the collection of portraits of noble children in the underground vault and the outdoor sculpture park.
RM24 tip: visiting times are strictly regulated – without booking ahead you may not get in.
Alcúdia
Pollentia – Roman town and Museu Monogràfic
Mallorca’s most important Roman town – the forum, residential quarter and theatre lie right in front of Alcúdia’s old town.
- Admission
- Low combined admission for the excavation and museum – check the day’s price
- Duration
- approx. 90 minutes
- Rain-friendly
- 2/5 – only rain-proof for a short while
- Getting there
- On-street parking on the access road to the excavation site
Guided tours
Don’t miss: the Roman theatre south of the town and the Sa Portella residential quarter.
RM24 tip: the excavation site is exposed – in the rain, only the museum part in the old town is worthwhile.
Map & radius
Location and distances
Choose a starting point and set the radius – so you can plan a cultural day without unnecessary driving.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions about museums in the rain
Which museums in Mallorca are fully covered?
La Seu cathedral, the Museu de Mallorca and Can Prunera in Sóller have the top rainy-day score of 5; Es Baluard and the Museu Fundación Juan March follow with a score of 4.
What can you do in Palma when it rains?
The cathedral, Es Baluard and Juan March are within walking distance of each other in the old town – a whole cultural day is possible without a car.
Are all museums in Mallorca suitable in the rain?
No. Venues with a large outdoor element, such as the Pueblo Español or the Pollentia excavation site, are less suitable in persistent rain than purely indoor museums.
More culture topics
-
Es Baluard
Inside 500-year-old fortress walls above the Bay of Palma, contemporary art now hangs – with one of the best terrace views in the city included.
-
Fundació Miró
For almost 30 years, Joan Miró’s easel stood in this studio designed by Josep Lluís Sert above the bay of Cala Major – today you can look right inside.
-
Sa Bassa Blanca
An Egyptian architect built a domed mud-brick house here in the middle of Mallorca – surrounded by one of the most unusual sculpture parks on the island.
Next steps
Image credits: Es Baluard in Palma with palm trees and bastion: Photo Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons