The first morning in Palma you step from the airport into a bright Mediterranean air that smells of salt and citrus; the rental car waits and the map unfurls into coastline and mountain roads. Drive east to Can Pastilla for a calm first night, then trace the island’s spine—the Serra de Tramuntana—where limestone ridges push the sea into dramatic coves and terraces. Villages like Valldemossa and Deià keep narrow stone streets and bakeries that trace back centuries; in the north Alcúdia’s medieval walls and markets show Mallorca’s mixed history of seafaring and farming.