Mallorca (Majorca) in December – The Best Things to See and Do

by Nofrills Excursions · Published 14 September, 2020 · Updated 19 January, 2022

December in northern Europe can be described as dark and damp. Mallorca, on the other hand, can be a great location to spend a weekend at the bright end of the year sunshine. Mallorca in December has a lot activities to offer – especially Christmas themed – to the travellers from around the world. Our local experts prepared for you recommendations of the best things to see and do on the island during the last month of the year. Enjoy!

Mallorca Weather in December

The weather in Mallorca in December is mild. During the day it can be nice to enjoy a stroll or sit outside in the sunshine. With approximately 9 hours of sunshine the days are still relatively long and the nights can be chilly. It is a really good weather for enjoying the outdoors.

Mallorca is not hot in December. You can go to the beach and sunbathe depending on the day. As an average, the daytime temperature is 16 degrees, but at noon it can reach 20 degrees and at night time 5-8 degrees.

People are often seen sunbathing in December. It’s not hot and the water is cold but many people enjoy a quick dip in the sea.

In your suitcase to travel to Mallorca in December, you will need light trousers and T-shirts. It is also recommended to bring a jersey and a warm jacket just in case.

Yes, it will rain in Mallorca in December. We can´t say with any certainty when it will rain but we advise you to be prepared with the proper footwear and clothing.

The sunrise is at around 08:00 and the sunset at 17:30 approximately.

You can check the average temperature on the official website of AEMET. This is the official website of the state meteorological agency. On here you can find useful statistics on temperature and average rainfall.

What to See and Do in Mallorca in December

There are lots of things to see and do on the island of Mallorca in December. The main tourist season has finished about a month ago and the locals are enjoying their welcome holiday time. Here we will list some of them off the beaten track gems and family days out.

What can I do with children during December?

Here we will outline some of our favorite activities to do in December. Most are off the beaten tourist track and will need a hire car or some independent modes of transport as public transport is not as frequent in the winter months.

A visit to Soller and the modernist museum of Can Prunera.

Soller is a hidden paradise on the west coast of Mallorca. Nestled in a citrus lined valley it is only accessible from Palma by its tunnel or a hair-raising drive with over 50 hairpin bends on the Serra de Alfabia. The tunnel is now free so unless you are an adrenalin junkie or a cyclist we recommend you take the tunnel.

Soller - history of oranges production

On arrival to the valley, you will be welcomed to an awe-inspiring view of orange and lemon groves. They adorn the spectacular terraces with the magnificent Serra de Tramuntana framing the entire vista. Descend to the valley and you will be transported back in time to an era where electric tram travel was the norm and the main source of income for this sleepy town was its fruit and specifically its oranges. So much so that in the early nineteenth century Sollers oranges became famous throughout Spain and Europe.

Soller became an important exporter and its sons and daughters became important businesspeople on the island and very importantly in the south of Spain where Soller gained significant influence. Cataluna and France became important customers, because of the improved trade links such as the Soller train and improved maritime transport.

Can Prunera Museum

Many of the wonderful buildings that are seen in Soller today are fruits of this profitable trade from two centuries ago. One of these buildings is the modernist museum of Can Prunera. Although interestingly the profits did not originate in Soller, in 1865 a catastrophic infection devasted the orange trees in the valley and this led to the ruination of many of the local exporters. These families were forced to emigrate and after making their fortunes in countries such as France and South America many returned and one of these families constructed the Building of Can Prunera.

Prunera in Spanish means prune tree and the original owners were prune farmers and this gives the name. Today can Prunera has been restored to its original glory, and houses many original artworks from artists such as Juli Ramis and Picasso. As well as many examples of art nouveau. a visit to Can Prunera will give the visitor an idea of what life was like for the nouveau riche of this Epoque in the valley of Soller. There are also interesting gardens that are a quiet and tranquil place to contemplate.

A visit to the microbrewery of Alaro and its castle

One of our favorite days out in the winter is a walk to the castle of Alaro. This medieval structure that stands majestically above the Village of Alaro dates from the tenth century and is free to visit. The structure occupies a defensive position and according to legend survived a siege of over eight years. During the conquest of Jaime 1 of Catalunya, many of the Muslim residents of Medina Mayurqa (Palma) retreated to the mountain castles such as Alaro.

Other castles include Castell de Santueri y Castell del Rei in Pollenca. The castle lies 7.5 km from the village and its possible to park in the village and walk to the castle but most opt to drive the bumpy road to the restaurant es Verger and begin from there. After finding a parking space at es Verger it is about an hour to the top following the rough track and finally the steps to the main gats of the fortress.

Many opt for lunch at Es verger where all are welcome and reservations are not possible, on the other hand, its also possible to visit the Local brewery of Forastera located in the village. They have a taproom with several craft beers that are hand made in Mallorca.

A visit to the medieval castle in Capdepera

The municipality of Capdepera is located on the east coast of Mallorca and has one of the largest castles on the Island. Construction began in the fourth century and was originally constructed by the Romans and then the Moors and finally reconstructed in its present form in the fourteenth century.

The fortress overlooks the sea between the islands of Mallorca and Menorca and it was here that the treaty of Capdepera was signed. It was giving king James of Aragon control of the nearby smaller island without a drop of spilled blood. Today the castle houses an interesting museum and is well worth a visit, several hours can be spent and it’s a fun morning out for all ages.

Christmas in Mallorca

As Christmas is fast approaching the days are getting shorter and the population of Mallorca is starting to get into the Christmas spirit. Whilst the weather may not be as harsh as many northern countries there is still a chill in the air and the illumination of the buildings in Palma only adds to that special Christmas feeling.

Normally the Christmas illuminations can be seen throughout Palma with the main lights to be seen in Placa Cort and the street of Jaime 3 as well as the Placa de la Reina. We recommend to visit the lights and this can be combined with a bit of Christmas shopping in the many small boutiques and also in the bigger department stores like El Corte Ingles.

As local experts we also would like to recommend you one of the greatest traditions in Mallorca – Christmas Nativities. The visits you can combine with shopping for Christmas gifts on local markets or nice coffee / lunch out during the day in Palma de Mallorca. More about it you will find in our special article below.

Whilst Christmas day is not celebrated in the same way in Spain, The three kings on the sixth of January being the main event many Mallorcans are adopting Christmas day as well. And… I suppose why not have two days of fun for the price of one 😉 For more details about the Christmas in Mallorca, please check our serie of articles here.

Spotlight on local villages

Inca & Lloseta

Inca was and still is, the town most recognized for leather products, boots, and shoes. But it was not the only town to reap the dividends. One other was Lloseta. The footwear industry in Lloseta began rather humbly at the end of the nineteenth century, but by the 1930s it was the town’s principal industry. So economically significant was Lloseta – where mining (in the early years following the Civil War) and cement production (from the 1960s) were also major industries – that between 1900 and 1970 it had the fourth highest population growth of all places in Mallorca.

A lack of investment, especially in mechanization, was to be a cause of the decline of the Lloseta shoe industry. The tourism boom was another. Workers found alternative employment in construction and the hospitality sectors. One brand that survived and has thrived is Bestard, famous for its walking and mountain boots. The traditional manufacture of shoes in Lloseta is now celebrated each year at the shoe fair in June.

The march of Mallorca’s shoe industry

Spain’s neutrality during the First World War opened up several business opportunities for Mallorca. The Trasmediterranea shipping line was founded. Ships for war support were built in Mallorca, and the island’s footwear industry enjoyed a boom. Indeed, the French Army marched in Mallorcan boots.

This industry had been important to the economy before the Great War. In 1900, almost 14% of Mallorca’s manufacturing industry had been footwear and leather products. The main center for production was Palma, but demand was to see production diversify geographically. This chiefly occurred in the region which remains today the one most associated with footwear production on the island: Raiguer.

This region had started to become a center of production in the nineteenth century. This owed much to Antonio Fluxá. He went to England to learn about new methods of shoemaking manufacture. When he returned, he established the Lottusse brand in 1877. It was to be almost a hundred years later (1975) that the famous Camper brand became truly established. Notably, one of its marques – ‘Camper, Boots & Shoes, 1877’ – comes from the same year.

Binnisalem and its wine trradition

Wine has been produced in Mallorca since as far back as Roman times. Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century AD, observed that Mallorcan wines matched those of Italy. Many centuries later and Mallorca was to enjoy a golden age. When the phylloxera bug ravaged French vineyards from the 1860s, Mallorca stepped in. There were some 75,000 acres devoted to vines and wine was exported to France. But so as not to put off French drinkers, it was relabelled as French wine. However, this success was short-lived. Phylloxera arrived on the island in 1891 and it had a similarly devastating impact.

The plague had been eradicated by the time one of Mallorca’s oldest producers, Macià Batle, was introducing new labeling in 1913. Based in Santa Maria del Camí, the company was founded in 1856. Nowadays, Santa Maria is part of the Binissalem Designation of Origin (DO) regulatory council, a mark of quality that applies strict standards to the types of grape grown, to their harvest, and the production. There is a second DO, Pla I Llevant, which covers the eastern area of the island, and another mark – Vi de la Terra Mallorca.

Binissalem is looked upon as the center of the island’s wine trade. It was here that Bodegas José L Ferrer was established in 1931. The following year, Vins Nadal was founded – also in Binissalem. The oldest wine producer is in Consell, a neighbour of Binissalem. Bodegas Ribas can trace its history back to 1711.

Since the 1980s, Mallorca has undergone a wine renaissance. New vineyards have been developed and new producers have emerged. The emphasis has been on the ’boutique’ bodega – relatively small scale production of high quality and typified by innovative labeling. Meanwhile, the older and larger producers have gone from strength to strength.

Vermar Wine Fair

Binissalem holds an annual wine fair as part of the village’s Vermar grape harvest fiestas in September. This focuses on Binissalem wines, while the wine fair Pollensa in May attracts bodegas from all over the island. Also in May, the Binissalem DO holds a week of Mallorca Wine Days that embraces the five centers for the DO – Binissalem itself, Consell, Santa Maria, Santa Eugenia, and Sencelles. Wine-tastings are now a common feature of island fiestas and fairs, and special events – often combining wine with art, music, and gastronomy – have sprung up.

Grape production

Compared with the heyday of the nineteenth century, the scale of grape production is low: some six percent of those 75,000 acres that were helping to supply France. Pressures from other crops and development have diminished the opportunities. At the same time, they have meant that there is a premium on quality, which includes grape varieties that are indigenous to Mallorca, such as Callet, Manto Negro, and Prensal.

Mallorcan wine also uses grapes like Chardonnay and Syrah, but the attention paid to the indigenous varieties is reflected in the fact there is a vine nursery devoted to them. This is in Biniagual, a hamlet within Binissalem. The grafts were until recently being done in Navarre on the mainland.

We hope you have found this article about Mallorca in December useful, and that it helps you to plan your travel to Mallorca. If you liked the article, please share it on your social networks so other travelers can see it. If you have some extra suggestions for December in Mallorca, leave us your comment and we will add it to the article.

Would you like to visit Mallorca in another month? Check our articles for more information:

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Mallorca (Majorca) in December – The Best Things to See and Do

Mallorca Weather in December

What to See and Do in Mallorca in December