Balearic Islands (Spain)
If you are “ready for the island”, the Balearic Islands are the right place for you. The Balearic Islands are diverse and hospitable. All of these beautiful islands have peculiarities and the recreational effect is with one vacation certainly guaranteed in Mallorca or Menorca. In addition, there is the fun factor, whether you travel alone, as a family or with friends. On Menorca or Mallorca, flowers bloom in a great blaze of colors. Windmills promote the precious water and ferry traffic guarantees the transfer to other islands of the Balearic Islands.
The archipelago of the Balearic Islands is located in the western Mediterranean, off the south coast of mainland Spain. The two main islands are Mallorca with about 3,640 km² and Menorca with about 700 km². From a political point of view, these two islands form an administrative unit. It will be predominant Spanish spoken, but Catalan is also often used.
Mallorca
The largest and well-known island of the Balearic Islands has many different facets. Here you get very up tourists set, but the island offers a multitude of interesting sights and, apart from the holiday centers, many charming villages or nature parks. Visit vaultedwatches.com for the best of Spain.
Palma de Mallorca is certainly the most important city on the island. Here is a magnificent cathedral as well as a number of important and noteworthy buildings.
The northernmost point of the island is El Cabo de Formentor. Here you can have a wonderful view of Mallorca and the sea.
Ibiza
With beautiful beaches, which are surrounded by rocks and mostly have fine, white sand, Ibiza naturally invites you to an extended relaxation and bathing holiday. But Ibiza is also known as a happy city that capitalizes on perhaps the craziest nightlife on the Mediterranean. Families will also find the fun and relaxation that one is usually looking for on vacation in Ibiza. Travelers looking for “action”, be it in water sports or nightlife, have come to the right place on Ibiza.
Ibiza Town (Eivissa) is the main town of the island and at the same time the seat of a bishopric. It is certainly one of the most graceful cities in the Mediterranean. The city is most impressive when viewed from the sea. The towering cathedral from the 14th and 17th centuries is the first to catch your eye.
Menorca
culture and tradition are very important on the northernmost of the Balearic Islands. And of course there is also a multitude of beautiful beaches and very pure water, which ensures bathing pleasure and provides the basis for many possibilities for water sports.
The capital of the island is Maó. A cosmopolitan city, located on the harbor. During the day the lively shopping streets, some cultural sites or the old town alleys beckon, in the evening you can relax and enjoy in restaurants, cafes or nightspots.
There are also sights in Menorca, many of which are prehistoric. In Ciutadella there is a cathedral and some other architecturally valuable buildings to visit.
Formentera
Together with Ibiza, Formentera is one of the so-called “pityuses”. Which translates as something like: “The islands rich in pine trees”. The natural paradise shows an original and extraordinary charm.
Formentera can only be reached by boat, there is no airport here. The port “La Sevina” can be reached in about half an hour to an hour from Ibiza.
Fine sand and miles of beaches on turquoise-blue and shallow water sometimes allow you to linger in the Caribbean. Formentera is also suitable as a bathing paradise for children. The untouched dune landscape of this Balearic island is under nature protection.
Anyone who has been to Formentera once and has felt comfortable there will always come back.
Balearic climate
The archipelago of the Balearic Islands is up to 200 kilometers from the Spanish one Mediterranean coastroughly on the same level as Valencia. The northernmost island, Menorca, is just below the 40th parallel north, the southernmost, Formentera, is located at the 38th parallel.
The islands have a subtropical, Mediterranean climate. The summers are accordingly hot and dry, with almost none on Formentera and Ibiza in July and August precipitation . The winter is moderately cool, but mostly wet, with the most rain from October to February is to be expected. They fall particularly hard rainfall but off in the fall. The average annual rainfall is unevenly distributed. Menorca and Mallorca have significantly more rainfall than the drier islands of Formentera and Ibiza. Overall, the precipitation is around 400 to 500 millimeters per year, but in the north of Mallorca it can be over 1,000 millimeters on the northern slopes of the mountains. At high altitudes, snow can fall in winter. On the other hand, July and August are mostly free of precipitation, especially in the south.
The average maximum daily temperatures in winter are a mild 15 to 16 degrees, in midsummer, i.e. July and August, it gets an average of around 30 degrees, with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius being measured. At night it gets quite cool in winter, the thermometer drops to an average of six to eight degrees from December to February.
Best travel time for the Balearic Islands
The summer months from June to September are the absolute high season for the Balearic Islands. Then there is generally bathing weather, all water sports can be practiced and the hotels and beaches are correspondingly full, the prices are higher.
However, spring in particular has established itself as an excellent travel time for mountain bikers and hikers on the islands. Then the weather is comparatively stable and the islands are still very green.
In January, the almond blossom in the Balearic Islands is appealing.
Between January and May, precipitation falls between 27 and 35 millimeters per month. In contrast, much more rain and downpours must be expected, especially in late autumn. Then there can also be floods that hardly allow active holidays.
Balearic geography
The Balearic Islands are a group of islands in the west Mediterranean Seaand form one of the 17 Autonomous Communities of the Kingdom of Spain. The Balearic Islands include the main island of Mallorca, the smaller island of Menorca and the zur archipelago the Pityuses belonging to Ibiza, Formentera, Cabrera and many small rock islands. The Balearic Islands are the only Spain archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.
The total area of the Balearic Islands is about 5,000 square kilometers. The largest island is Mallorca with around 3,600 square kilometers. P alma de Mallorca is the capital of the Balearic Islands. Of the total of 146 uninhabited islands in the Balearic Islands, the two rocky islands Dragonera and Pantaleu are under nature protection.
From a geological point of view, the Balearic Islands form the continuation of the Andalusian Rock Mountains, which extend from Gibraltar to the Sierra Nevada. A sea trench about 1,500 meters deep separates the Balearic Islands from Spain, which, depending on the location, are between 90 and 200 kilometers from the mainland. The landscape on the archipelago is similar to the mountains on the mainland: Karst rock formations alternate with mountain ranges covered by evergreen macchia. In between there are fertile plains and valleys. The Puig Mayor, located on Mallorca, is the highest mountain in the Balearic Islands at 1,445 meters.
