Almudaina Palace (Palau de l'Almudaina)

In front of you stands the Almudaina Palace, the secular building in Palma with the most history packed into its walls. If you could peel it like an onion, you would find the Roman town underneath, then the Islamic fortress, and finally the palace of a dynasty that reigned for only three generations.

1From citadel to palace

Palma began as a Roman town after Quintus Caecilius Metellus conquered the Balearics in 123 BC, and its remains still lie beneath this neighbourhood. In 903 the island passed into Andalusi hands and the city became Madina Mayurqa. Its governors' citadel stood here: the «Zuda» that the Christian conquerors found in 1229.

James II, the first king of the Kingdom of Mallorca, turned it into a Gothic palace from 1309 onwards, modelled on his family's palace in Perpignan. He lived here, as did Sancho I and James III, until Peter IV of Aragon absorbed the kingdom into his crown in 1349.

2When the sea came up to here

The gardens beneath your feet were the king's orchard, and the sea once lapped at the walls. The large free-standing arch among the hedges, the Arc de sa Drassana, is linked to the Islamic shipyards through which boats sailed right up to the foot of the citadel.

Today it is run by Patrimonio Nacional, and the Spanish Crown still uses it for official events.

Visits inside usually require a ticket and opening times vary, so check the official website. From here, though, you can already understand almost everything.

3What to look for

• The gallery of arches high on the façade, facing the old shoreline.
• The Arc de sa Drassana, standing alone among the gardens.
• The Torre de l'Àngel, crowned by an angel that doubles as a weathervane.