The historic centre
A charming pedestrian maze of medieval origin, protected by imposing 14th-century city walls and dotted with stately 16th- and 17th-century manor houses. Wandering its narrow, cobbled, flower-filled streets, you will discover lively corners, squares with buzzing terraces and a wide choice of small craft shops and restaurants serving Mallorcan cuisine. Listed as a Historic-Artistic Site, the old town blends its precious Roman and medieval heritage perfectly with a warm and vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere.
The monumental ensemble
The walled enclosure forms an irregular quadrilateral that completely surrounds the town’s historic centre. One of the must-do experiences is a free stroll along the Camí de Ronda, the wall walk along the top of the city walls, which offers spectacular views of the old town, its medieval rooftops and the nearby bays. The perimeter has 26 defence towers (watchtowers) spread along its length, which housed garrisons and allowed defenders to fire on attackers from the flanks during a siege. Then there are the bastions, added from the 16th century (the Renaissance) to adapt the fortress to artillery and firearms. The most notable are the Sant Ferran bastion and the Vila Roja bastion.
The city gates
Originally, access to the walled town was restricted to three imposing guarded gateways, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1974. The Porta del Moll (or Porta de Xara), on the east side, historically linked the town with Port d’Alcúdia and stands out for its two imposing square towers joined by a large modified horseshoe arch. The Porta de Sant Sebastià, facing south, connected the town with the royal road to Palma and has a sturdy double-gate defence system. And the Porta de Vila Roja, on the north side, was the smallest gate. It led out to the farmland beyond the walls and has a stone bridge that crossed the old defensive moat.
The Church of Sant Jaume
The original 14th-century church collapsed almost entirely in 1870. The present church was rebuilt in a distinctly neo-Gothic style and opened in 1893. It has a single nave with rib vaults and side chapels. It houses the Parish Museum, with a valuable collection of sacred art, liturgical vestments and medieval silverwork. Above all, there is the Chapel of the Holy Christ, the Baroque feature that survived the collapse. It keeps the image of the Holy Christ of Alcúdia (15th century), the focus of the famous “Triennal” procession, held every three years to commemorate the miracle of the rains of 1507.