Capdepera Castle

Local name: Castell de Capdepera

Fourteenth-century walled fortress on a hill above Capdepera, with views across the sea channel towards Menorca.

Capdepera Castle is a walled fortress on a hill above the town of Capdepera, on Mallorca, and one of the largest castles on the island. The enclosure was built in the early 1300s under King James II around an older watchtower, the Miquel Nunis tower, on a site fortified by the Romans and later by the Moors. Troops held it until 1854. After more than a century in private hands, it was donated to the town council in 1983.

Castle

Entrance: €3; card payment accepted.
Accessibility: The entrance and the parking are not wheelchair accessible; inside there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet and seating.
Parking: Free parking in the town, including the plaça des Sitjar car park about 170 m away in a straight line; do not drive to the entrance, and allow a 10–15 minute walk up.
Difficulty: An uphill walk of 10 to 15 minutes from parking in the town; the grounds take 20 to 30 minutes to walk round.
Transport: Bus stops Capdepera centre 1 and Capdepera centre 2, about 280–290 m away in a straight line.
Hours: Daily 10:00–20:00.
Address: Carrer Castell, s/n, 07580 Capdepera, Illes Balears, Spain

What makes it special

From the top of the walls the view runs over the rooftops of Capdepera and out across the sea channel towards Menorca. Watching that channel is why the hill was fortified at all, and it gave the place its best story. James I of Aragon, having taken Mallorca and needing his troops for the conquest of Valencia, had bonfires lit across Capdepera so that the Muslims of Menorca would believe an army was camped here and ready to cross. The ruse worked. By the Treaty of Capdepera, signed here, they surrendered and were allowed to stay on their island, paying tribute to the King of Aragon.

The walls date from the early 1300s, when the scattered local population was ordered to build an enclosure around the Miquel Nunis watchtower. A small Gothic church, Nostra Senyora de l'Esperança, stands inside them. Information boards and scannable codes around the grounds explain the history, and there are historical exhibits within the walls.

Good to know

Do not try to drive up to the entrance. Leave the car in the town, where parking is free, and walk up.
The grounds take 20 to 30 minutes to see, so the castle fits well into a beach day around Cala Ratjada, five minutes away by car.
There is a toilet inside but no café. The town centre below has cafés and restaurants.
In summer the castle closes before sunset, so you cannot stay on the walls to watch the sun go down.
The entrance is not wheelchair accessible.

Getting there

Capdepera Castle crowns the hill above the town centre, and the last stretch is on foot. Park in the town, where parking is free: the plaça des Sitjar car park lies about 170 m from the castle in a straight line. From where you leave the car, the walk up to the gate takes 10 to 15 minutes. Do not try to drive to the entrance.

From Cala Ratjada the town is five minutes away by car. Buses stop at Capdepera centre, about 280 m from the castle in a straight line, and the tourist information office sits about 230 m away.

Best time to visit

Best: late afternoon, in the last hours before closing.

Avoid: the middle of the day in July and August.

The view looks east and north-east towards the sea and Menorca, so the lower afternoon sun lights it from behind you, while the walk up from the town and the exposed walls are hardest going in the summer midday heat. The castle is open every day of the year, but in summer it shuts before sunset, so do not plan the visit around watching the sun go down.

Sun & daylight

Beach

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