Palma Cathedral, the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma and known as La Seu, is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral on the seafront of Palma, Mallorca, between the Royal Palace of La Almudaina (Palau Reial de l'Almudaina) and the Episcopal Palace. Building began on the site of the city's largest mosque after the conquest of 1229 and continued into the 17th century. It is known for its rose window of nearly 14 m, the second-largest Gothic rose window in the world, and for interior work by Antoni Gaudí and Miquel Barceló.
Catedral de Mallorca (La Seu)
Gothic cathedral on Palma's seafront, with a rose window nearly 14 m across and a canopy by Gaudí.
- Entrance
- Paid entry, around €10–11 per person. The audio guide and the terrace visit cost extra.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance and toilets, and wheelchair-accessible parking. The terrace is reached by a spiral staircase of more than 130 steps.
- Parking
- No parking at the cathedral itself. Paid car parks about 220 m away in a straight line, one of them at Parc de la Mar.
- Difficulty
- No approach to speak of: the nearest bus stop is about 200 m away in a straight line. The optional terrace climb is more than 130 steps up a spiral staircase.
- Transport
- Bus stops Antoni Maura (about 200 m away) and Plaça de la Reina (Catedral) (about 240 m away).
- Advance booking
- Not required. Buying online ahead saves queuing at the ticket desk; terrace tickets can be bought on site.
- Hours
- Monday–Friday 10:00–17:15; Saturday 10:00–14:15; closed for visits on Sunday.
- Address
- Plaça de la Seu, s/n, Centre, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
What makes it special
Arrive in the morning and the east rose window, nearly 14 m across and almost as wide as the central nave, fills the church with coloured light. The nave is the eighth-highest in the world, yet the pillars carrying it are slender: one-twelfth the width of their vault, against one-sixth at Reims.
Gaudí's wrought-iron canopy hangs over the altar, left from the restoration he led from 1903 to 1914. At the end of the southern nave, Miquel Barceló lined the Chapel of Sant Pere in ceramic between 2001 and 2006, with loaves and fishes and grisaille glass meant to evoke the sea floor. The Royal Chapel at the head of the central nave holds the marble tombs of Kings James II and James III beside a white marble bishop's throne of 1346. Take the terrace visit and you climb out among the flying buttresses.
Good to know
- Visitors enter through a side door; walk round the building from the main doors to find it.
- Buying tickets online beforehand saves standing in the queue at the ticket desk.
- The terrace visit is a separate ticket: more than 130 steps up a spiral staircase, hard going for anyone who struggles with stairs.
- Little written history is on display inside; an audio guide is available at extra cost.
- There are toilets inside, and free public ones about 40 m away.
Getting there
Palma Cathedral stands on the seafront at the edge of the old town, against the city walls, so the last stretch is always on foot. The nearest bus stops, Antoni Maura and Plaça de la Reina (Catedral), are about 200–240 m away in a straight line. Drivers use the paid car parks about 220 m off, one of them at Parc de la Mar, the seafront park below the cathedral; there is no parking at the building itself. Once there, head round the side of the cathedral to the visitor entrance. A tourist information office sits about 230 m away, and drinking-water taps about 190 m.
Best time to visit
Best: weekday mornings, from opening time.
Avoid: Sundays, when the cathedral is closed for visits, and late on Saturday, when it shuts early.
The east rose window takes the morning sun and fills the nave with colour, and an early start gets you in before the ticket queue builds at Palma's most-visited sight.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you go up on the roof of Palma Cathedral?
Yes. The terrace visit is a separate ticket, which can be bought on site. It climbs more than 130 steps up a spiral staircase to the upper level, where the flying buttresses stand close by.Do I need to book tickets in advance?
Booking is not required, but buying tickets online beforehand saves queuing at the ticket desk.Where is the visitor entrance?
Visitors go in through a side door, round the flank of the building from the main doors.Is Palma Cathedral wheelchair accessible?
The entrance and toilets are wheelchair accessible, and there is wheelchair-accessible parking. The terrace visit involves more than 130 steps up a spiral staircase.What did Gaudí do at the cathedral?
Antoni Gaudí led restoration works from 1903 to 1914. He moved the choir stalls from the centre of the nave to the walls of the presbytery, designed the large canopy above the altar, had bricked-up windows reopened for more light and designed ceramic panels for the choir.